The Gist: Top 10 Ways to Know it’s Summer Around Roanoke

Salem Red Sox Greets

#10. Cyclists in Halloween costumes riding four across on Blue Ridge Parkway, keeping traffic counts down.

#9. Butterflies at the Center in the Square display banging up against the glass to try to go outside and play.

#8. Low-water bridges along Wiley Drive earning their name.

#7. Salem Red Sox’s best players keep movin’ on up.

#6. The word “derecho” creeps back into everyday conversations.

#5. Star Trail and Mill Mountain summit transform from lonesome to lookin’ like a Walmart aisle.

#4. Salemites begin planning vacations timed to the Salem Fair.

#3. Forty-two bands playing at 42 different area wineries/breweries on any given weekend.

#2. I-581/Elm Avenue Exit: exactly the same field of orange cones as any other season.

And the number-one way to know it’s summer around Roanoke:

#1. Mmmm, Deb’s Lemonade.

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