As families head to lakes, rivers and pools this summer, a local trauma expert is reminding everyone that drowning is often fast, silent and difficult to recognize.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings occur in the United States each year, an average of 11 deaths per day. An additional 8,000 nonfatal drownings are treated in emergency departments annually.

A new children’s book written by a local man may be the perfect end-of-summer, and going forward, book for 5- to 9-year-olds.

“My Pet Pig,” written by Shawano’s Greg A. Stezenski, is a warm and endearing story of a child growing up on a Shawano farm with a pet pig named Max.

Add homegrown flavor to any meal with garden fresh herbs that will elevate any dish. Continue enjoying them well past the end of the season by preserving favorites to use in winter meals.

We have a new neighbor in our yard this summer, the Great Crested Flycatcher. It lives up to its name with its distinctive gray crest giving it a big-headed look, seemingly at odds with its small slender body size. The bird’s back, neck and head are brownish gray, belly yellow and its long tail is mostly rusty red. It’s a dapper looking bird.

FRIDAY, JULY 24

SHAWANO: American Red Cross blood drive, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Shawano City Hall, 127 S. Sawyer St. Appointments at RedCrossBlood.org or 800-733-2767.

OCONTO: Storytime, 10:30 a.m., Farnsworth Public Library, 715 Main St. Story and crafts for preschool children. A caregiver must stay with the child.

A summer tradition for the Menominee for the last 10 years returns again, but it will be doing so without its matriarch.