Friday to Friday

Summer Break Time! The Treasure Valley to the rescue with tons of fun in the sun for you, your kids, and your sanity. Splash around at the Nampa pools for FREE (kids admission), visit the Pioneer Cemetery and put flowers on the graves, then eat ice cream, get ready to read at the Library with a kickoff carnival, take a walking tour of Meridian, see why it’s cool to journal stuff, check out a Nampa summer day camp, dance with your best Boise friends at Alive After Five, view art in the historic HasBrouck House, play chess, and become a street astronomer.

When I was little and used to tell my mom I was bored, I quickly found myself weeding a row of peas. The stuff just listed would’ve been way more fun.
Don’t forget to visit the Appetite for Idaho page on Facebook, plus watch for the first volume of the Appetite for Idaho series, coming out this summer. Includes adventures in Featherville, Lava Hot Springs, and Roseberry. Have a great week!

~Amy

Summer Splashtacular
May 30-31, 1-4:45 p.m.
Lincoln Pool 508 Davis Ave., Nampa
Lakeview Park Garrity Boulevard at 16th Avenue North, Nampa
From 1-4:45 pm, it’s the Summer Splashtacular in Nampa at both Lincoln and Lakeview Park pools. Celebrate the 2014 summer swimming season by kids getting into the pools for free. They’ll have a few water safety education booths there, as well as some fun and safe swimming activities. FREE
208-465-2218

Decoration Day at Pioneer Cemetery
Fri., May 30, 2-7 p.m.
Pioneer Cemetery 460 E. Warm Springs Ave., Boise
You can be a part of Decoration Day out at the Pioneer Cemetery on Warm Springs Avenue and hear stories about the people who are buried there when you take a tour. There will be ice cream, lemonade, old fashioned post cards, and flowers supplied for the graves. FREE.
208-608-7598

Meridian Library Carnival
Sat., May 31, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Meridian Public Library 1326 W. Cherry Lane, Meridian
The Summer Reading program celebrates their kickoff outside with snow cones, bouncy houses, face painting and clowns. Get your reading logs and check out the latest at the Library. Oh, and did you know they have Teen and Adult Summer reading programs too? True story. All ages welcome. FREE
208-888-4451

Summer Reading Kickoff Party
Sat., May 31, 1 p.m.
Rediscovered Books 180 N. Eighth St., Boise
Party with the Fabook Puppet Theatre, get signed up for summer, get your books, and get your face painted. FREE
208-376-4229

Meridian Historic Walking Tour
Sat., May 31, 2 p.m.
208-888-4433
Meridian City Hall 33 E. Broadway Ave., Meridian
What do you know about Meridian? Want to learn more? Take a self-guided tour downtown and see the Mary McPherson third-graders’ art booth and research projects. There’s also giveaways and food. FREE.
Get more info at meridiancity.org/ourhistory.
208-888-4433

Art Journaling
Mon., June 2, 6 p.m.
Creative Access Arts Center 500 S. Eighth St., Boise
This one will be cool. Artists talking about why journaling is the best thing a visual artist can practice doing. Feel like sharing? Bring your own journals and help expand the ideas for others, too.
FREE
342-5884

ParkLife Summer Day Camp
Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-2:15 p.m. Continues through Aug. 8
208-467-7479
Karcher Church of the Nazarene 2515 W. Karcher Road, Nampa
Hey kids! Get registered for some sports, crafts, games, activities and fun play!
Runs Monday through Friday for 10 weeks through Aug. 8. For more info or to register, visit the website or call the office. FREE
208-467-7479

Public Works Expo
Wed., June 4, 4 p.m.
Meridian City Hall 33 E. Broadway Ave., Meridian
Fun for the whole family. Food, giveaways, interactive displays for kids, large equipment to gawk at, and live demos, too. FREE
208-888-4433

Alive After Five: Coastwest Unrest
Wed., June 4, 5 p.m.
Grove Plaza Downtown on Eighth Street between Main and Front streets
Have you been to Alive After Five? NO? Okay, then you’ve just gotta go. It’s really fun.
FREE

Chess Lesson
Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m. Continues through Aug. 4
208-472-2941
Garden City Library 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City
If you’ve ever watched the movie “Life of a King” with Cuba Gooding, Jr., you’ll know why the strategy of chess is so important when it comes to learning about life.
Erica Barkell meets weekly to teach chess for those school aged kids of all skill levels. FREE
472-2941

Student Art Show Opening Reception
Thu., June 5, 7-8:30 p.m.
Hasbrouck House 1403 12th Ave. S., Nampa
If you’ve never been to the HasBrouck House, you’ve gotta check it out. No better time to visit the historic house than during an art show. Susan, the owner, is also a very knowledgeable artist, and students will be on hand to answer your questions during art show hours. FREE

Star Gazing with the Street Astronomer
Thu., June 5, 6-7 p.m.
208-384-8509
Garden City Library 6015 Glenwood St., Garden City
Have you heard of the Street Astronomer? Garden City has one in L. Paul Verhage, who’s going to tell you all about how to star gaze without fancy equipment, just your eyes and a pair of binoculars. FREE
384-8509

Julia Davis Park Docent Tours
First Thursday of every month, 4 p.m. Continues through Sept. 4
Julia Davis Park 700 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise
Do you love history, or are you new to the area? One hour will teach you more than you’ve previously known about Julia Davis park, a central meeting place for Boiseans. Everyone meets at the Rose Garden Gazebo for a fun, informative tour. Registration required at juliadavispark.org or by calling FREE
208-338-9108.