The best summer events include fun, novelty and tradition, with at least a smattering of redeeming value in there somewhere.  If the Ice-Bucket Challenge thing is starting to wear thin (just send in the money!!) adding to yesterday’s list, more worthwhile things to do here in Westchester County-while eveyone else is on vacation!

Get. Out.

The weather’s been beautiful, before the season’s end, seek out, and enjoy at least a few of these summer staples. Some Westchester County ideas:  A drive -in movie, an outdoor concert, fireworks,  a farmers’ market, craft fair, a ball game, or maybe just stop by Walter’s for a couple of dogs and a root beer float?

Sign Up for a Class

Learning something new has never been easier, or more reasonable, and fall sememsters start soon! Local municipalities like Scarsdale and Bronxville along with Westchester Community College offer classes on almost anything you can imagine…from Belly-Dancing to Photoshop, Gardening to Film and Current Event Discussions. As the days get shorter, a few weeknights off the sofa and out, mixing it up with new people will be a good thing.

Buy Some New Patio Furniture!

…or a grill, or an air conditioner…a laptop or a 42″ LCD TV. These are some of the best deals to be had this month, according to Lindsey Sakraida of  DealNews …and is there anything more fun, worthwhile or traditional than scapping up end of season values??

Clean Out, and Donate Stuff

Parting with stuff can be hard: there is the actual deciding, then the need to get them to the right places that will accept and benefit from them. But the payoff can be huge>freed up space in your home and your head, not to mention knowing you helped with a worthy cause.  Now is the time to go through, sort and then actually follow through with getting your items to their best destination. Whatever you’ve got, just google around a bit, and always call before showing up. Here are some popular links

• Books: Libraries are gearing for Fall Book Sales, others do it year-round. Here are Westchester Libraries, see what’s going on near you
• Eyeglasses: The Lions Club has donation drop offs in many areas, you can also mail glasses to them
• Kids’ clothes: Check out Kids’ Kloset, sponsored byt Westchester Jewish Community Services
• Furniture: Furniture Sharehouse is Westchester County’s own furniture bank, but here’s the national registry

Do Something Really Touristy

Because something is close to us, we figure we can go anytime, right? I was in my 20s before I went to the Empire State building, my 40s before seeing the Statue of Liberty. Don’t wait!

• Do a Circle Line Cruise, The Bronx Zoo or Botantical Gardens.
• Get a deal on some of the choicest Broadway shows via the iconic TKTS.
• Take a tour: West Point, or maybe The Rockefeller Estate.  The Hudson Valley also has lots of  wineries and   breweries, and even a tour company that’ll get you there, and back safely.