Hot Sun Brings Summer Sounds
From the Midwest to the Northeast, a brutal heat wave has pushed temperatures above 100 degrees in many areas this weekend. On Friday, more than 130 million people were living under a heat advisory. But while most people were moaning about the oppressive, humid heat, some were finding fun ways to stay cool.
GUY RAZ, host: And finally this evening, a little relief from a week of scorching hot weather across large parts of the country. The National Weather Service says cooler temperatures are coming this week. At one point this past week, more than 130 million people were under a heat advisory. And while most people avoided the misery and stayed in cool air conditioning, some decided to take advantage of the heat. Here now, some of the sounds this past week of a country trying to stay cool.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN)
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: (Singing) End of the spring and here she comes back. Hi, hi, hi, hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Can I get a strawberry milkshake?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yep.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
STONE: (Singing) Them summer days, those summer days.
MICAYLA WRIGHT: My name is Micayla Wright(ph), and I'm here with my family at Riverside Park having a good time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
STONE: (Singing) That's when I had most of my fun...
WRIGHT: Yeah, it's hot. The temperature's set to h-e-double hockey sticks.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
STONE: (Singing) In the summer days.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Today, we have delicious peach banana smoothies with peaches from our farm. We throw in some Cranapple juice, some ice.
(SOUNDBITE OF BLENDER)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yum.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Pretty good. Nice and cool. Very refreshing as we're all melting away today. I'll take two.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
STONE: (Singing) Oh, yeah. Hot fun in the summertime. Hot fun in the summertime.
KATIE WENDT: Katie Wendt(ph), and I am from New Orleans. I used to live in Illinois a while ago, but I was shocked. I didn't even know that Chicago had a beach. Pretty nice. We took the train here. It's a great day out. Brody, he's 5, he's having fun, enjoying the time out here.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")
STONE: (Singing) Bye, bye, bye, babe.
CAROL DOLDER: I'm Carol Dolder(ph), from Indianapolis, Indiana. We are sailing on our sailboat, a 23-foot O'Day on Eagle Creek Reservoir.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN)
RAZ: The song is "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone, along with the sounds of summer at Riverside Park in downtown Indianapolis, the beach at Lake Michigan in Chicago, a farmer's market in State College, Pennsylvania and kids at play in Puffer's Pond in Amherst, Massachusetts.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN)
RAZ: And for Sunday, that's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz. Remember, you can hear the best of this program on our podcast. Subscribe or listen at iTunes or at npr.org/weekendatc. It's called WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. We post a new episode every Sunday night. We're back on the radio next weekend. Until then, thanks for listening and have a great week.
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