Summer is far from over, but already we see signs of fall approaching.
We’re just eight days away from Great Bend’s Party in the Park on Aug. 12. The day after that, Sunday, Aug. 13, is the final day for the Wetlands Waterpark to be open.
Kids are getting ready to return to school. In fact, band members and football players at Great Bend High School will soon be attending practices.
But for all that, summer is far from over. The season is 93 days long, which means we’re barely halfway through. He is a list of five things to enjoy in Barton County before the summer is through, in addition  to the water park and the Party in the Park:
• Meet the Panthers and their coaches, sponsored by the Booster Club, 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20 in Jack Kilby Square
• Rolling Sculpture Car Show, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Barton County Historical Society (Also that day: Barton Community College Foundation’s Big Benefit Auction and Sunflower Diversified Ride for Independence Poker Run)
• Farmers markets, at various times and locations
• Hoisington’s Labor Day Celebration
• Kansas Wetlands Education Center’s Butterfly Festival, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 16. This year they’ve added a butterfly magic show
• Look up! OK, that’s six things, maybe more. KWEC will host its fifth annual Perseid Meteor Show party at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11. The KWEC and the Great Bend Public Library are planning events for the upcoming eclipse on Aug. 21.
One more: There could be a crowd next Monday at the Great Bend City Council meeting, where the heat is definitely being felt. You won’t need to bring a lawn chair, as the meeting has been moved to the Events Center.