So much fun, so little time

So much for the lazy days of summer. There's so much to do in our own backyard you practically need a planner.

We're in the middle stages of the unofficial "fun run" of summer in the Mission Valley, with St. Ignatius' Good Old Days and the new Mission Mountain PRCA Rodeo in Polson last weekend. The lake is teaming with boaters and swimmers, so much so that Polson Bay almost needs a traffic cop.

This weekend's activities include another big draw for the valley as the Flathead Hoopfest comes to Polson, beginning with slam dunk and three-point competitions on Friday night. Hundreds of local and regional basketball players will blanket the downtown streets of Polson, playing some serious 3-on-3 basketball through Sunday afternoon.

And there won't be much time to rest before the Lake County Fair and Ronan Pioneer Days kick off the following week's activities on Tuesday evening. Fair entries and judging begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning, with two buildings full of art, crafts, jams and hand-crafted items proudly on display. Quilters display their finery along with other arts and crafts in the old gym of the Ronan High School. Livestock will be preened and paraded around the fairgrounds through Friday, dovetailing with Pioneer Days activities in the rodeo grounds and the streets of Ronan.

There are street dances and more 3-on-3 basketball and two parades through town on the weekend. The Mission Valley Speedway hosts a demolition derby on Saturday night, plus two other races. Pancake breakfasts start off both Saturday and Sunday, and the rodeo action heats up both Friday and Saturday evenings before the afternoon rodeo on Sunday.

But next weekend's activities also include Saturday's Sandpiper Art Gallery's annual Art Festival on the courthouse lawn in Polson. Artists and crafters will fill the lawn with tents and outdoor booths displaying a wide variety of arts and crafts. It's one of the Mission Valley's many "must go" activities that also help raise funds for the gallery's art scholarships.

Also on Saturday in Polson will be the Water Daze celebration, which will help raise funds and awareness for a community swimming pool. A variety of water events, including swimming races in the lake, give the whole family another reason to enjoy the refreshing lake.

Of course summer activities don't end there, but this is the time of the year where you need to carefully plan out your weekends so you don't miss a thing. Even more so, many of our fine community members have to figure out how they're going to spread themselves out across so many worthwhile events.

That's one of the most amazing aspects of these wonderful activities, which sometimes is too easily overlooked. Behind all of these activities, is a core group of volunteers who tirelessly devote themselves year after to year to these wonderful events.

They are 4H moms and proud parents, business owners and committed volunteers, local civic leaders and community activists that are tireless in their efforts to give back to their communities. They do the grunt work, much of it behind the scenes and far ahead of the actual event.

We owe those volunteers a debt of gratitude for helping put together such a wonderful summer of fun. The result of their countless hours of community service translates into a tremendous amount of entertainment for our families. All these events also draw a lot of visitors to our area, giving our local economy a healthy shot in the arm.

They aren't looking for the attention, but it sure wouldn't hurt to tell those volunteers "thanks" as we walk around enjoying the fruits of their labor. That - and a bottle of water - might just make their day.

And if you haven't found enough fun stuff to do this summer, you just ran out of excuses.