A year ago at this time we pretty much held our collective breath waiting for the next cancellation hammer to drop.  And it was depressing.  All the things we loved to do - and probably took for granted - simply stopped happening.  Sporting events, concerts, outdoor gatherings, indoor gatherings, heck even family time was put on pause while we slowed the curve and waited for the vaccine.  And while summer of 2020 will always be known as the "bummer of 2020," " it's nice to see that the summer of 2021 appears to be the "return of summer fun."

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I know how disappointing it was for folks in Warren County when Thursday evening fireworks on Lake George were canceled last year, but some good news for fans of the explosive extravaganza seen weekly over gorgeous Lake George.

According to LakeGeorge.com, the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce announced that the 2021 fireworks WILL happen and the 4th of July fireworks appear to be good to go as well. They expect that Thursday fireworks will start in June, but no exact date has been announced yet.

"The best place to watch fireworks is along the waterfront in Lake George Village between Shepard Park Beach and Million Dollar Beach." -LakeGeorge.com

But Lake George isn't the only part of the Capital Region with plans to light up the sky this summer and 4th of July.  Others are back on board as well.

For a list of fireworks in Saratoga County click here.

For a list of fireworks in the ADK region click here.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton

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