During summer months, a number of regular activities are canceled or relaxed. Families are on vacation or just playing around at home; picnics and cookouts replace ordinary dinners; here in Lake Lanier country, water sports help to relieve heat stress.

Of course, moving school openings to August shortens our summer season and causes a greater anticipation for Labor Day weekend. But that is also behind us and so is the hiatus which somewhat accompanies the commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy. And now organizations not only return to scheduled meetings but embark on new projects and begin planning Christmas programs and celebrations.

Fundraisers have done well: the Humane Society’s Casino Night was so good that some were clamoring for a repeat. Another benefit for the senior citizen elevator fund comes up Sept. 18; don’t miss Kurt Thomas’s country music.

The Arts Council’s Gala on Sept. 25 celebrates not only the 10th anniversary of the Bowen Center, but also outstanding programs which preceded that venue.

All three of the above are certainly worthy causes and provide real entertainment for your contribution. Isn’t it great to have fun and do something good for the community at the same time?

I keep declaring that I’m too old to accept civic and church responsibilities anymore, yet here I am making brownies for Monday’s Dawson County Woman’s Club, planning dishes to take to two different events Wednesday, to my church homecoming Sunday, and to the next AARP meeting.

Now I am promising myself that I definitely will not volunteer to be included in any more hospitality scheduling.

Although there are sounds of splashing laughter from the dock on the other side of my cove (sounds of summer), the leaves on my dogwood trees are already tinged with red, one of the sure harbingers of fall. And football is now king, even as baseball reaches its climax. So, before we know it, September will have become October, the fairs and festivals will be in full swing, and we will glory in the beauty and busyness of autumn. Only a little more than a month until the Mountain Moonshine Festival.

This last paragraph is somewhat like a postscript (unrelated to the rest of the column), but I must acknowledge that my last column produced much more reaction than normal. I heard from out-of-towners and even from people I do not know at all.

All except one were “amens,” and perhaps that is to be expected; it may be that it’s mostly friends who bother to read this scribbling anyway.

So, thank you for commenting.

Helen Taylor’s column appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.