Forest Counseling LLC

Happy 250th birthday America!

250 years ago, our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. It signified an official separation of the 13 colonies from the rule of the British monarchy and emphasized liberty and justice for all.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal [and] are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.”

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

May we continue to strive towards that lofty goal. Happy 4th of July holiday to all celebrating from Forest Counseling!

Flag Day this year is Sunday June 14, 2026 and celebrates the anniversary of the flag's official adoption June 14, 1777.

Many know what the Stars and Stripes represent, but did you know what the colors could symbolize? It is most likely that red represents valor/hardiness, white represents purity/innocence, and blue represents vigilance/justice.

Also, Francis Scott Key was inspired by the Star-Spangled version of the flag during the War of 1812 when he wrote the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner" which became our national anthem.

Learn more about the history of the flag here: https://www.gettysburgflag.com/history-of-american-flag?srsltid=AfmBOorrsV5htsecjnlvFd2oGVvEl02ITYZ-ncWikye7WtL8FTqksaRO

Read Francis Scott Key's poem here: https://poets.org/poem/star-spangled-banner

City of Erie Government has shared its official Summer Recreation guide for 2026 and there's so much to do!

The summer of 2026 has been declared by Mayor Devlin as the Summer of Reading. A guide to books for each grade level can be found here: https://cms2.revize.com/revize/repository/erie/Documents/EPS_SummerReadingList.pdf?6541

Mid Day Dance Breaks will take place in Perry Square on Thursdays from June 11 to July 16 12-7pm in partnership with the Crime Victim Center of Erie County.

Local Farmer's Markets will take place at Bayview Park on August 12 and 19 6-8pm with Our West Bayfront, as well as Frontier Park on Saturdays 10am-2pm with Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park (LEAF).

Spoon's Summer League Court is providing summer basketball again at various courts, more information can be found at spoonsleague.org.

Erie Center for Arts & Technology is also hosting a Summer Skill Development Program focusing on basketball for ages 9-17. Families can register here: shanpullsports.com/erie-sports-event/summer-
basketball-skills-program/

You can learn more information about the above events and more here: https://cms2.revize.com/revize/repository/erie/Documents/2026_CoE_SummerRec_Web.pdf?5650

Happy Unofficial start of summer from Forest Counseling!