Hi friends! Whatcha up to this weekend? I'm headed out on a backpacking trip and I cannot wait. (Don't worry, I've got stories ready to send to you next week.) There's lots and lots of fun stuff going on this weekend. Here's today's podcast episode.

Float season starts today

It's official: the Boise River is open for floating! Woohooo! Here's what you need to know:

The Float the Boise River website is the best resource these days. They have an interactive map, float conditions, a checklist and more.

What to float in/on: you'll need a raft, tube, kayak or paddleboard.

• Byo raft/tube: If you are bringing a tube, get one that is more durable than a pool floatie. You will have a long, cold, eventful trip (& possibly bruised butt) in a pool floatie. I suggest a raft with oars. I got mine at Fred Meyer and it works great (and came with oars). I've had it for 3 years and patched it once and it's still crusin'. You'll need to byo pump too.
• Rent a raft/tube: You can rent tubes for $27 and six-person rafts for $85 at Barker Park. They are already pumped up. At the Ann Morrison take out there's a rental drop off. Easy peasy.
• Kayak or paddle: You'll have to bring your own. Pretty chill overall but choose your route carefully over the rapids.

Parking: basically you need to do a shuttle system.

• You can park one car at Ann Morrison Park for free and one car at Barber Park for $7.
• You can also park a car at Ann Morrison Park and ride the shuttle to Barber Park for $3.
• If you live biking distance from Ann Morrison, park your bikes at Ann Morrison and drive to Barber. Then ride home, get a car and go get the other car at Barber.
• If Barber Park parking lot is full, they say to not park in the neighborhoods just fyi. Buuut there are a few lil nooks out there where you can park. If it is super packed, prob easiest to just get dropped off or uber or take the shuttle.

Other put ins: There's a couple other places to put in besides Barber Park, which will make your trip shorter and possibly help with parking. Idk if these would be city approved, but I don't work for the city so just take this as a local's advice lol.

• There's a big parking lot by The Griddle on Parkcenter. Park there, walk the greenbelt for a sec and put in when you find a clearing.
• Park at Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park and find a clearing.
• Park in the parking lot by Idaho Fish & Game, or the lot under the Parkcenter Bridge (the end of S Walnut Street). It's kinda bushy here but if you walk the greenbelt for a sec there's a few clearings.

Newbie quick tips:

• Overall the river is pretty chill, but you do need to navigate in several places and there's three small rapids.
• Trip takes 2-3 hours.
• If you start later than like 3pm, it can get cold towards the end once the sun dips behind the trees.
• While there are different places to begin the float, you absolutely need to get out at the Ann Morrison take out. Otherwise you will go over the dam by the Americana Bridge.
• Use oars, seriously. Not flip flops on your hands.
• Wear shoes. Chacos/tevas/strap on sandals/old tennis shoes. It will help you a lot if you get too close to the bank and need to push off or if you fall out and need to stand up.
• Don't blast your music. It's annoying lol.
• No glass on the river & (technically) no alcohol on the river buuut people do it. Just don't get too shitfaced, ok?
• Lifejackets are cool. Wear one if you are nervous or not a confident swimmer. Kids should also have life jackets on. Read my story about a mom's experience floating the river, it's a super early From Boise story.
• Be very careful tying your tubes together. It sounds/looks fun but it can really mess ya up if you all get stuck on the side/in a tree. That's when tubes pop and things get scary. It's far easier to navigate if you only have 1-2 people tied together & I like to use carabiners so you can easily detach.

Those are my thoughts on floating :) have fun out there!!

Where to watch fireworks

Sat July 1: Tamarack Resort is doing fireworks over Lake Cascade on Sat, July 1 at 10:30pm. They also have activities all weekend, including a human hamster ball race on the water (what lol), mixology classes, yoga, guided hikes & more.

Tue July 4: Boise fireworks at Ann Morrison Park. Things start at 6pm and fireworks are scheduled to begin at 10:15pm. There will be food trucks there and beer and wine available to purchase. You can also bring your own picnic & drinks but remember no glass allowed in the park. Also no drones, dogs or fireworks. I talk about parking and places to watch on the podcast today.

Tue July 4: Meridian fireworks at Storey Park. Things start at 4pm with food trucks, live music, and activities. Fireworks begin at dusk and they are fired off from Meridian Speedway. You can bring your own chairs, blankets, picnics, but note you cannot bring your own fireworks or glass bottles.

