SUMMER: Although temperatures in the region the past few days have been a bit brisk, it is official — today is the longest day of the year, marking the Summer Solstice.

As the sun crept over the Allegheny mountains this morning, and that bright sun shone over the area, it marked ceremoniously the first day of summer!

Summer, ahh, just the mention of the word evokes the smell of a freshly cut yard and the sweet, yet a bit tart, first sip of fresh lemonade. NationalToday.com took a survey of 2,000 American individuals concerning their favorite summer snack, and to no one’s surprise hamburgers and hotdogs took the first and second place by a landslide, with steak coming in third. Other delicious favorite summer snacks included BBQ chicken, ribs, watermelon, sausage and bratwurst, tacos, shish kabobs and BBQ seafood.

All around the world, especially in the northern hemisphere, the most common way to celebrate the Summer Solstice is to get outside! Pack the family up for a picnic in a state park, have a block party with the neighbors, make a slip’n slide for the kids, simply enjoy a peaceful hike or few minutes bird watching in the Allegheny National Forest.

“One recent study conducted by psychologists at BYU found that temperatures, pollution, and rain didn’t have nearly as much of an effect on a person’s mood as the amount of sunlight they received. The most significant variable that positively affected people’s moods was the amount of time between sunrise and sunset. So, get out there and take advantage of all that vitamin D,” according to NationalToday.com.