july 4th might be an obvious one, so make a day of it! what about the farmer’s market or the art walk or a grand opening? we had a voting day in June for our city’s mayor and a flea market i’ve only ever driven by. our city hall will host events and we discovered a whole new world at the park recently. 

you'll need a link to your city/community events. your town's newspaper is a good source. coffee shops often have bulletin boards with local events posted. my go-to is http://sf.funcheap.com. for locals, you can scroll down and select the date to give you today's events, many for free.

we set out to explore golden gate park with low expectations and hours of margin. this makes a huge difference when it comes to loving where you live. expect to get lost, but expect to learn something! we spent as much time loading and airing our bikes as we did biking! those are the images we don't instagram! once we were on our bikes...

...we stumbled upon the golden gate angling and casting club. who knew! it was their 80th celebration. we got free cupcakes, learned a bit of the history of the club, and watched people of all ages practice their casting. if you can find the bison in the park, you can find the fly fishing casting ponds! 

i have discovered that in more populated areas, we look for circles or groups of people who share similar interests. it helps us connect. but, i'm also discovering that while i might not be a member of the casting club, i have a greater appreciation for people who find one another and get one another! the hundred folks at the lodge that day have built community that is causing them to stick around, expose the next generation to the sport, and enjoy life together. 

even if it's a one-time event, what will you attend that celebrates your city or community?

include any links that would be helpful for us to discover how to love where we live!