It's float season, baby

The Boise River is officially open for floating! Woohooo! However, you may have seen that there were 14 rescues within 6 hours on the first day! That is a lot. My bff's neighbor was one of them and the story is scaryyy. In short, a group of people on tubes tied together got stuck in the trees going around a corner. A branch got caught on a tube and slingshotted backwards, popping a bunch of their tubes & knocking one of the kids out! He was legit floating in the river knocked out. He's all good but good lord that is so scary.

I'm no floating expert, but I have been floating for 11 years now and have some tips for y'all:

• Get a raft vs a tube. Or rent one of the good tubes from Barber Park. They have cheap-ish ($40-$60) rafts at Fred Meyer that are so much easier to navigate, don't pop as easily, and will keep your butt warmer lol.
• Don't tie your tubes together. If you do, only tie like one or two together & use a carabiner or something that you can release quickly. It's hard to navigate a big group of tubes & if you all get caught together & all the tubes pop, you are screwed.
• Wear a life jacket if you aren't a confident swimmer. Being alive is better than looking cool ya know?
• Kids should have a life jacket on. I wrote about a close call on the river with a little one.
• Overall, just remember that while the Boise River is pretty chill, things can happen so fast in any river. Nature can be unforgiving sometimes.

Some other floating things:

• Here is the 2022 Floater Guide.
• The Float the Boise River Facebook page is the best way to stay on top of info, like parking closures, etc.
• ​Boise River Raft & Tube has all the info for renting rafts/tubes, shuttle services and maps.
• The air pump station at Barber Park is not operating this year. I suggest buying a little portable pump and keeping it in your car or a dry bag.
• It's gonna be a sh!tshow to float this weekend, especially on the 4th. Ann Morrison is closed for parking on the 4th, so you have to either ride the shuttle back to Barber Park, bike, get picked up, or park somewhere else and walk back to it.
• You can borrow free life vests from Idaho River Sports.

Catch ya on the flipside

Did you guys see that we have a new festival coming this summer? Duck Club, the creators of Treefort Music Fest, announced a new festival: Flipside Fest. It's happening September 23-25 in Garden City. It's all ages, outdoors, & will have 50 artists in 10 venues.

Tickets are $89 and go on sale tomorrow. More info here.

Full disclosure: I also work for Duck Club and I'm an organizer of this fest.

Fun stuff for the Fourth of July

Sat July 2: Red White & Zoo is 9am-5pm at Zoo Boise. The zoo is not only celebrating America's bday, but also the resident Aldabra tortoise Mr. Mac’s 100th birthday and resident Spider Monkey Elvis’s 60th birthday! Cute! There will be a parade, vendors, games, animal entertainment & more.

Sat July 2: Humpin’ Hannah’s Star Spangled Bash is 6pm-2am. Drink specials, music, prizes, no cover & free drinks for Military & Veterans w ID.

Sat July 2-Mon July 4: Boise Hawks have three home games this weekend vs the Missoula PaddleHeads. Games starts at 7pm.

Mon July 4: City of Boise Fireworks Celebration is 6-11pm in Ann Morrison Park. Fireworks begin at 10:15pm. There will be food & drink vendors & you can byo food or drink but no glass. Also no pets allowed and the park is closed to cars all day.

Mon July 4: Meridian 4th of July has an afternoon/evening celebration in Storey Park. There will be food trucks, live music starting at 7pm, and fireworks starting at 10:20pm.

Mon July 4: Fun on the 4th at Indian Creek Plaza is 12-3pm. Splash pads, foam pit, & dunk tanks.

Mon July 4: Caldwell 4th of July is happening allll day, from 7am-3pm, in Memorial Park. There's a fun run, parade, contests, live music & more!

Mon July 4: Star Hometown Celebration is all day, 7am-11pm. Parade, pie contest, live music & fireworks starting at 10:15pm.

Mon July 4: The Melba "Olde Tyme" 4th of July is also all day, kicking off with a fun run at 7am. There's a parade, car show, tractor pull, chicken round up (lol what) and fireworks at dusk.

Mon July 4: Middleton 4th of July will take place in Foote Park. Fireworks begin at dusk & there's food trucks.

Also: Fireworks rules in City of Boise and interactive map for where fireworks are banned in Ada County.

Tunes & shows

Next Wednesday at Alive After Five, McKenna Esteb (listen/watch) is opening for The Suffers (listen). McKenna is not only an amazing musician, she also does From Boise's social media! Come see her play & say hi to us. Show starts at 5pm. And if you don't already, follow us on Instagram.

