BY: RACHEL SMITH
You might remember the old 50’s rockabilly hit by Eddie Cochran… Summertime Blues. The most famous line from the song goes, “Sometimes I wonder, what I’m a-gonna do, But there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues.”
I’ve always thought it to be the oddest song. I mean… there’s no such thing as the summertime blues, right?
Boating, grilling out, and enjoying a drink on the patio. All wonderful.
Swimming, popsicles, nights at the ballpark. Even better.
Sounds like pure perfection to me.
But you know what I would believe to be a real thing? Springtime Blues.
Y’all. Spring in Iowa is hard. Super hard. One day it’s 75 and sunny, at night you realize you’ve gotten a bit of a sunburn during your countless hours outside. And then one week later it snows. SNOWS. And now with a predicted week of gloomy, cold, rainy weather… I’m in a bit of a funk.
Do you know the ultimate struggle when you’re in a funk? Being a writer. It’s brutal. I tend to find hundreds of other things to do besides sit down and write, because my brain doesn’t seem to work without the proper amount of sunshine.
For example: yesterday afternoon… I took everything out of my silverware drawer, cleaned it, and put it all back.
For no reason.
So today I’m on a mission. A mission to find a cure for the springtime blues. I’ve started with a drive through our new Chamber Member, Scooter’s Coffee, for a cup of steaming Joe. So far, it’s doing the trick!
Since it’s not possible to change the gloom and doom of the outside world, I’ve decided to immerse myself into the best time of the year – Summer in Clear Lake. Maybe get some stories mapped and researched, along with social media posts all about the amazing things we’ve got coming up. Here’s what I’ve found so far, and let me tell you, just reading them is already perking up my spirits.
Thursdays on Main, 4th of July Celebration, Farmer’s Market, Fresh on Friday’s at Central Gardens, TRI Clear Lake, Bicycle, Blues & BBQ Festival, Brews on the Beach, Lions Chicken BBQ (drool!), Paddlefest, the CLASS Car Show, The Lions Hamburger & Sweet Corn Feed (drool again!).
I mean seriously, these are just a FEW of things we’ve got going on this summer. So when I sit here, sadly looking out my window as the cold, wet wind whips through my backyard, there’s hope. There’s a spark inside of better things to come. Warmer things. With sunshine and lots of people milling around Main Street as the tunes from the Main Stage float into my ears. Of concerts in the park, and lazy afternoons at City Beach soaking up the sunshine.
On a side note… did you know that anyone planning a spectacular event in Clear Lake can add it to our awesome events calendar FOR FREE, which means it will be included on our weekly events email?
Here’s the link: http://members.clearlakeiowa.com/events/public-submission
Summer is coming. Just hold on, Clear Lakers. If you’ve been afflicted, like me, with the Springtime Blues… know the end is near. Soon it will be summer and all will, once again, be perfect.