July is a busy month and people are often in and out of town because of vacations. The same seems to be the case with June. We had a "World Juggling Day" event for a number of years (3rd Sat. in June) but it finally just simply died. Some years it limped along although there were a couple years when it really was big (like over 50 people) but then it would die down again. Non-school months are hard to predict and hard to generate enthusiasm. We even have a big community day camp at our place on the second or third week of July with over 100 people and each year we teach top spinning and promote our event. But by the weekend people are scattered and sometimes we have a larger Sunday worship and pool party in the evening (it's free) and sometimes we don't. Most often we don't!!! If we did I would say let's do it on that Saturday after Day Camp.
Now May. May is another on and off month with graduations, end of school parties and activities and Memorial Day plus the end of lots of High School sports and then the start up of summer Little Leagues etc. I have had all kinds of problems trying to pull things together in that month. We also have our Spring Fling festival in the middle of that month and the town plans lots of activities around this local festival/parade/art show. When pastors get together they all talk about how tough it is to do much of anything in that month.
March and April are busy months for me at the church because of Lent and worship services in the middle of the week along with services on Sunday. Then there is tax season and Easter. I am usually pulling my hair out at this time of the year.
Don't think that I haven't thought extensively about other potential times. We stumbled on the week before Labor Day because there was an Arts Festival in downtown Miamisburg in the Market Street Square. We joined in with that to try to help them and create some more interest for that event. The first year, already, we were bigger than their event. The organizers of the Arts Festival were frustrated at the lack of participation (plus all the money they lost) and quit doing it. We had to decide whether to keep going on that date or find another. It was the beginning of school and that wasn't ideal but at least the kids were in classes. We also found that we had all summer to promote our event. We went weekend by weekend through the schedule to see when it would be better, especially after the third year when interest dwindled. Then they started summer car cruise-ins with 100 or so cars in our downtown on the fourth Saturday in June, July and August. We joined in with them (since we were on the same day) and moved our morning event to coincide with the August car cruise-in which started in the late afternoon. We also started battling tops. The combination seemed to work. There were more things going on downtown than just us, so adults and uninterested kids could walk around while the die-hard spinners battled. We have been going on for ten years like that and it still feels pretty good.
Hopefully this gives you a little feel for what we have been working through with our event!