Tue July 4: Caldwell has a full day of activities. There's a fun run in the morning, a parade in downtown Caldwell at 9am, and then a celebration in Memorial Park that starts at 2pm. Vendors, there’s a car show, food trucks. Fireworks start at dusk in Brothers Park.

Tue July 4: Star has a full day of activities. It starts off with the firecracker fun run at 8am, a pie eating contest at 9am (pie for breakfast, how American lol), then there's a parade, pie auction, some other events, a concert at 8pm and then the fireworks go off at 10:15pm.

Tue July 4: Kuna has a Fireworks and Mini-Food Truck Rally from 7-11pm on the greenbelt in Kuna. Is it all miniature foods? I don't think so but I want it to be. There’s 16 different food trucks & fireworks will happen at dusk.

Tue July 4: Melba "Olde Tyme" 4th of July festival has a parade at 10:30am, activities all day & fireworks at dusk,

Tue July 4: McCall has the Lakeside Liberty Fest, happening at Legacy Beach starting on Sat July 1. There's yoga, movies by the lake, a volleyball tournament, then fireworks over the lake at dusk. Also you are not allowed to have alcohol at the beach at all, because things got wild in McCall over the 4th in the past lol.

Fri July 5: Eagle fireworks are next Fri, July 7, during Eagle Fun Days. Fireworks will happen at Eagle Island State Park around 10pm. There is parking here, 1,100 parking spots are available to be exact, it’s first-come, first-served and the park entrance fee is waived after 8pm.

Also fyi, Nampa fireworks happened yesterday, Wed June 28.

Fun stuff for the 4th

Sat July 1: Rise Above Freedom Fun Run 5k is happening on the Kuna Greenbelt at 7:30am. There's a 5k and a kids 1 mile.

Tue July 4: Boise's 4th of July Parade

Tue July 4: VEA 4th of July Pancake Breakfast is happening at Cecil D Andrus Park at 7am. It's open to anyone and fam-friendly.

Tue July 4: The Idaho Golden Retriever Parade is happening during the Caldwell 4th of July parade on Tuesday morning. Parade starts at 9am, but be there by 8:15am if you are walking. Friends of goldens also welcome to walk :)

Tue July 4: Payette Brewing is doing a lil party & they are right across the river from Ann Morrison fireworks show. They have a food truck, beer, yard games & more.

Tue July 4: Indian Creek Plaza has a Fun on the 4th celebration from 5-9pm. There's splash pads, dunk tank, foam fight & more. It's free!

Tue July 4: Brundage Mountain Resort is throwing a free 4th of July music festival! It goes all day, 10am-5pm. Food & drinks available.

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Sponsored by City of Boise

Every week I look allll over the valley & the internet to find things that are happening in Boise, and one of the places I find things is in the City of Boise’s ‘In the Know’ newsletter. The ‘what’s happening’ section has quick hits like river info, storm debris collection, public feedback opps, recycling info and more. They also have a lil public meeting section, of course. But my favorite is the hot jobs section. See for yourself! Sign up here.

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Tunes & shows

• TONIGHT: Afrosonics at Idaho Botanical Garden
• TONIGHT: Hey, Chels + The French Tips + Plum Vision at Shrine Basement
• Fri June 30: Naghma at Treefort Music Hall
• Fri June 30: Sean Hatton Album Release Show at VAC
• Fri June 30: Emo Nite at Knitting Factory
• Fri June 30: Nita Strauss + Lions at the Gate + Heavy 57 at Neurolux
• Fri June 30: DJs at Spacebar
• Fri June 30: X Fest Battle of the Bands at Revolution Center
• Sat July 1: C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band + Tejano Outlaw at Treefort Music Hall
• Sat July 1: Ax and the Hatchetmen + Fonteyn at Shrine Basement
• Sat July 1: Sera Cahoone + Cactus Moon at Neurolux
• Sun July 2: Indigo Girls at Outlaw Field
• Sun July 2: The Lowest Pair at Neurolux
• Sun July 2: Remember Sports + Goon + Mall Goth Moths at Shrine Basement
• Mon July 3: Frequency Within + The Still Frame + Fugue State Ravens at Matlack's
• Wed July 5: Cortège + Ealdor Bealu + Cardiac Drift at Neurolux

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Comedy & storytelling

• Fri June 30: You’re Not As Funny As You Think You Are, a comedy show featuring local comedians, is happening at Mad Swede Brewing (Cold Rd) at 8pm. Tix are $15.
• Fri June 30: Watson's Live! Improv Insanity is happening at Waston's Cafe at 8pm. This is an 18+ show. Tix are $15-$45 and there's dinner option available.
• Sat July 1: Dark Jokes, a comedy show for the twisted, is happening at Mad Swede Brew Hall (downtown) is happening from 9-11pm. Tix are $20.
• Weekly comedy open mics: Mondays at Mad Swede (Cole Road), sign ups 7:30pm/start 8pm. Tuesdays at Hops & Bottles at 6:30pm. Thursdays at Mad Swede (Downtown), online sign ups, starts at 8pm. Saturday at Mad Swede (Downtown), sign ups 10:30pm, start 11pm.

