Mohawk Valley Almanac June 2023
Holidays and Observances for June
June 1 First Day of Pride Month
June 4 Trinity Sunday
June 5 World Environment Day
June 12 King Kamehameha ! Day, Hawaii
June 11 Corpus Christi
June 14 Flag Day
June 17 Bunker Hill Day, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
June 18 Father’s Day
June 19 Juneteenth National Independence Day
June 20 West Virginia Day
June 21 Summer Solstice
With warmer to hot and humid weather, June officially begins summer with the solstice of June 21, though the season unofficially started with Memorial Day Weekend. For home gardeners it is a busy time, tending those herbs, flowers and vegetables already planted and finalizing a few late additions to the garden.
June is a month of high school graduations, Father’s Day and finalizing summer vacations. Golf and tennis are in full swing (pun intended) as is bicycling, hiking, camping, fishing, boating, and training for July’s Boilermaker Road Race.
With long evenings of warm twilight, it is a mystical time of year as fireflies and butterflies re-appear and summer flowers start to bloom.
A Variety of Regional Festivals
June is a month of regional festivals, celebrating late spring and early summer. Many focus on regional agriculture products, and herbs and flower gardening, or other agriculture. Strawberries are a favorite for strawberry / ice cream socials, or pick your own berries at many growers. Some orchards, farms, or museums and historical sites, as well as numerous churches and volunteer fire departments may have events not well publicized outside their immediate community. While many such events and festivals may be irregular, often canceled or postponed due to Covid in 2020-22, the following are firmly scheduled as of this writing in late May.
June 4 21st Annual Rhubarb Festival, Nellis Tavern, St. Johnsville
June 10-11 Violet Festival, including Parade June 10-11
June 16-17 Father’s Day Classic & Antique Car Parade and Rally, schedule pending
Regional Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ Markets have grown in popularity in recent years, with over 400 across New York State. Some markets are nearly year-round, while most are seasonally open with varying dates from mid-May to October. Each market has its own unique character, but all deal primarily with local to regional farmers, including fresh local meats, fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers, and artists and other vendors sell photos, quilts and handmade clothing accessories, honey, syrups, bread, eggs, and other items.
In addition to the few listed below, there are many other regional farmers’ markets in Rome, Sylvan Beach, Westmoreland, Sherrill, Boonville, Waterville, and numerous villages and towns in Herkimer, Otsego, and Madison Counties.
Oneida County Public Market, Union Station, Utica, Saturdays 9 A.M. to 1 P.M.
West Utica Farmers’ Markets, near Boilermaker Finish Line, Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 P.M.
Utica Farmers’ Market, Chancellor Park, Utica, Wednesdays 8 A.M.-5 P.M., starts late June
Whitesboro Farmers’ Market, Near St. Paul’s Church, Whitesboro, Mondays 3-7 P.M.
Clinton Farmers’ Market, Village Green, Thursdays, 10 A.M.-4 P.M.
Trenton Farmers’ Market, Village Green, Holland Patent, from June 18, Saturdays, 9 A.M.-1 P.M.
In the Night Skies
A day after the Full Strawberry Moon, Venus is very high on June 4th in the evening twilight western sky at a brilliant magnitude -4.4, and remains very bright though June and July. To its upper left is the much dimmer Mars. On June 14th to the east is Jupiter in conjunction with the crescent Moon in the pre-dawn twilight. As summer begins on the solstice of June 21st, in the western evening twilight is a 3-way conjunction of Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon. On the 22nd, Mars is midway between the crescent Moon and Venus.
Moon Phases for June 2023
June 3 Full Strawberry Moon Rises 8:32 P.M., SE Sets 4:39 A.M., SW
June 10 Last Quarter Rises 1:28 A.M., E Sets 12:36 P.M., W
June 20 New Moon Rises 7:08 A.M., NE Sets 11:10 P.M., NW
June 28 First Quarter Rises 3:41 P.M., E Sets 1:42 A.M., W
Rising and Setting times for Sun, Moon and Visible Planets on Summer Solstice, June 21
Sun
Waxing Crescent Moon Moonrise 8:11 A.M., NE Moonset 11:40 P.M., NW
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
