Welcome to Summa-Summa-Summertime! Step right in. We’ve got kids’ camps to recommend and great ideas for staycationing and how to spend your four-day weekends, plus a bird’s-eye look at new music coming out of and coming to town and also what to do when the temps are high, and the AC in our local museums and theaters is just so very cool. And more in our annual summer edition, Summertime 2024. So, put on your shady party hats. It’s time to do summer right. Start by clicking here. —Anthony Mariani
Culture // Canvas, Stage, Sizzle
Cool exhibits and stage shows will give you multiplying chills this summer. “Not too long ago, definitely pre-pandemic, the fine arts would — like an all-Christmas store in Grapevine — shut down for the summer. Not so anymore. Our museums and theaters keep churning out product and programs all year
long, and the next few months will be no different. From Broadway shows to blockbuster exhibits, Fort Worth’s fine-art purveyors want their comfy seats occupied by your butts…” {Read more in Arts & Culture.}
Getaway Feature // First Monday Trade Days in Canton
First Monday Trade Days are a blast in Canton, Texas. “When I called my mom in late April to
wish her a happy birthday and an early Mother’s Day, I asked how she wanted to celebrate. She said she wanted to go to Canton for First Monday Trade Days, the vast monthly flea market in East Texas, “before it gets too hot.” The first weekend of May was already very warm. It got me wondering: How do antique/junk hounds deal with flea markets in the summer?…” {Read more in Big Ticket.}
Getaway Feature // Playing Possum at Lush VIP Club
Let me tell you, joining the Lush VIP Club was worth it. “Last year, I joined the Lush VIP Club, and let me tell you about all the fun I had all year! After I reveled at PK Mardi Gras Parade, I headed to Lush for their annual Party with Poo Live Crew where I sang along and danced the night away. I basked in the sun by their heated pool during spring break getting a head start on my tan. St Patty’s Day drink specials were so delicious…” {Read more in Blotch.}
Staycation Feature // Staying Power
If the summer plan involves not leaving town but getting out of the house, keep reading. “While there might not always be the cashola, there’s still always the time for a summer staycation, and in a city like ours —now the 12th largest in the country, in fact — getting out of the damn house to spend a few days and nights in new environs is as easy as it’s ever been (if not cheaper)…” {Read more in Metro.}
Summer Camp Feature // Stuff: So Campy
Expand those tiny horizons in the Fort all summer long. “Before we dive into our rundown, an important word about water safety. If your young’uns go anywhere near a body of water this summer, it’s going to come down to either you doing your job and protecting them by forcing them to wear a totes uncool life jacket or them going on without one and not only putting you in the crosshairs of a hefty fine but possibly ruining y’all’s lives. Drowning is the leading cause of death on the water in Texas, and more than 75% of last year’s victims were not wearing life jackets. This season will be the first with new state laws in effect… This isn’t to say water is the only fun thing happening this summer for the little peace snatchers. There’s a bevy of camps, including a snippet of our faves below…” {Read more in Metro.}
Night & Day // Four Four-Day Weekends This Summer
With four four-day weekends ahead of you this summer, how will you celebrate? “Along with boating, camping, and swimming while soaking up the sun, summer in ’Murica includes four four-day weekends because why not remember history while school is out and drink about it? Here are some serious and some fun ways to take advantage of the extra time off and a bit about why we’re commemorating these dates as a nation…” {Read more in Calendar.}
Night & Day // Living Local: Harvest to Market Event
Tabor Farms plays host to the Harvest to Market event, a fun free “locally grown farm experience” 8am-9:30am Sat, Jun 1. “Urban farming is big in North Texas and getting bigger! But what does it take to go from harvest to market? Learn about that and more during free Locally Grown Farm Experiences. Presented by Texas Health Community Hope, the series features hands-on activities at a variety of local farms in our community. Spend a morning ‘on the farm’ and learn from urban farmers firsthand, gain growing tips, and discover how we can all support local farmers in their efforts to enhance community well-being…” {Read more in Blotch.}
