From The Editor: Looking Past the Traffic Cones to Summer

While it hasn’t felt like it for long (or at all yet, at time of writing), summer is upon us! Or, at the very least, road construction has started.

I remember when, as a child, summers felt like they lasted forever, to the point where I got bored of having so much free time and couldn’t wait for school to start again. Realizing it was still July, that we hadn’t even reached August yet and that I had to find a way to fill my time for another entire month left me feeling defeated rather than excited.

That feeling is long gone — nowadays, summers fly by, and I often feel like I’ve failed to make the most of them. I hope that this issue of Lavender can help you avoid that feeling, with dozens of events on our Summer What to Do list to help you stay busy this summer. Or, if you’re looking to take a summer vacation, we have a couple of articles previewing travel destinations as well.

And of course, along with summer comes Pride season. Lavender’s own Pride celebrations won’t hit full swing until our next issue, but many communities around Minnesota and the surrounding area are kicking things off this month! Our Regional and Small Town Pride Calendar has them all listed for you. If any of my fellow Rochesterites are reading, you’re up first — Rochester Pride is the first on our list on May 17, two days after the publication of this issue.

In addition to the full list, we have in-depth looks at Valley Wide Pride in Hudson, Wis. and East Central Minnesota Pride in Pine City, Minn. The inspiring stories of those communities coming together to celebrate their local LGBTQ+ communities are only two examples of great stories from around our state and region — I hope that over time, Lavender is able to give them all the spotlight they deserve.

For now, enjoy your summers! Road construction’s end and winter’s beginning will be here before we know it.