What I'm going to do this summer, and you should do, too!

The summer months come and go so quickly.There's so much to do, but because we can't do everything, we must pick our favorites and attend these activities with gusto. We certainly don't want September to roll around and feel like we wasted what many of us consider to be the best months of the year.Music, craft beer, travel and adventure, good company, good food and a whole lot of foot racing is always exactly what I'm looking for. Luckily, I've married someone who feels the exact same way.In the select list below, I'm going to highlight some of the must-dos in East Tennessee and its outer regions. Surely, I'm going to miss a few things you'd highly recommend, so, I welcome you to comment on your favorite plans just in case other people are looking for stuff to do. We can treat this, including the comments, as somewhat of a living opinion column.- Main Street Brews and Tunes: It has begun already. Downtown Jonesborough's Main Street Brews and Tunes is already in full swing after a June 5 kick off. This ongoing event combines the quaintness of downtown Jonesborough with the excitement of both craft beer and music. There is plenty of both, as local beer joints will team up with area musicians to fill out the plaza at the International Storytelling Center with an audience. If you see me dancing, you know I've had plenty of both. Feel free to join me.- Tri-Cities Otters soccer games: All right, it's no secret that I'm not the biggest sports fan in the Tri-Cities, but I've been looking forward to checking out our premier "football" club. Several home games still remain on the team's schedule and l plan on being there.- Summer races: The summer, hot as it might be, is packed with racing opportunities. Whether the roads are your flavor, like me, or you like to run on the track, there are options for you. You can run one of the State of Franklin Track Club meets on Science Hill High School or Dobyns-Bennett High School's tracks. I plan on doing them. The SFTC is also working on putting on their annual 5,000-meter championship track meet later this summer. And if you go on www.runtricities.org, you can find several road racing options each week, with Saturdays being the headlining days to compete. - Johnson City Cardinals games: The Johnson City Cardinals, and their forward-thinking management, have succeeded, by my count, in embracing craft beer. Currently, they're constructing a beer garden off the third-base line, at which they'll sell craft brews. Once it's completed, I'm going to be over there to check out the new spot and taste what they're pouring. There are plans to sell the Johnson City Brewing Company's Cardinal Red Ale as they've done in the past years, and that's definitely good enough to take me out to the ballpark.- Downtown Johnson City concerts: Between The Down Home and Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room, does Johnson City have a slew of wonderful live music options. While nearby Asheville has some bigger-named shows I'll be attending, I also plan on catching a few shows right here in Johnson City.- Little Chicago Downtown Music and Arts Festival: This will be the first year of the Johnson City Downtown Merchants Association's Little Chicago Downtown Music and Arts Festival from August 12-13. Unlike the Blue Plum Festival, which has moved to Founders Park and the Pavilion at Founders Park, this festival will give downtown Johnson City businesses and the people who love that semi-claustrophobic feel of nearby buildings around them. This free festival, filled with all things local, could turn into a gem for Johnson City. - Umoja Unity Festival: Year after year, the downtown Johnson City Umoja Festival mixes in different cultural elements to give this East Tennessee area a perfect dose of what it often needs. Dance, music and fun are all parts of the equation for Umoja. Did I mention, they have a great 5K race, too? September 2-3, this year. Be there.Email Tony Casey at tcasey@johnsoncitypress.com. Follow Tony Casey on Twitter @TonyCaseyJCP. Like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tonycaseyjournalist.