Hi, friends!

It’s like summer has been given back to us. The AQI never topped 60 all week, making the still-triple-digit heat at least twice as bearable.

Today’s Weekend Countdown features three ways to spend your summer weekend in case you don’t care for the fair (to each their own), and two ways Boise made national waves this week.

3 weekend events (that aren’t the fair)

​Hap Hap Lounge has been hosting a free DJ “summer residency” with rotating DJs on Saturday nights, and this week the musical guide is local DJ emlo. It’s 6 - 9 p.m., the perfect pre-game or way to wrap up the night.

For a much more relaxed vibe, the Pajama Party at the Idaho Film Society looks like a lot of fun, especially for lovers of turn-of-the-century romantic comedies. Tickets are $20 and you’re cordially invited to wear your pajamas. Starting at 7 p.m., they’re showing a triple feature of “10 Things I Have About You,” “Get Over It,” and “Miss Congeniality.”

​Escape to cooler temperatures at Bogus Basin, if a trip to the Sawtooths isn’t in the cards. There are only a few weekends of summer programming left for the season, and that includes their Music on the Mountain series, a free concert, tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m.

2 ways Boise entered the national conversation this week

Federal judge limits Idaho’s abortion ban, state sues back

In a major change to Idaho’s abortion landscape last week, a federal judge said the 14th Amendment establishes a right to an abortion when “the woman’s life or health” is threatened. Previously, Idaho’s abortion ban only allowed for “life” exceptions, not “health” exceptions. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador followed up by appealing the decision this week.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, four other states (South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi) have no health exceptions, so it’s possible that last week’s ruling, if upheld, could be applied as precedent in those states.

Micron to open new Boise-based research hub for $10B

The Boise-based company is doubling down on its location expansion. The memory manufacturing giant, the only U.S. company of its kind, is already busy expanding its Boise operations with two fabrication plants totaling $50 billion, having a huge impact on our local ecosystem.

The new plan this week is a $10 billion research hub designed to make the company an even sharper AI competitor in the next decade.

1 thing worth being grateful for

You may have noticed today’s last segment is gratitude-inspiring, not necessarily hope-inspiring; I’m trying it out!

Today I’m grateful for the beautiful expanse that is Ann Morrison Park. The Foothills often get tagged as “Boise’s backyard,” but really that’s our parks, and the queen jewel among them is Ann Morrison. I visited the park after unloading boxes the day I first moved here, it’s the site of so many events and holds memories for so many Boiseans, and spending some time there for the first time in over a month (because the air finally allowed it) reminded me to be grateful to have access to it.

Fun fact: The U.S. has dozens of parks over 1,000 acres that are nestled partially or entirely within municipalities, making Ann Morrison’s 153 acres look like a true backyard. The world’s largest “urban” park is Chugach State Park outside Anchorage — it covers nearly 500,000 acres.

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Just so you know: Starting next week, paid subscribers and tippers will get a crossword puzzle I made. If you want to receive the first one and support my work as I grow, you can do so here!

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And lastly, a reminder about all these events happening this weekend:

Friday, August 21

🤠 Caldwell Night Rodeo | 6:30 a.m. - late | Caldwell Night Rodeo Grounds | $45

🤠 Western Idaho Fair | 12 - 11 p.m. | Western Idaho Fairgrounds, Garden City | $10

🍲 Radio Boise 15th Anniversary Community Potluck | 6 p.m. | Cassia Potluck | free

🎬 “Devil in a Blue Dress” | 7 p.m. | Idaho Film Society | $11

🎭 “The Winter’s Tale” | 8 p.m. | Idaho Shakespeare Festival | $30+

🎧 bad tuner | 10 p.m. | Hap Hap Lounge | free

Saturday, August 22

🤠 Caldwell Night Rodeo | 6:30 a.m. - late | Caldwell Night Rodeo Grounds | $45

📻 Radio Boise 15th Anniversary Concert | 5:30 p.m. | Shrine | free

🎻 Boise Baroque Orchestra | 7:30 p.m. | Cathedral of the Rockies | $49

🥕 Boise Farmers Market | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | 1500 Shoreline Rd.

🥒 Meridian Main Street Market | 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Meridian Rd. & Broadway Ave.

🛍️ Capital City Public Market | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Grove Plaza

🥞 Lost Grove Drag Brunch | 10:30 a.m. | Lost Grove, La Pointe | $15

🤠 Western Idaho Fair | 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. | Western Idaho Fairgrounds, Garden City | $10

🪕 Music on the Mountain | 1 - 5 p.m. | Bogus Basin | free

🍦 Interfaith Sanctuary Summer Party | 5 p.m. | Interfaith Sanctuary | free

🎧 Patio Party: A Summer Residency | DJ: emlo | 6 - 9 p.m. | Hap Hap Lounge | free entry

🍿 Pajama Party Cinema | 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. | Idaho Film Society | $20

🎭 “The Winter’s Tale” | 8 p.m. | Idaho Shakespeare Festival | $30+

Sunday, August 23

🤠 Western Idaho Fair | 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. | Western Idaho Fairgrounds, Garden City | $10

🥯 Deli Days | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel

🎸 Diggy Graves | 7 p.m. | Treefort Music Hall | $33

🎭 “The Winter’s Tale” | 7:30 p.m. | Idaho Shakespeare Festival | $30+

Thanks again for being here. Have a great weekend!

— Blake Hunter