German article

4th of July Independence Celebration at Fishermen’s Village

This annual 4th of July festival is set again for this year at the Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda. Live music, dancing, shopping and dining are scheduled all weekend long. Family-friendly activities will be held throughout the day. The day begins with the Freedom Swim at Charlotte Harbor and ends with gigantic fireworks at 9 pm on the Fourth. Below are just a few of the scheduled events:

July 3:

• The Spice & Tea Exchange: create your own unique 4th of July iced Tea! Choose any red and white teas and combine with any blueberry tea. • Face Painter /Star Spangled Festival glitter, noon–6 pm • Matte Tattoo Artist, noon–6 pm • Get Snapped Photo Booth, noon–6 pm • Mermaid Meet and Greet with Photo ops, 2–4 pm • Singers Rita Beach & Rick St. Germaine, noon-4 pm, first Section of Village • Dave Lapio, Steel Drum Musician, noon-4 pm, Center Court • Singer Tommy G, noon-4 pm, third section of Village • Zydegatorz Band, noon–4 pm at the Sunset Beach Club Tiki Bar located on Dry

Beach • Singer Paul Roush, 5–9 pm, Center Court • Shane Duncan Band, 5–10 pm, Sunset Beach Club Tiki Bar

July 4:

• The Spice & Tea Exchange: create your own unique 4th of July iced tea • Matte Tattoo Artist, noon–6 pm • Get Snapped Photo Booth, noon–8 pm • Face Painter / Star Spangled Festival Glitter, noon–9 pm • Mermaid Meet and Greet with Photo ops, 6–8 pm • Light up Balloons, 7–9 pm • Singer Mark Gorka, noon–4 pm, Sunset Beach Club Tiki Bar • Singers Rita Beach and Rick St. Germaine, noon–4 pm, first section of Village • Singer Tommy G, noon–4 pm, Center Court • Singer Paul Roush, 5-9 pm Center Court • Singer Yard Dog Charlie, 5-9 pm third section of Village • From the Edge Band, 5–9 pm, Sunset Beach Club Tiki Bar Visit www.fishermensvillage.com/ for more information.

4th of July Independence Celebration at Fishermen’s Village When: July 3 and 4, from 12 – 9 pm Where: Fishermen’s Village; 1200 West Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda Cost: Free attendance, additional cost for food and some entertainment

Inexpensive Summertime Fitness Hacks

By Mark Grevelding

The heat is on, and that can change your exercise habits. If you need some inexpensive inspiration to stay in shape this summer, consider trying one or more of these fitness hacks.

Exercising Tubing

If the summer heat has driven your fitness routine indoors, make sure you have some exercise tubing on hand. Priced at under $15 on Amazon, exercise tubing sold with a door anchor can be used to perform a variety of pushing and pulling exercises for upper body strength. Aging bodies should focus on pulling exercises for upper back muscles, such as rowing, in order to combat sloping shoulders and poor posture.

Wheel Chocks

Chances are you have shifted outdoor walking to the mornings in the hot summer months. Regardless of the time of day you do it, foot care is essential for maintaining a healthy stride. Over the past 30 years, I have suffered from a litany of feet issues. My current podiatrist suggested that I buy a cheap pair of wheel chocks and use them daily for calf stretching. Best advice ever! Flexibility in the calf muscles is essential for loosening up tight tendons in the feet. A pair of wheel chocks sold on Amazon for under $10 will do the trick.

Tennis Ball

Speaking of foot care, consider giving your feet a tennis ball massage. Rolling a tennis ball under your feet can help loosen up plantar fascia making it less likely to get irritated. A self-directed tennis ball massage can also help a sore back, tight chest muscles, stiff knees and more, according to an article in Prevention, “10 Pain-Fighting Moves you can do with a Tennis Ball.”

Pool Noodle

If you have taken your workouts to the pool to the heat, consider buying an inexpensive pool noodle. A noodle is the most versatile piece of water fitness equipment you could ever have. Float on it for ab training. Push and pull it for upper body training. Place it under your foot for lower body training. Stand on it for balance training. The Poolfit app has several pool noodle exercise videos that you can watch free trailers for ideas. Mark Grevelding is the founder of PoolFit.tv, a fitness app and streaming website that includes over 130 water fitness workouts that include a wide variety of formats for all fitness levels. All workouts are led by highly qualified training specialists.