Happy June everybody! Despite the rain, May seemed to fly right by. No complaints, June is our favorite month of the year! Why? Well, June 20 is officially the start of summer, and we can’t wait to soak up the sunshine after this year’s abnormally snowy, rainy-drizzly and cold weather versus the predictions of a hot and dry year.
Summer Solstice begins in Denver on Sunday, June 20, at 9:32 p.m. In terms of daylight, the day will be five hours, 38 minutes longer than the December Solstice.
To ensure nothing is so rare as days in June, here are our choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so those getaways and backyard barbecues reign supreme:
3 Keep your youngsters — kindergarten through 8th grade — active this month by signing them up for rugby’s Spring Try League at Infinity Park. Practice is Tues. & Thurs., games on Sat. Information: 303-639-4713.
3 Catch the legendary band Sons of Genesis with Chris Swaney doing vocals at Dazzle@Baur’s June 4, 6 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
3 Walk, run, bike, or swim at Morgan Adams Foundation’s cancer fundraiser Petri Dish at Sloan’s Lake Park June 4-6. Information: 303-758-2130.
3 Join neighbors and others at Junk In The Trunk, a garage sale with a twist, at the Owl Saloon June 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: theowlsaloon.com.
3 For Father’s Day treat papa and the clan to rotisserie meats, fish and vegetables at The Rotary on S. Holly next to Park Burger. Order beer, wine and craft cocktails for the fab food. Information: 303-537-5327.
3 Get back in the game with fitness classes and league sports at the Glendale Sports Center. No joining fees or contracts. Choose from basketball, outdoor soccer, table tennis and pickleball. Information: 303-639-4711.
3 Enjoy a picnic, yoga, and violin tunes at Vinyasa, Violins & Vino June 17 and 24 at Denver Botanic Gardens, 6:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500;
3 Savor soothing soul and funk rhythms by Earth, Wind & Fire and guitarist Santana at the Ball Arena June 30, 7 p.m. Information: 888-684-3582.
3 Live music is finally returning to Four Mile Historic Park with the announcement Swallow Hill is bringing back the eagerly awaited Shady Grove Picnic Series. Concerts are on Thursdays, June 3-Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m. Hal Aqua & The Lost Tribe kicks off the series followed by Dakota Blonde on June 10. Cary Morin & Ghost Dog entertain on June 17 followed on June 24 by Extra Gold. Information: 303-777-1003.
June and the beginning of summer draw special attention to the simple pleasures of life on a day-to-day basis. Possibly that is why the first week of June is officially National Fishing Week and the fourth week of June is National Camping Week.
British horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll said this of June: “The fulfillment of the promise of earlier months, yet no sign to remind us this fresh beauty will ever fade.”
A gardening month, June’s misty mornings burn away, followed by breezy afternoons and chilly nights. June isn’t only loved by us; it also pops up in song lyrics. Richard Rodgers said it best in June Is Bustin’ Out All Over: “You can feel it in your heart, you can see it in the trees, smell it in the breeze. Because it’s June, June, June.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