Food finds & things to drink

• Petite 4 news: P4 just announced two dinners!! A southern-inspired garden party dinner on July 13 and a summer steak night on July 19. These are gonna go QUICK - I hope they are still available by the time you read this.
• Pick your own berries/cherries: It's starting to be picking time! You can pyo cherries now at Williamson Orchards and Vineyards and you can byo blueberries and cherries at The Berry Ranch.
• Fri June 30: Learn about Crafting Restaurant-Quality Steaks with the Boise Co-op. The class is $60-$70 (tastes included!) and goes 5:30-7:30pm. It's at the Co-op in Meridian.
• Sat July 1: Hideout Coffee Co is having a grand opening party from 10am-4pm. Coffee, art, food, drinks, fun!

And a few more reader restaurant recommendations:

• Angela has some great recs for eating in Meridian. She recommends the chicken tortellini from Il Sugo, bread pudding at Kahootz, chicken mole from La Cabanita, and sushi at Sakana (specifically the Sky Roll and Sushi for 2). Also Sakana has Boise & GC locations. Thanks, Angela!
• Kamie C and her husband go to a new restaurant every Saturday - what a fun and cute idea! She recommends Epi's in Meridian, Brick 29 Bistro in Nampa, Rustic Table in Star, Sonora Mexican Restaurant in Horseshoe Bend, Wepa Cafe in GC & Tupelo Honey in downtown Boise. Thanks, Kamie!
• Chelsea K recommends Alchemist Plant Pub, especially the rotating fries which are made from scratch in-house. Yumm. She said even her non-vegan bf likes it, so there ya go :) thanks, Chelsea!

Things to do

• TONIGHT: Pride Trivia Night is happening at The Balcony at 6:30pm. It's free! 21+
• TONIGHT: Harvest St. John's Wort in the foothills! It's a noxious weed and a medicinal plant. Harvesting helps the native ecosystem and can be used for a variety of health conditions. Space is limited so register asap. Starts at 6pm at Foothills Learning Center (3188 Sunset Peak Rd, Boise).
• TONIGHT: There's an Axe Throwing Tournament at Payette Brewing. If you win you get to compete in the grand finale! Starts at 6pm.
• Fri-Sat June 30-July 1: Boise Mountain Bike Festival is happening up at Bogus Basin. There's small group classes, demos, competitions & you can meet some local bike shops. I talk about this more on the podcast today.
• Fri June 30: Go see a movie in the park! Hotel Transylvania Transformania is playing in Settlers Park in Meridian at 7pm. It's free & you can byo picnic/drinks/etc.
• Sat July 1: Boise Corgi Fest is happening from 10am-2pm at Expo Idaho (5610 N Glenwood). Cuuute! There's a pet food drive, corgi fashion show & costume contest, a corgi hula hoop contest, hot dog eating contest & a corgi derby. Tix are $5 online/$7 at the door, parking is free.
• Sat July 1: Midsommar Day Celebration is happening from 3-11pm at Mad Swede Brewing Co (2772 South Cole Road #140). Celebrate the longest day of the year with beer, live music & (sorta) Swedish stuff! There will be a craft fair, flower crowns, heart-shaped waffles, games, live music & dancing around the maypole. It's all ages & free to attend!
• Sun July 2: Sunday is International Asteroid Day and the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology is doing a presentation all about em. Learn the characteristics of asteroids, how they differ from comets, where they come from & where are they going, what happens when they impact the Earth, and why there are so many more craters on the moon and other planets than on Earth. How interesting!
• Sat-Sun July 1-2: Red Chair Lavender Harvest Festival is happening at 2729 N Haven Road in Eagle. You can harvest lavender, shop vendors, learn how to distill lavender, do lavender crafts & more! It's really fun. This year has limited admission, meaning tickets have to be purchased before you go. Tix are $12, $5 for kids & free for kids 6 and younger.

Just trust me...

​Bear on Bogus Basin road! Mountain goats on Hwy 21! :o

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Thanks for reading! Have a fun weekend!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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