Take a look around. Summer is here, and unlike in 2020, we’re able to fully enjoy the season with our loved ones again.

Among the many great things about living in the Tri-Lakes is going out to stores, restaurants and events and meeting up with people you know by happenstance. That’s something a lot of us took for granted in the past, but now that we’ve got it back, we’re grateful.

Summer events are in full swing. The calendar is filling up with the kind of weekly events, concerts and special events that make our area so special.

We have to remember that our arts and entertainment venues were shuttered for many months because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s important now more than ever to support them.

We’re reminded of a quote from the 1989 movie “Dead Poets Society.”

“Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life,” says one of the lead characters, John Keating, played by the late actor Robin Williams. “But poetry, beauty, romance, love … these are what we stay alive for.”

We’re incredibly lucky to have amazing venues in this region that bring world-class artists, dancers, musicians, writers and scholars to the area for us to enjoy. Art, music, writing — these are the things that enrich our lives. We need them. We need our venues.

Support arts and entertainment by showing up. Pay the price of admission, sign up for a membership.

Some of these musical events just need you there in person, like the Waterhole’s free Party on the Patio series, every Thursday at 7 p.m. There’s Saranac Lake’s free concert series, Music on the Green. The next show is on Wednesday, featuring the Paul Asbell Quintet. There’s also Tupper Arts’ free Summer Sunset Series. The next show is on Monday, featuring a Shakespeare radio play. Lake Placid has both the Songs at Mirror Lake series — 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays at Mid’s Park– and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s free community series at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the North Elba Show Grounds. There are local organizations that put on free shows in the towns of Jay, Wilmington and Keene, too.

Others cost money. Rightfully so. Saranac Lake’s Pendragon Theatre is back with in-person performances. Check out their schedule at www.pendragontheatre.org. The Sinfonietta holds a Symphony Series at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts Sunday evenings. Learn more at lakeplacidsinfonietta.org.

On Monday, the LPCA is kicking off its first-ever Open Sky Arts Festival with a bang: The first show will feature Grammy Award-winning musician Chris Thile. The concert is at the North Elba Show Grounds. You can either buy a ticket for this show alone or purchase a festival pass that’ll give you access to the rest of the LPCA’s lineup, including concerts by soul artist Judith Hill, country singer Miko Marks, Grammy-nominated singer Joan Osborne, North Country bluegrass legends the Gibson Brothers and many more. The festival schedule also includes dance performances, events for kids, a musical, a film screening and even a comedic water balloon fight. That’s an impressive lineup.

Of course, in addition to all of the local concerts, there are games to see. The Tupper Lake Riverpigs and Saranac Lake Surge offer locals the opportunity to see live baseball at a reasonable price. Tickets are $5, $4 for military and seniors 55, and over and free for children ages 4 and under.

For all events — large and small — readers can view our calendar in print or at adirondackdailyenterprise.com online. The listings, for the rest of the summer, continue to add up.