Throw your hats in the air, pick up a beach chair, put on a nice pair of sandals and relax … summer is here!

Life changes here in New Jersey for two-and-a-half months once school lets out for summer recess. The kiddies are home, which makes us change our normal routine. Traffic eases up at the typical before-school and after-school rushes, and families head out of town for vacation.

We here at The Sun don’t take vacations. Well, that’s not true, but our dedication to providing the best coverage of town doesn’t waiver one bit. If anything, summer allows us to focus even more on the special people, places and things that make our town so wonderful.

Every summer, the end of the school year means the temporary end of school coverage — stories and photos of students and teachers doing a community service project, of high school sports teams and of noteworthy accomplishments. But that doesn’t mean our pages will be blank.

True, summer often does signal a slowdown in “official” town- and school district-related business, but there is plenty of newsworthy happenings around town to keep your interest piqued.

Summer is a time when we often reach out to you, our readers, for a little help.

• Have an interesting story idea about an annual summer activity you, your family and/or your local group partakes in? We’d love to cover it.

• Know someone or something that deserves to be spotlighted in a special way? We’d love to write about it.

• Take photos of you and your family enjoying the warm summer weather, either in town or on your family vacation? We’d love to print them for your neighbors to see.

Summer holds a special place in everyone’s heart, even if you’re not a lover of sometimes-oppressive heat. Help us make this summer special by keeping in touch, providing us feedback and helping us be the best paper we can. Enjoy the season!