Time to enjoy the sun

Editorial: Summertime is just around the corner in Hampton, which means city parks and other outdoor areas are soon to be abuzz.
La Luz’s Gran Festival and Tuesday on the Town return in early June. Concerts, festivals and other organized activities will be in no shortage after that.
It’s our duty to take advantage of those opportunities. Countless volunteers and organizers work year-round on these events to make sure Hampton and Franklin County have summer fun at the ready.
These events give us the opportunity to not only be entertained, but celebrate the talents of both locals and national artists and see our parks and natural areas in a different light.
With those opportunities also comes a responsibility. Those events and activities bring increased traffic, which means a higher potential for littering. When you’re out at these events, make sure to utilize trashcans and recycling bins that are placed on the grounds. By doing this, we not only keep the parks clean and appealing, but we decrease the amount of work placed on our city staff.
The efforts to keep parks and other areas clean extends beyond concerts and festivals too. When you’re out at a picnic, fishing at one of our lakes or ponds or just out and about, make a concentrated effort to pick up after yourself. And if you see trash laying around, it wouldn’t hurt to take an extra second to pick it up and throw it away, even if it’s not yours.
Summertime is truly an exciting time in the area. We have so many opportunities to enjoy the weather, so it’s also our responsibility to make sure we continue to have those chances for years to come.