Jim Haynes' Good Morning column in today's Erie Times-News reminds us how much fun it is to introduce visiting family and friends to this region in summertime. Haynes describes how family visiting from Michigan enjoyed taking in the sights of northwest Pennsylvania. Jim said half of his group went with his wife to sample Erie's shopping scene, before visiting Presque Isle State Park. Meanwhile, Jim took the rest of the visiting relatives and friends to an Erie SeaWolves game at Jerry Uht Park.

He describes sitting close enough to the field to chat with players during pre-game warmups, and convincing them to sign a baseball after the game.

Coincidentally, Erie Times-News Publisher Jim Dible took his visiting sister and her husband to a couple of local gems over the weekend. They attended the Key West Phest at the Liberty Park Amphitheater on Erie's bayfront, which was packed with thousands of Jimmy Buffet Parrotheads. The bands were great, and the Erie weather was spectacular. With sailboats cruising on blue water in the background, the setting for the festival couldn't have been more pleasant.

The following day, Dible took his guests on a day sail of the U.S. Brig Niagara, Erie's impressive tall ship. Again, near perfect weather made this a memorable experience. If you're a sailor or a history buff (the Niagara played a key role in Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's victory in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812) this is a magnificent experience.

Some would argue that Erie is also a wonderful place in fall and early winter. I actually enjoy those seasons quite a lot myself. But when the winter stretches past March into April and, occasionly, into May, it's enough to make you pine for those splendid days of summer.

The Erie Times-News, through various features such as "You Haven't Lived if you haven't ...", tries hard to capture the flavor of the season. Today's "You Haven't Lived" feature focuses on the 12 seconds it takes to float down the water slide at the Frog Pond Restaurant on Canadohta Lake in nearby Crawford County.

I could almost feel the sunshine on my face, as Reporter Robb Frederick describe the experience at the Frog Pond. Enjoy the season while it lasts.

-- Kevin Cuneo

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