The big tourism holiday is here, and we need to be aware… and careful… and courteous

Here we are in the second full week of summer 2020, and while it may seem time is standing still sometimes and sometimes spinning out of control during this strange COVID-19 pandemic, we need to remember that we are still a tourist destination.

That also means that this weekend, we are going to be seeing more traffic, on the highways and on our lakes, than what we normally see, and those visitors who are driving hours and hours to spend some time on our lakes will be here in full force this July 4 weekend.

With the holiday actually falling on Saturday this year, it will also likely translate into a longer than normal busy time with some families having already arrived this week for a long weekend or even a week’s vacation, while others will be arriving over the weekend, and staying into next week.

They come in big numbers, and mostly from the regions that are north of us. They bring their family and their pets, their loaded cars and their boats, and they are bent on getting in the most fun in their allotted amount of time as they possibly can.

They drive funny, they have funny accents and they say the same thing about us.

But they also bring with them something that we need, this year perhaps more than ever. They bring pockets full of money and they are going to likely leave most of it right here in our community.

They visit our docks yes and they rent houseboats and personal watercraft, but they also leave a trail of money across our currently struggling economy.

For the most part, our tourists visitors will not bring much food, and they want to buy their gas for the boats before they hit the water. They will hit our grocery stores, our gas stations and our restaurants.

The money they spend with our businesses will keep some jobs going this summer that might otherwise be in danger, especially considering everything else that is going on.

A few things to keep in mind, especially for the next few days and then throughout the entire summer as we try to co-exists with our visitors on our roadways and lakes:

We are all just a little stir-crazy right now with all of the changes we are having to live through in this pandemic situation.

Our visitors are just as edgy and nervous as we are. Our tempers are pushed to the edge and our patience is all but out the window. So is theirs.

Social distancing at this time is a great idea – give yourself some extra space between yourself and our visitors from the north. We’ll take their vacation money, and we hope they have a great time and we even hope they come back, often, especially when this pandemic is finally over.

Slow down, on the roads, on the lakes and in the stores, and be just a little more careful than you might normally.

We can make this a fun holiday weekend for everyone and with that, we can keep our welcome mat out for future visits.

As I have done many times in this column as we approach this busy holiday weekend – have fun, and in the words of Sgt. Phillip Esterhaus in the television police drama from the 1980s . . .

“Let’s be careful out there!”

In the meantime – no sports at all stinks!