Summer Fun: ‘This or That?’

The tem­per­a­ture peaked at 88° as Pete, Jennifer, and I popped open a tent at Legacy Nights last Tuesday. We set out col­or­ing sheets and bub­bles for the kids and read­ied our brochures for curi­ous adults. Mostly, it was board mem­bers, con­trib­u­tors, and friends who stopped by to catch up. We shared rec­om­men­da­tions (Longer Table truck’s sand­wich­es were amaz­ing), praised the music (Vudu Childe was excel­lent), and gave thanks for every breeze that graced us.

To ward off some mid­sum­mer malaise, I brought along a lit­tle exper­i­ment: a “Summer Fun This or That” poll. Armed with a sheet of stick­ers and a big smile, I popped out at passers­by with one question—“Which would you rather?” Here’s what they said.

More than a few peo­ple apol­o­gized under their breath as they furtive­ly placed a stick­er under “lemon­ade.” But as I point­ed out, they weren’t alone. The home­town favorite, Ale‑8, still pulled ahead.

When asked why they chose the Pioneer Festival over the Beer Cheese Festival, folks cit­ed its mul­ti-day for­mat, cool­er weath­er, and fond mem­o­ries from years past. The 46^th Pioneer Festival will take place in down­town Winchester on Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Most peo­ple were quick to choose a side on this one. One par­ent remarked, “We usu­al­ly swim a creek, but we like pools bet­ter.”  Accessibility seems to be a bar­ri­er here. To swim local­ly, you’ll need either a pass to Parks & Rec’s indoor pool or a mem­ber­ship at the Winchester Country Club to access their out­door pool. There are no pub­licly acces­si­ble creeks to swim in Clark County. You can make the dri­ve and short hike to Jump Rock at the Red River Gorge,  or vis­it oth­er pub­licly acces­si­ble creeks in Kentucky. You can always make some friends with a pool or creek, too!

To my sur­prise, this cat­e­go­ry gave peo­ple pause. Luckily, Winchester has plen­ty of options for cold drinks. If smooth­ies are your thing, you can choose from long-estab­lished The Happy Corner down­town, the new WinCity Blend on Lexington Avenue, or the chain Tropical Smoothie on the bypass.

For iced cof­fee, Creative Coffee has long reigned supreme. If you’re lucky enough to snag a cup at the Farmers Market, great! If not, check out hand­craft­ed cold brew syrups at The Hall downtown.

Can’t decide between a smooth­ie and a cof­fee? Biggby, Scooter’s, and home­town favorite The Daily Grind, all along the bypass, have you covered.

Winchester may have three golf cours­es, but the peo­ple have spo­ken: fish­ing is more fun.

Did you know you can check out fish­ing poles from the Clark County Public Library? To refine your skills, get in touch with Levi at the Clark County Extension Office—he offers “Cast & Learn” and “Hook & Cook” class­es. Then, test your luck on the Kentucky River at Boonesboro State Park or try the stocked pond at White Hall in Madison County. If you’re hooked, get your own gear at Winchester Bait and Tackle.

Side note: I’d love a tour of the pri­vate Clark County Fish & Game Club—if any­one wants to take me!

This was by far the tough­est choice—how could I make you choose? Kids and adults alike hes­i­tat­ed to pick a side. Some leaned toward music because “audio­books don’t count” (they do), while oth­ers chose books because they’ve got music play­ing all the time.

I regret not ask­ing for rec­om­men­da­tions. Luckily, I can turn to All Voices Reading Room and local librar­i­ans for their book sug­ges­tions. For music, there’s always Jeff’s Playlist —or I can just jam out at Legacy Nights and Rock the Block for the rest of the summer.

Don’t let the num­bers fool you—people real­ly paused and con­sid­ered their options here. Many said a Nature Walk just bare­ly edged out the com­pe­ti­tion, often influ­enced by the beau­ti­ful set­ting at Legacy Grove.

But why pick just one? You can do both! Check out Tours & Trails on the WCC Tourism website—most tours com­bine nature and his­to­ry, includ­ing the ful­ly air-con­di­tioned Stone Fence Driving Tour.

Finally, the most unfair category—especially among the kids. How could any­one choose between Memaw’s cook­ing and Cousin’s play­time? That’s what sum­mer is all about, isn’t it?

Some old­er folks felt forced to pick Cousins, since no more mem­o­ries can be made with their grand­par­ents. But the wily elders (like Pete Koutoulas) vot­ed for them­selves in the role of Grandparent! [Wily elder? Okay, I’ve been called worse —Pete]

Summer fun is all about find­ing moments to slow down and enjoy yourself—whether it’s that first sip of your favorite cold bev­er­age, soak­ing up time with fam­i­ly and friends, or let­ting the ambiance sweep away your wor­ries. This poll reminds us that our com­mu­ni­ty has a lot to offer even when the tem­per­a­tures soar. I hope you get out and find what’s cool right here in our own backyard.

If you’re look­ing for some ideas, WinCity Voices will be at the next Legacy Nights on August 12, along with a new poll. We’d love to show you how it’s done!