See more upcoming shows at fromboise.com/shows​

• Th June 30 @ 6pm: Orchestra Gold at Idaho Botanical Garden
• Th June 30 @ 6pm: $oul Purpo$e at Boise Spectrum
• Th June 30 @ 7pm: The Plastic Cherries + Nicole Canaan + Jesse Blake Rundle at The Olympic
• Th June 30 @ 9pm: Lounge on Fire + Biddadat at Neurolux
• Th June 30 @ 9pm: The Path To Konnexion Music Festival at Club Karma
• Fri July 1 @ 7pm: Brain Tourniquet + Bewitcher + Cloak + Hummingbird of Death at The Shredder
• Fri July 1 @ 8pm: Greg Attonito (of The Bouncing Souls) at The Olympic
• Fri July 1 @ 8pm: Street Fever + Ani Christ + Tyrus Newell + Pace Jackson DJ set at Neurolux
• Fri July 1 @ 8:30pm: Rock Steady Drive at Ironwood Bar & Grill
• Sat July 2 @ 7pm: Suntitle + winterforever + Overwith + Rotten Apple Trees at The Olympic
• Sun July 3 @ 1pm: Dave Nudo Band at Ste. Chapelle Winery
• Tu July 5 @ 6pm: Ashley Rose Band + Idaho Songwriters at JUMP
• Wed July 6 @ 5pm: The Suffers + McKenna Esteb at Alive After Five (Grove Plaza)

More upcoming shows: fromboise.com/shows​

Comedy & storytelling

• TONIGHT: Brew Ha Ha Comedy Open Mic at Mad Swede Brew Hall starts at 8pm. Sign ups at 7:30. It's free!
• TONIGHT: Comedians Daniel Eachus + Erik Escobar are doing stand up at Lounge at the end of the Universe. Starts at 8pm and tix are $15.
• Sat July 2: Nice! Cool Beans! Comedy Show is at Mad Swede Brew Hall at 7pm. Tix are $12 adv/$15 at door.
• Sat July 2: The Stand Up Strip Down Comedy Show is at Lounge at the End of the Universe with comedians Eric Cole, Tilly the Comic and Kris Sharma. Starts at 10pm (get there by 9:30) & tix are $20. It's 21+

Food finds & things to drink

• Save the date: Under The Table is back with its 3rd Annual Coven Dinners on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30! Enjoy 5 spooky courses for $75 per person, including champagne upon arrival. These will sell out! To snag your tix, dm on Instagram or email Underthetableboise@gmail.com.
• Sat July 2: Split Rail Winery is having its new location grand opening in Garden City from 12-7pm. Live music, pizza, ice cream bars & more. Kids & dogs welcome!
• Sat July 2: There is a Crawfish Boil and Alligator Feed happening in New Plymouth. All you can eat crawfish, potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and alligator with étouffée and rice. Sounds wild haha. Tix are $40.
• Did you guys know that Magnificent Garden, a Korean BBQ restaurant, has a robot waitstaff?! Idk how I feel about this haha.
• Also have you been to the newish Dharma Sushi downtown? The rolls are pretty good, but also they sell plant starts! Like baby house plants. You can literally order a sushi roll and a plant start on the menu haha such a cute idea.

Things to do

• TONIGHT: The Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho is hosting a Latinx Pride Fest. Free swag bags, live DJ, drag queens, LGBTQ+ speakers & a dance party. Starts at 6pm.
• TONIGHT: Art at the Greenbelt Market is tonight 6-8pm. Visit local artist Mary Arnold, an expressionist painter inspired by animals & Idaho landscapes.
• TONIGHT: Attention potheads (lol), there's a Harry Potter Trivia Challenge at Watson's Mystery Cafe from 7-9pm. It's 18+ and tix are $20.
• Fri July 1: Friday night is free movie night in Optimist Park in Nampa. This week see Clifford the Big Red Dog. Starts at 8:30pm.
• Fri July 1: Go see Batman (1989) at The Egyptian. Starts at 7pm & tix are $5.
• Fri July 1: Check out Art & Appetizers at the Water's Edge Gallery. Meet local artists Jan Bittenbender & Gretchen Weitemier, enjoy free apps, and hear live music from locals Cunningham & Moss.
• Fri-Sun July 1-3: the Gem State Gaming Convention 2022 is happening at Boise Centre. Go for table top gaming, board game library, workshops & gaming speakers. Tix are $20-$180.
• Sat July 2: Go watch Sandlot (1993) at The Egyptian Theatre. Starts at 7:30pm and tix are $5.
• Sat July 2: The Balcony is hosting Hell on Heels with drag queens Bulimianne Rhapsody, Louisianna Purchase, and several local queens. It's 21+ and tix are $10-$20.
• Sat-Sun July 2-3: Red Chair Lavender Festival is happening 9am-3pm both days. Lots of fun things to do out there!

Just trust me...

did you see that the Boise Airport is now offering curbside valet service?! Fancy.

Thanks for reading! Have a fun & safe 4th!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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