Summer is here — at least according to the calendar. We queried an assortment of Redmond residents and business people about what makes summer special for them and how they plan to make the most of 2008’s short-but-sweet season of longer days and warmer weather. We asked about:
1. Their favorite summer movie.
2. Favorite summer song.
3. Favorite summer tradition.
4. A summer resolution: “Is there something new or different that you would like to do this summer?”
Our informal survey yielded some lighthearted responses.
• John Marchione, Mayor of Redmond — 1. “’Bull Durham’ — baseball, summer and romance. Not recommended for those under 17.”
2. “’I’m Alright’ by Kenny Loggins (theme from ‘Caddyshack’). When I hear that song, I remember watching the movie in July 1980 at a drive-in outside Couer D’ Alene, Idaho with perfect skies and 90 degree temperatures. Ahhhh, warmth, sun and fun.” 3. “Big Fourth of July fireworks displays. The bigger the better!” 4. “Spend fewer Saturday afternoons answering e-mail and go out walking or hiking. Maybe I will buy a new bicycle.”
• Ron Lynch, drama teacher at The Bear Creek School and former recording artist with The Cascades. He toured with The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Frankie and Annette and other summer icons. — 1. “’Catalina Capers’ because it’s a Beach Blanket Bingo movie and because I was in it.” 2.”’Summertime Blues’ by Eddie Cochran. It reminds me of my youth growing up in Pacific Beach, California.” 3. “Wearing shorts and putting away my white shirts and ties.” 4. “To live every day to the fullest and not let one moment slip by without appreciating how fortunate I am. I would like to take my wife out to dinner several times a week.”
• Ronda Thomas, Redmond High School cheer coach and owner of Galaxy Cheer — 1. “One of my favorite movies of all times … is ‘Lilo and Stitch.’ It is simply a funny movie with a great moral and so many wonderful underlying stories.” 2. “’Summer of ‘69’ by Bryan Adams. One of the years I coached, it was the song used for the kick portion of our tryouts and it’s simply a feel good, fun song. That one and ‘Life is a Highway,’ as it just sounds like a ‘top down, riding fast on the highway,’ summertime groove.” 3. “Being on the boat with family and simply enjoying the ‘nothing’ time — having fun, laughing and just ‘being.’” 4. “Spend more time working around the house, getting things done in the warm months we can’t normally do in the cold months, and setting the family up for fall and winter success. I also plan to do all I can to save money so that I can throw my husband a great 40th birthday bash in January!”
• Lindsey Tusing, marketing director at Aegis of Redmond and former member of the Screen Actors Guild (“National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze” and “Veronica Mars”) — 1. “”Stand by Me.’ It brings me back to my childhood and is a great tale of friendship.” 2. “’Grease — Summer Lovin’ by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.” 3. “Picking blackberries, swimming, walking barefoot in the grass.” 4. “Enjoy it while it lasts!”
• Miguel Llanos, writer/editor at msnbc.com and vice-president of the Redmond Historical Society — 1. “’Deliverance,’ reminds me why I don’t want to spend summer far from home.” 2. “Boy, that brings back memories of high school! I don’t have a favorite song, but one that ALWAYS reminds me of summer is Elton John’s ‘Benny and the Jets.’ I can see myself sitting on the grass outside high school with a best friend just humming that tune!” 3. “B & B & B: Biking and then barbecue (salmon) and beer!” 4. “Bike more often to work (3-4 times a week) and go with the family for dinner picnics and bike races Friday nights at the Velodrome.”
• Lisa Dupar, chief creative officer at Lisa Dupar Catering and Pomegranate Bistro — 1. “Though it’s not a movie, per se, we are glued to Wimbledon every July for as many matches as we can catch. It always represents summer, vacation, family and one of our favorite sports! We make quite the event around viewing matches.” 2. “I think any Beach Boys song as they were always singing about surfing and the beach. We listened to them in high school and went to a Beach Boys concert in the late ‘70s in Atlanta when school got out. This music just screams ‘summer vacation’ to me!” 3. Every year, both sides of my family meet in Charleston, South Carolina on the beach for one week. We are up to about 50-60 people in both families between cousins, kids and close friends. We have been doing this for 30 years. Now my children’s generation can’t imagine a summer without going to the Isle of Palms, S.C. for a week in July.” 4. “With a nudge from my trainer, he would like me to train for a triathlon. I’m a little hesitant, yet so far I am doing everything he has given me for ‘homework.’ Believe it or not, I need to learn to ride a bike.”
• Steve Wiebe, teacher in the Lake Washington School District and star of “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” — 1. “’Grease,’ since I saw it in the theater during summer vacation as a kid and it’s a classic.” 2. “’Boys of Summer’ by Don Henley because it’s just a moving song and ‘Cruel Summer’ by Bananarama because it’s in ‘The Karate Kid.’” 3. “Annual summer camping trip with our friends.” 4. “This summer I want to finish my music CD that I’ve been working on for eight years now.”
• Ken Wong, director of teen programs for the City of Redmond — 1. “’Goonies’ — it is a classic that I can always watch and still love. Great summer movie.” 2. “No one favorite song.” 3. “Beach and fishing — I remember wishing (to do that) in the summer with my grandfather.” 4. “Get more sun.”
• Jan Harris, founder of Angel Care Breast Cancer Foundation — 1. “When summer (really) gets here, I’ll let you know!” 2. “Anything by the Beach Boys — beach, surfing songs.” 3. “Going to the beach, picnics, barbecues with friends and family, enjoying my roses in the garden, driving with the top down.” 4. “My summer resolution is much like last year and the year before that — to look better in shorts. … Also, to have more free time to actually spend outside enjoying nice weather.”
