By Hope Benjamin
Elm Staff Writer
As the semester wraps up and summer break looms closer, there are many opportunities for anyone who may be looking for fun things to do this summer, such as free swaps festivals, rock concerts, arts and crafts, and reading a free book from your local library.
Swap Events
Whether you are looking to host one or find some locally near you, there are a lot of opportunities for sustainable and environmentally friendly ways to get rid of clothes or just swap other items for new ones in return. Usually more populated cities host, including Washington D.C and surrounding areas.
If you are someone who loves puzzles, Right Proper Brewing Company is hosting a puzzle swap on May 25 at 12 p.m. located in D.C. Puzzle swaps can be a free way to find new puzzles as others tend to be pricier. Instead of buying new puzzles or throwing older ones out, swapping can be a good way to reduce waste.
If you know a plant lover, there is a plant swap brunch event in D.C. on May 17 at 10 a.m., located at 500 13th Street SE. Swapping can be a great sustainable and budget-friendly way to reuse and share some plant cuttings or various plants you may not want anymore. You can also learn about plant propagation, plant care, pest control, and more through educational conversations. Try hosting one in your community to promote sustainability or help boost your community members happiness.
Another interesting swap event is by Project Star Lights, which is a project benefiting and uplifting local communities in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, D.C., Florida, and Los Angeles. They are hosting a summer rave market located in Clifton Park in Baltimore, Maryland on May 17 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be free music, food, resources, buy or trade vendors, and a good time. For more information, their Instagram is @project_starlights.
Festivals
If you love festivals like Holi, then local vendors may host a berry festival. In D.C. on June 1, there will be a Holi celebration at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is a south Asian festival with bright colors and a family friendly event for everyone.
If you are looking for a festival oriented around strawberries or fruit that is fun for the whole family, then the Anne Arundel County Historical Society Annual Strawberry Festival may be for you.
Anne Arundel County Historical Society in Maryland is hosting an annual strawberry festival in early to mid-June at Benson-Hammond House, Linthicum, MD 21090, where they will have free fruit and vegetable picking, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to pickyourown.org. Pick Your Own has many options in all 50 states. In addition, exploring local farmers markets around your area can be a good option to just walk around outside, in addition to visiting local parks and nature reserves.
Craft ideas
Arts and crafts on Pinterest and many other sites are easy ways to make different gifts for people or sell them to make a business during the summer. Crafting is an inexpensive way to buy some art supplies from your local Dollar Store, which usually costs less than ten dollars and can even find other free ways to make art. You can try out flower pressing. First day of home has some easy directions to make a cute piece of art. You can find frames at your local Dollar Store or reuse an old photo frame.
Another free craft can be making upcycled art. Reusing old fabrics can be a fun way to make something new using something old. Pinterest has a lot of ideas that can be found online for free, and All Free Crafts has other ideas and many options.
Finding a local library
Utilizing a Little Free Library or your local public library is a free way to get books and even research-based books from pretty much any genre you may be interested in. One way to easily locate a Little Free Library is littlefreelibrary.org, which has a whole world map of Little Free Libraries wherever you may be. To locate a Public Library, you can utilize libraryfinder.org.
There are many options out there if you are looking for fun festivals, crafts, clothing swaps, and just an inexpensive way to have a great summer. Utilize various online resources such as pinterest.com, pickyourown.org, or eventbrite.com. Think of hosting your own sustainable event that is free or inexpensive and can also make an impact on the community around you.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: There can be cheap summer fun all around Chestertown and on the East Coast.