If you love a parade, pancakes or parties in the park, you're in the right place at the right time. Yamhill County summers are filled with all those things and more as each city celebrates the season with it's own unique - and sometimes downright quirky - festival.

And in addition to the city celebrations, you'll find a host of other activities, from free outdoor concerts (see related story, Page C5) to fundraisers that put the emphasis on "fun."

Sheridan and Carlton plan their festivities - Sheridan Days and Carlton Fun Days - in June, just as the summer season is getting under way.

Then July brings a whole host of events: Willamina's Old-fashioned Fourth of July, McMinnville Jaycees Fireworks, the St. Paul Rodeo, McMinnville's Who's On Third/Turkey Rama, Yamhill Derby Days, Yamhill Lavender Festival, Amity Pancake Breakfast and tractor pulls, the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival.

The Yamhill County Fair & Rodeo begins in July and ends in August, and the rest of that month brings Carlton's Walk in the Park, the Valley View Air Show and the Grand Ronde Powwow.

Celebrations continue into September with McMinnville's second annual City Faire, Amity's ATV parade and 9/11 commemoration, Art Harvest and the Coastal Hills Art Tour.

Here's a calendar of some of the big events scheduled this summer:

• June 18-21: Sheridan Days opens the summer festival season Thursday through Sunday, June 18 to 21, with parades, booths, concerts and more. Call 503-843-7656.

• June 19-20: Habitat for Humanity will sponsor its second annual fundraising festival, "Oregon Brews and BBQs," on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20. The event features beverages from numerous breweries, a variety of barbecue styles and music, too, with proceeds going toward building houses for families in need. For more information, call 503-472-9637.

• June 26-27: Carlton Fun Days will feature activities in the pool and the parks, a big parade and other activities, Friday and Saturday, June 26-27; 503-852-9504.

• June 30 to July 4: One of the biggest Fourth of July Rodeos in the country, the St. Paul Rodeo will run Tuesday, June 30, through Sunday, July 4. Ticket prices run $14 to $18. Call 1-800-237-5920.

• July 4: The Willamina Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, on the Saturday of Independence Day, will feature a pancake feed, contests, booths and a fireworks show.

• July 10-12: Traditional Turkey Rama activities - the lip synch contest, turkey barbecue, Turkey Trot fun run and carnival - will be held, as usual, on the weekend of July 10-12. On the same dates, the downtown part of the festival will have a new name, "Who's On Third," and a renewed focus on local products, businesses and service organizations. To cap it all off, the Yamhill County Fairgrounds will host a motorsports event - making it truly a weekend with something for everyone.

• July 11-12: The annual Lavender Festival and Artisan Fair will fill Yamhill streets and Beulah Park with fragrance, as well as visitors. For more specifics about activities, send e-mail to allaboutlavender@verizon.net.

• July 17-18: Yamhill Derby Days will start Friday night with the queen's coronation and karaoke, and Saturday will be filled with a fun run, parade and music and activities in Beulah Park - including the famous derby car races and frog jumping contest; call 503-662-3511.

• July 23-26: Newberg's Old-fashioned Festival will run Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, with sports tournaments, the annual hymn sing and loads of other music, booths, a queen's coronation and a huge parade. Call 503-538-9455.

• July 26: Amity Pancake Breakfast volunteers will serve up pancakes, ham and orange juice from 6 to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 26, in Amity City Park. It's a tradition that attracts locals and visitors alike. A vintage car show and square dance demonstration round out the event, which benefits local causes. For more information, call the Amity Women's Club at 503-835-0400.

• July 30 to Aug. 2: Animal, vegetable, rodeo -There's something for everyone at the Yamhill County Fair and Rodeo, which runs Thursday, July 30, through Sunday, Aug. 2. Big-name performances by the likes of Kristi Lee Cook and a full rodeo go hand-in-hand with displays of crafts and produce and shows of animals raised by 4-H and FFA members. For more information, call 503-434-7524.

• Aug. 1 and 2: Carlton's A Walk in the Park, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, features all sorts of local arts, crafts, foods, wines and music in the Wennerberg Park on the banks of the Yamhill River. Proceeds from the admission charge go to local charities. For more, call 503-852-6572 or check the website, www.carltonswalkinthepark.com.

• Aug. 8: Rock of Ages/ Valley View will host its annual Air Show, a celebration of all things that fly, on Saturday, Aug. 8. The event at the senior community just southwest of McMinnville will include radio-controlled model planes, hot air balloons, barbecues and music. For more information, call 503-472-6212.

• Aug. 15-17: The Grand Ronde Tribe hosts its biggest powwow of the year Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15 to 17, at the powwow grounds in Grand Ronde. Visitors are welcome to see the colorful activities and learn about Indian culture. For more information, call 1-800-422-0232.

• Sept. 4-5: Members of the new McMinnville Airport Club - MAC - will welcome pilots, all sorts of planes and members of the public, too, to the airport Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4-5. An air show is scheduled at 3 p.m. Saturday, and other activities will include spaghetti and steak feeds. For more, check www. macairshow.com or call 503-857-2557.

• Sept. 12: McMinnville's newest annual event, CityFaire, will return Saturday, Sept. 12. Discovery Meadows Park on the west side of town will be filled with music, food, balloon rides and art activities for kids, plus plenty of information about city services. For more information, call 503-435-0407.

Free outdoor concerts

Music is an integral part of every celebration this summer.

Sometimes you can join in yourself - Yamhill Derby Days usually includes a karaoke night, and Newberg Old-fashioned Festival ends with a community hymn sing. And always there are opportunities for listening - numerous bands at McMinnville's "Who's On Third" downtown celebration; community dances and concerts at the other events.

There are also concert series scheduled independent of the festivals - McMinnville Parks & Recreation and the Rotary Club of McMinnville will host a series of free outdoor concerts Tuesday evenings, July 7 to Aug. 11; and the McMinnville Downtown Association will present its 16th annual Brown Bag Summer Concert series at noon on Thursdays, June 11 to Aug. 20.

The Parks & Rec/Rotary concerts will be held on the lawn in the Linfield College Oak Grove. The schedule includes: July 7, The New Iberians; July 14, Midnight Serenaders; July 28, The Cheeseburgers; Aug. 4, Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies; Aug. 11, Aguamiel Zydeco. For more information, call 503-434-7310.

The free Brown Bag concerts will take place at noon on Thursdays at the US Bank Plaza, Third and Davis streets. There's one exception: the opening week concert by pianist Michael Allen Harrison will take place June 11 in the First Baptist Church, First and Cowls streets.

Other June concerts include June 18, The Ty Curtis Blues Band, blues; and June 25, Michael "Shoehorn" Conley, simultaneous tap and sax.

In July, the line-up includes: July 2, The Bad Mitten Orchestre, folk, bluegrass and world sounds; July 9, Didgeridoo band Vivid Curve; July 16, Lauren Sheehan and Greg Clarke, bluegrass, old-time, country blues, string band and country music; July 23, Molly's Revenge, acoustic Celtic; July 30, pianist and composer Mike Strickland of McMinnville.

The August Brown Bag concerts are: Aug. 6, Brent Alan, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, mandolin, banjo, dobro, percussion and bass; Aug. 13, Diva and the Dixies, which features local opera singer Nancy Emmerich, her sister Dixie Lu Sims and friend Dixie Jo Henson doing "oldies but goodies"; and Aug. 20 - The Rendezvous String Band, old-time, Celtic, blues and bluegrass music.

For more information, call the McMinnville Downtown Association at 503-472-3605.