Try These Cool Summer Festivals

Don't just sit around in the heat this summer! If you're going to burn up, you might as well have some fun by enjoying the outdoors, food and maybe some live music at a local festival. Check out these summer festivals in the area and add your own favorites in the comments section.

June 11: South County Festival
The South County Festival is hosted by the Southern Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce and will be taking place in Tracy's Landing. Events will include a variety of live music, a "Father of the Year" essay contest and many crafters and artists.

June 11: Anne Arundel County Historical Society 21st Annual Strawberry Festival
This festival features food, crafters, a book sale and bake sale, raffles and plenty of strawberries!

June 11 - 12: Honfest 2011
This is a celebration of the Baltimore "Hon"—the beehived working women of Baltimore. It takes place in Hampden and has been going on annually since 1994. Visitors from around the world come to celebrate Baltimore's heritage.

June 12, 19, 26, July 10, 17, 24, 31: Downs Park Bayside Summer Concert Series
in Pasadena hosts a variety of concerts throughout the summer, including performances by several Navy bands. Genres range from Top 40 music to Motown to acoustic rock.

June 17 - 19: Baltimore Pride Celebration
This is a program run by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore held in Mount Vernon. It's one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country and has been taking place in some form since 1976. Special guests this year include award-winning singer-songwriter Deborah Cox.

June 20 - 26: Silver Docs
This film festival, hosted by the American Film Institute, focuses on documentaries. Films on a variety of topics from electric cars to terrorism will be screened.

August 20: Chesapeake Pride Festival
This pride festival in Edgewater includes a car show, live music and other events.

August 26 - September 5: Maryland State Fair
This popular state fair includes special guest musicians Selena Gomez, Blake Shelton and All Time Low.

August 27, 28, September 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23: Maryland Renaissance Festival
Who hasn't heard of the Maryland Ren Fest? Thousands of people visit every year. There are food, music, shows and all sorts of other activities available.

September 16: Anne Arundel County Fair
A number of country-themed events take place at this fair each year, such as tractor pulls and crafting. The fair also hosts a number of other attractions, including a performance by country music artist Rodney Atkins.