Screen // Summer Movie Preview
We run down the big-screen treats awaiting us for the season. “The conceptual problem with these movie previews is that the summer movie season typically starts at the beginning of May while we run our summer issue at the end of the month. There are solid reasons for the latter, but it means that
a good chunk of the blockbusters are already out by the time this annual feature runs. Even so, there’s still a great deal to look forward to at the multiplexes as the summer heat bears down on us. Sequels always dominate in the summer, and this year’s season has no shortage of them…” {Read more in Screen.}
Eats & Drinks // Ate Day8 of DDDestination Dining in Your Backyard
Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives has drawn tight focus on a bunch of North Texas eateries. “While I’d really like to smack the sunglasses off the back of his head, I do love me some Guy Fieri… My renewed interest in Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives happened back in March. While working on our annual Zest issue, I wanted something food-oriented streaming in the background and found that all 55 seasons of DDD are on HBO Max. I made it through only some of them but did watch long enough to realize that a lot of North Texas spots were featured, including some in Tarrant County. If you will be a staycationer this summer rather than a world traveler, here are some destination-dining eateries that food travelers visit when they come to us. Be a tourist in your own backyard!…” {Read more in Ate Day8 a Week.}
Eats & Drinks // Summer of (THC) Seltzer
Achieve maximum chill with these fizzy, hemp-laced quaffs. “…while enjoying $5 Friday frosè at Roy Pope Grocery (2300 Merrick St, Fort Worth, 817-732-2863) with friends recently, I noticed quite a large selection of THC-based drinks just to the left of the coffee bar. Reading the labels, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the calorie count per serving is significantly lower than even the lowest-calorie alcoholic beverage (about 40 calories), so I grabbed a few, along with a few ‘munchies’ — it being a grocery store after all — to go…” {Read more in Eats & Drinks.}
Music // Cross-Country Sounds
Hear some cross-country sounds this summer. “Beyond the great local shows and national acts in town this summer, what’s happening out of town? Get a wild hair, follow one of your favorite local bands to a date across the state, and take in some tourist sites while you’re at it. Get in, loser. We’re going touring…” {Read more in Calendar.}
Music // Melting Faces at Hot Concerts
Lots of hot concerts — local and otherwise — will keep us cool. “While it may be difficult to rank the heat factors of a sweltering Texas summer, the steam sauna at some hoity-toity day spa, and the humid thickness of a crowd of sweaty concertgoers pressing all around you, we would argue only the last of these offers any measurable ROI. Texas is unbearable in July. A sauna is a giant waste of money because if we want to sweat our unmentionables off, all we need do is walk outside anytime between mid-May and mid-October. Yet for music fans, live shows can release a dump of dopamine larger than a lifetime of likes on the socials…” {Read more in Music.}
Music // Putting It on Wax is Cool
Summer is hot, but new records are cool. “…Slather on the SPF, bathe yourself in OFF!, pop in those AirPods, and let these upcoming summer releases cool you off. This listicle is in no way comprehensive, just a mix of newsworthiness, our interests, and nice artists who’ve reached out to us…” {Read more in Music.}
Summer Reading // Books: Take a Shelfie
We turn to our writers for inspiration for summer reading. Or ignoring. “For the most part, summer is a great time to catch up on reading. There’s no Game of Thrones or other bingeable TV or even good sportsball to distract. So, fittingly, I asked all my writers what they’re reading now or are planning to
soon, and while I neglected to include ‘free beer!’ in the subject line, which usually draws them in like cops to a Black motorist, about a handful actually responded. Excuse me. Just had to catch my breath. For a version of this article that includes even more contributions, including one from an actual woman (I know, I know), visit FWWeekly.com…” {Read more in Arts & Culture.}
For a rundown of the other upcoming special section and edition at The Weekly, including our second annual Pride Edition in early June, click here.
