One of the great things about the summer season is the plethora of festivals, events, outdoor concerts and markets held on just about every weekend. Whether you live in a big city, the suburbs or out in the country, you usually don’t have to go far to find a variety of activities to entertain you. Last weekend we attended a local event sponsored by our town’s Park and Recreation Department:  the Battle of the Bones. This two-day bash focuses on a barbecue competition, with Saturday featuring pulled pork and Sunday offering brisket. Nine competitors from the Rogue Valley and northern California took part, vying each day for the $500 first prize in a People’s Choice vote. In addition, 13 Oregon microbreweries presented a total of some 30 stouts, reds and IPAs, while a handful of local wineries offered more than a dozen of their products to help wash down all those savory barbecue tastes. We chose to go for the brisket on Sunday, and for $15 each we each got a ticket for nine barbeque tastes;  eight, 2-ounce pours of beer; and a hefty beer glass. (Much as we love wine, beer just goes so much better with spicy-sweet barbecue!). Of course, one could always go back and plunk down more a little more cash for more tastes, but we found our initial investment was sufficient for plenty of sampling and quaffing. There were other food vendors offering side dishes and sweets, a kid-friendly entertainment area with those big inflatable toys, and live music (mostly blues and jazz) all day. It was a 90-plus-degree day, but there was plenty of shaded seating, and a nice breeze kept it from being too uncomfortable. It was nice to see a wide range of folks enjoying the event, from families with little kids to young couples to seniors. There was plenty of room to stretch out on the grass and enjoy the tunes or wander among the booths and compare notes with other event-goers as to their favorite brews and brisket. It’s casual, relaxed events like the Battle of the Bones that make summertime such a pleasure. It also exposed us to some great local producers we hadn’t tried before, and we’ve already ordered some brisket for an upcoming family gathering from one of our favorites in the competition. Here’s to a summer filled with fun for you! — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor