? Thumbs up for outdoor events on the Island this summer. The Wooden O Theatre performs Shakespeare plays at the outdoor amphitheater in Luther Burbank Park on some weekends. The Mostly Music in the Park concerts on Thursdays and Sundays have brought everything from Latin and children’s music, reggae and jazz to Mercerdale Park. The annual summer concert series is sponsored by the Mercer Island Arts Council and Parks and Rec. Department. With sunny and warm weather finally upon us, it’s nice to be able to enjoy high quality and free entertainment in a beautiful setting. Check our calendar of events in the Lifestyle section for performance dates and times.

? Thumbs up to Islander Laura Simpson for coming to the aid of someone in dire need. Simpson ended up fighting off two dogs that attacked a teenage girl and her small dog on July 21. Simpson heard the attack from her backyard that day. Armed with a cordless phone, the 39-year-old mother kicked at the dogs, hit one of them on the head with the phone and threw a rock at the them before the dogs went away. Simpson walked the girl home and went with the girl and her father to the hospital and vet. Both the girl and Welsh corgi are fine, but the two dogs had to be destroyed by King County Animal Control.

? Thumbs up to the Boys & Girls Club for hosting the 3-on-3 Lid Challenge basketball tournament for Summer Celebration. The games were originally set to be played at the Park on the Lid, but rain forced organizers to find an alternate location. Organizations helping each other is what community is all about.

? Thumbs down to the proliferation of political signs so early this year. Although they are legal and a First Amendment right of every candidate, erecting many signs nearly a month before last Friday’s filing deadline — and more than four months before the election — seems like overkill for a local, Island office. That opinion has been echoed in a number of letters to the editor over the last couple of weeks.