Just before 11 a.m. on Monday, the sun beat down on the banks of Blue Marsh Lake just south of the Old Church Road bridge.
It was already just a few ticks below 90 degrees, with a clear sky and only a mild amount of humidity. It was picturesque — for those who enjoy the heat — on a nearly perfect summer day.
George Lewis stood in the grass near the water, a kayak at his feet and a picnic table a short distance away.
“Water, a picnic, friends — what else do I need?” he said.
Lewis, of Reamstown in Lancaster County, brought his sons to Blue Marsh Monday for one last gasp of summer fun — just like people around the county were doing this Labor Day. He was joined by friends and family, and the group spent the day swimming, kayaking, eating and laughing.
Lewis said he brings his boys, 12-year-old Landon and 7-year-old Chase, to Blue Marsh several times each summer. Monday’s excursion, he said, would likely be the last of the season.
“This is probably the last time,” he said. “We have a lot going on, they’re back at school. They have too many activities on the weekends.”
So, Lewis said, he was eager to soak up every last drop of summer he could on Monday.
“I worked this weekend, so this is my entire Labor Day holiday,” he said. “I’m getting some exercise, having some fun and relaxing. And hopefully tiring the kids out a bit.”
Lewis and his family weren’t the only ones enjoying some outdoor activities to celebrate Labor Day. Whether it was barbeques, a day at the pool, a nice hike or some boating, the unofficial end of summer was a time for fun across Berks County.
Malcolm West and his 11-year-old son, Warren, traveled from Lititz to Blue Marsh Lake to do some mountain biking. Warren was anxious to try his bike on a trail, having only rode around his neighborhood so far.
“It’s exciting,” he said, as his dad finished pumping up one of the bike’s tires.
Warren starts school on Tuesday, so his dad figured it would be good to use the holiday as a chance to get out and do something before schedules started to get too busy. Warren said he’s trying to hang on to summer.
“I’m not really ready for school,” he said. “Summer went by too fast.”
After their bike ride, Warren and Malcolm planned to take on another summertime classic.
“The pool, we have to get in the water,” Malcolm said.
Over at another section of Blue Marsh Lake, the beach area was hopping around lunchtime.
People sat in the shade of trees, the mouth-watering smell of meat cooking over charcoal wafting through the air. Kids kicked around a soccer ball in the grass, while another group played with a volleyball in the water.
People napped, laughed, swam and bopped to the music pouring out of small speakers.
Earlier in the day, a few miles away at the Berks County Heritage Center, a group of people likewise enjoyed some outdoor entertainment. Sitting in lawn chairs near the Tulpehocken Creek, they took in the sounds of the Ringgold Band.
The band put on a free, two-hour concert to celebrate Labor Day. And those who attended said the annual event has become one of their favorite ways to mark the end of summer.
“It’s relaxing,” John Piszczek, of Bernville, said. “It’s good music. It’s a nice time in the morning when it’s still cool.”
Piszczek said he attends the free concert each year as a way to celebrate the Labor Day holiday. So does Doris Leibensperger.
“It’s always good on a beautiful day,” the Shoemakersville woman said. “It’s just peaceful, and the music is always great.”
Leibensperger said she and her husband, Steve, like to spend as much of the summer as they can at outdoor events. And, luckily, there are plenty to choose from in Berks.
“We’re fortunate there are so many activities around,” she said. “We try to take advantage of as many as we can.”
Monday’s concert might be one of the last they get to enjoy this year, with colder weather right around the corner.
“We know what’s coming,” she said with a laugh.
Source: Berkshire mont