Thursday, May 21, 2009 — Officially, it may not be summer, but it sure feels like it here in Millsberry! And, with a long weekend just a few days away, you may be struggling with the haunting question: What should I do to get in the spirit of summer? Well, ask no more! We've decided to steer you in the right direction by surveying some of the most creative minds in town, to find out just what floats peoples' boats this time of year.

We started off at Bobby's Bait Shack where we found Keith Umai, Millsberry Museum curator, picking out a new rod and tackle. After spending so much time indoors at the museum, Keith told us he needs an outdoor release. And, to our surprise, he's a regular at Bobby's Shack.

"Ha! You found me at my second home," Umai laughed. "Lately, I've been working long hours at the museum, where there aren't many windows. After a while, you start to forget what life is like outdoors! Plus, with all the great landscape paintings I'm surrounded by, all day, I really crave fresh air."

We asked Keith what else he had planned for the weekend, besides fishing. That's when he pulled out his Flying Disc.

"The Ultimate Flying Disc Tournament of course! It's an annual Memorial Day

weekend tradition for me and my friends. I've been the reigning champ for three years running, and so I'm hoping to fit in a little practice. Wanna play?"

We didn't take Keith up on his offer because we didn't feel like losing. Instead, we took a pass and said goodbye, moving on to the Dojo Karate Studio where we found Siobhan, the owner, sitting in the middle of what looked to be six different gelatin molds.

We asked Siobhan if she was planning to have her students chop into the molds, in class. Siobhan laughed, pulling another mold out of her refrigerator. "Well that would be fun, wouldn't it? But no, I'm just perfecting the jiggly dessert for my family's Gelatin Jam Picnic this weekend."

We were eager to know what makes a winning mold—and also hoping for a sample. Siobhan explained, "The presentation of course! I'm trying to get four tiers to stay in place, and this one has macadamia nuts inside. The beauty of gelatin is that you can put anything you want inside it: fruits, coconut...the works!"

Though saddened that we didn't get to try any of Siobhan's juicy desserts, we still left Dojo feeling inspired.

Over at Toys, Tricks and Games, we figured we'd find excited shoppers browsing for weekend gear—and we were right. We also discovered this year's newest and hottest item: water tubes! The shopper who purchased the last tube was ecstatic, gushing, "I've been waiting all year for this! My family has a boat so we just tie the tubes to the back, and go!"

With the forecast looking sunny and warm, Peabody Park and Lake Sylvane are sure to get some visitors for picnics and boating. Perhaps they'll even rouse Sylvie, the lake's fabled sea monster! And if you don't have access to a lake or boat, a simple way to cool off is with some water shooter. So round up your friends, hit the park, work up a sweat—and then cool off with some water balloons and hoses. Just don't forget the sunblock and hat! Happy Memorial Day!