SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: Plenty to Do This Summer in Santa Clarita

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside

Weather

Calendar

Today in
S.C.V. History

December 17

1839 - Judge John F. Powell born in Galway, Ireland [story]

Plenty to Do This Summer in Santa Clarita

Guest commentary by City Manager Ken Pulskamp

By Ken Pulskamp | Friday, Jun 1, 2012

Click Here to Get Our 'SCV This Morning' Newsletter

Tweet This

Facebook

Digg This

Bookmark

Stumble

RSS

Ken Pulskamp

If you are wondering what there is to do in Santa Clarita this summer, we’ve got you covered. Whether you and your family enjoy swimming, hiking, bicycling, music, reading, shopping or dining, you can do it all right here at home.

The city’s 60 miles of off-street trails and paseos offer a beautiful and safe path across Santa Clarita. More trails and connections are being added to make your non-motorized trip easy and fun. For information, check out our trails maps at http://www.santa-clarita.com/index.aspx?page=397.

If swimming is your thing, there are city pools at several local parks, plus the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center with its Olympic-sized pool, 25-meter dive pool and the family play pool. Lessons, lap swim, “dive-in” movie watching, and water polo, are cool and healthy activities during the hot summer months.

The Santa Clarita Public Library’s Summer Reading program is available at all three of the city’s libraries and offers programs for children, teens and adults. This year’s program theme is “Nighttime.” Weekly events and workshops will explore the fun and exciting world at night. For information, visit www.santaclaritapubliclibrary.com.

In Old Town Newhall, SENSES On Main has become the “go to” event. Come out and experience Main Street like you’ve never seen it before as SENSES transforms Main Street into a nightlife atmosphere. Hosted on the third Thursday of every month, the event is designed to heighten your sense of sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound with live music and entertainment, art, food trucks, adult beverages and more. For information and a calendar, visit www.SensesonMain.com or call 661-250-3787.

Right now, we’re gearing up for the Fourth of July festivities as well as our popular, free Summer Concert Series. You won’t want to miss the free Fourth of July fireworks show at the Valencia Town Center, sponsored by the city. You may find out about all of the Fourth of July activities via the city’s website at www.santa-clarita.com. The free summer concert series begins in July, and these great concerts are held every Saturday evening at 7 p.m. at Central Park.

Thank you for your interest in the City of Santa Clarita. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. You can reach me directly via email at kpulskamp@santa-clarita.com.

Comment On This Story

COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Click here to cancel reply.

Opinion Section Policy

All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.

Select Keeping Up with Kathryn Barger | Home For the Holidays

Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025

I'm overjoyed to share that as of this week, several Altadena residents have moved back into their newly-rebuilt homes in time for the holidays.

Brittany Barlrog | Wrapping up 2025 for JCI

Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025

As we wrap up this incredible year with JCI Santa Clarita, my heart is truly overflowing with gratitude. This chapter has shown up in such wonderful ways, and I’m so proud of everything we’ve created together.

Ken Striplin | Happy Birthday, Santa Clarita

Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025

It’s hard to believe that our city will turn 38-years-old as of Monday, Dec. 15.

Bill Miranda | Honored to Serve

Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025

As we wrap up another year, I find myself reflecting on how extraordinary and eventful 2025 has been for our city.

Kathryn Barger | Keeping Up with Kathryn

Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025

Today, my team and I set out to four different sites across the Fifth District for our 8th Annual Day of Giving.

Mitchell Coleman | Tejon Ranch Conservancy

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

One of the things I love most about the Tejon Ranch Conservancy is that there truly is something here for everyone to enjoy and appreciate.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com


Today in SCV History (Dec. 17) 1839 - Judge John F. Powell born in Galway, Ireland [story]	Chamber Opens Nominations for SCV Business Choice Awards The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Awards + Installation 2026 will be hosted this year at California Institute of the Arts on Friday, Feb. 13.	Dec. 17: COC Board Holds Annual Organizational Meeting The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will host its annual organizational and business meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17.	Looney Tunes Land to Debut at Six Flags Magic Mountain by Summer 2026 Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia has announced major changes to its kids area, which will be reimagined as Looney Tunes Land	SCAA Gallery 2026 Calendar of Art Exhibits Released The Santa Clarita Artists Association has announced the 2026 exhibition schedule for the SCAA Gallery in Old Town Newhall.	Jan. 20-22: Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Still Needs Volunteers The Greater Lost Angeles Homeless Count (Jan. 20-22) is still in need of volunteers.
Dec. 22: SBDC Webinar on Ecommerce The Small Business Development Center hosted by College of the Canyons will offer a free webinar, "Ecommerce 2026 Trends: The New Rules of Winning Online," on Monday, Dec. 22 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.	TMU Swim Sweeps Bethel in Dual Meet The Master's University swimming teams turned in a strong all-around performance Saturday, Dec. 13, sweeping both the men's and women's dual meets against Bethel University of Indiana.	Cougars Win 80-73 at Solano College, Streak Moves to Three Canyons men's basketball (6-4) remains unbeaten on its current road trip with wins over College of the Desert and L.A. City College preceding a victory over Solano (3-8) on Dec. 13.	Today in SCV History (Dec. 16) 1902 - Hi Jolly (Hadji Ali), Gen. E.F. Beale's Syrian camel driver, dies at Quartzsite, Ariz. [story]	Dec. 16: Organizational Meeting of Castaic Board of Trustees The Regular/Organizational Meeting of the Castaic Union School District Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.	Dec. 16: Saugus Union School District Board Organizational Meeting The Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will hold its annual organizational meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Saugus District Education Center.
Nationwide Search Underway for New President The Santa Clarita Community College District has officially begun a nationwide search for its next Superintendent-President.	CSUN Renames Academic Building to Honor $10 Million Gift Ronni and Shepard Goodman met as students at California State University, Northridge in the 1960s and in the years since, they committed to supporting CSUN and empowering first-generation students to reach their highest aspirations.	Henry Mayo Hospital Employees Support Local Families Every holiday season, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital employees provide support to local families through the William S. Hart Union High School District Annual Helping Families Program.	LASD Response to Australian Terrorist Attack on Hanukkah The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has issued a statement regarding the Terrorist Attack in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah.	Dec. 15-19: I-405 Lane Reductions in Sepulveda Pass Caltrans has announced overnight lane reductions along Interstate 405 (I-405) through the Sepulveda Pass for median barrier work. The work will start after 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15 and will end by 6 a.m. each morning to Friday, Dec. 19.	Lady Mustangs Stay Undefeated in Conference Play Allie Miller scored a career-high 23 points and Bella Forker added a career-high 20 as The Master's University women's basketball team defeated the Life Pacific Warriors 72-42 Saturday, Dec. 13 in The MacArthur Center.
Mustangs Use Strong First Half to Top LPU The Master's University men's basketball team stayed undefeated in GSAC play with a 92-82 home win over Life Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 13 in The MacArthur Center.	Dec. 15-21: Four Productions Filming in SCV The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of four productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Dec. 15 to Sunday, Dec. 21.	Today in SCV History (Dec. 15) 1987 - Incorporation: Santa Clarita officially becomes a city [story]	Today in SCV History (Dec. 14) 1931 - Season's first major storm deposits 9 inches of snow in Newhall, 10 in Saugus [story]	Today in SCV History (Dec. 13) 1900 - Automobile Club of Southern California founded; first car in SCV appeared 1902 [story]	Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley Board Holiday Luncheon Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley recently hosted its annual Board Holiday Luncheon, a special gathering to celebrate and honor those who continue to uplift the club and the young people it serves.