The Third Cup

Summer activities

Hi neighbors. Summer is here and with it are lots of things to do with the family. Fairs and carnivals are a common summer activity across the USA. The Vernon County Youth Fair will be starting this week and that is always a great place to take the family for a day of entertainment and fun. Many local youths will be there daily participating in the various contests and showing off their livestock for ribbons and prizes.

Many of you may be putting the old fishing boats in the water on some of the local lakes and rivers. Lots of families spend a couple of weeks a year camping in the great outdoors. Don't forget the mosquito spray! For those hot afternoons, you might want to check out the local museums. Nevada has an excellent museum, but there are other small museums with their own stories to tell. With a single day trip, you can take in historic sites and museums from Carthage to Butler. You might want to select a town within Vernon County and explore it through new eyes trained by a little pre-visit research into local history. Get the kids involved. Invent a treasure hunt for various historical buildings or landmarks in or near local towns. Don't forget to glance up when inside a building to see if the ceiling is made of Norman metal.

Of course you can always stay home and read a good book, or a few hundred pamphlets. Remember that place in Pueblo, Colo., where you could order those cool little government booklets about everything from home decorating to careers in the Peace Corps? I remember pouring through that catalog like it was a candy store order form. There were so many topics, some that I had never thought of or never heard about. The catalog itself was made of thin paper as I recall, like a phone book. I'd take a pencil and circle every booklet I wanted to order. Since they were so cheap, I'd often order at least half of what I circled.

Through the years I lost track of that little catalog and had forgotten all about it. Actually, that paper catalog still exists, but if you have Internet access, you don't need to order books by mail.

Click on http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/ for the site provided by the Federal Citizen Information Center of the U.S. General Services Administration. The site is the first place to look for information on almost everything.

Many of the booklets are downloadable, or can be purchased for a dollar or less.

You can subscribe to FCIC news and media e-mail updates, get links to free newspaper and magazine offers, and read articles on selected interests.

The latest one has an article about swimming safety and another about the National Park System, featuring interesting places and activities you can find in the National Park systems, complete with color map to help you plan your trip.

It lists activities at more than 300 parks, monuments and historic sites as well as information on park reservations.

There is a consumer action website with information based on the 2004 Consumer Action Handbook telling you what to do if you feel you have been given a raw deal or if you need more information on products or companies.

A link is provided to the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal where citizens can get easy-to-understand information and services from the government. FirstGov.gov pulls together more than 26 million state and local government pages.

You can even email President Bush at the White House if you want.

Information is offered in Spanish and many other languages for Americans for whom English is a second language.

Information for and about children is also available at their Kids.gov site.

If you have a question about Federal agencies, programs, benefits, or services, The National Contact Center is only a toll-free call away weekdays at (800) FED-INFO between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time (except Federal holidays.) Of course, the paper Consumer Information Catalog is still available. Books cover subjects like cars, computers, education, employment, family, federal programs, food, health, housing, money, small business, travel and much more. To get a free catalog, order by e-mail from the website or, call toll-free (888) 8 PUEBLO, which is (888) 878-3256. You can also send your name and address to: Consumer Information Catalog, Pueblo, Colorado 81009

Until the next time friends remember; finding fun and inexpensive activities for the family can be a great adventure. There is a lot out there to see and do, often only a short walk or drive away. Don't forget to let the kids help with planning the quest for happy summer activities.

Have fun!