Tag: Dog Days of Summer

Wait! What Are the Dog Days of Summer?

Do any of these stars look like a dog to you?
Do any of these stars look like a dog to you?

Last week, I talked about the fact that the dog days of summer were officially upon us. However, after I wrote that post, I realized that most people are probably familiar with the expression and what it means, but there probably aren’t too many people that actually know where the expression comes from. As a result, I figured that if you were wondering why we refer to this particular section of the season as the dog days of summer, it would be a good time to let you know that you can blame the Romans (and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that the average dog looks like it would rather starve four inches from its food dish than move in this kind of weather.)

In fact, the reason that this particular section of the summer is known as the “Dog Days of Summer” is because the Romans believed that the extremely hot weather that we have during July and August was actually a result of the star, Sirius. Sirius, which is also known as the Dog Star, rose at approximately the same time each day as the sun during this part of the summer in Roman times. This led the Romans to refer to this period as the Dog Days because they were the days in which the Dog Star brought the sweltering heat and the evil that they typically associated with the heat to the lands. We, of course, still use the term today to describe the sweltering heat of this part of summer, but we have a number of ways to escape the evil heat and enjoy ourselves anyway.

First, if you’ve always been a fan of sand sculptures or you just like the feeling of the burning hot sand on your feet, Revere Beach is definitely the place to be this weekend. This is because Revere Beach is hosting the 2014 Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival from 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. on Friday and Saturday and 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Sunday. This festival will feature 15 of the world’s best sand sculptors, music, food, sand sculpting lessons for children, fireworks, and a whole lot more. Best of all, it won’t cost you a dime to get into the event. For more information on the 2014 Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival, please visit the Revere Beach website or call 781-902-9742.

If, on the other hand, you’re one of those people that firmly believes the only place sand can end up is everywhere you don’t want it, you may want to consider heading to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA on Sunday (July 20, 2014.) This is because the Larz Anderson Auto Museum is hosting an American Car and Truck Day this Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. This car show will allow you and your family to see a variety of patriotic vehicles while you enjoy something to eat. For more information on the American Car and Truck Day at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, please visit the Larz Anderson Auto Museum Events page.

Photo credit: j-dub1980(THANK YOU FOR 100k+ Views) / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Escaping the Dog Days of Summer

Salem Willows Park Sign
The dog days of summer have officially begun, and the heat that is associated with the season is definitely upon us. In fact, if you’ve been anywhere in the Northeast over the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably been watching your thermometer melt (if it hasn’t just quit on you in an outright act of defiance) as your next door neighbors attempt to cook their breakfast on the sidewalk. Fortunately, if the forecasts for this weekend are even remotely close to correct, the next few days should be a whole lot nicer. As a result, you may want to use this time to get out and enjoy the weather before your thermometer goes on strike again. And, if getting outside while it’s cool sounds like a good plan to you, you may want to check out one of the big summer festivals that is scheduled for this weekend.

First, if you’re a big fan of seafood or you just like hanging out by the ocean, you may want to head over to the Salem Willows this weekend. This is because the Salem Willows Seafood Festival begins today (July 11, 2014) at 12:00 P.M. This festival, which will run until 10:00 P.M. on Sunday, will give you and anyone you feel like bringing with you the opportunity to try some of the best seafood on the North Shore, to watch cooking demonstrations, to peruse a variety of items from local artists and merchants, listen to music from a variety of local bands, and entertain your kids with games and other activities. The festival will also feature fireworks, a lobster roll eating competition, and more. For more information on the Salem Willows Seafood Festival, please visit the Fest Events website.

Secondly, if you’re not really all that into seafood or you’re just a much bigger fan of the tried and true New England tradition of eating ice cream until you explode, WGBH may have the festival for you. This is because WGBH is hosting their annual FunFest tomorrow (Saturday, July 12, 2014) from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. This festival, which is definitely aimed at the younger crowd, will allow you and your children to choose from a wide assortment of ice cream favors while you listen to music, play games, and meet some well-known children’s characters like Arthur, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Curious George. For more information on the WGBH FunFest, please visit the WGBH website.

Photo credit: peretzpup / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)