Summer officially starts 11:31 p.m. June 20 and the calendars in Upper and Lower Milford townships are starting to reflect the change in seasons.

The Upper Milford Historical Society will host a school bell dedication event 6:30 p.m. June 15 with a rain date of June 22. The current township building once served the Upper Milford Township community as an elementary school. Check the Upper Milford Historical Society Facebook account for additional information.

Speaking of the Upper Milford Historical Society, Jim Bongiovanni and Bill Beers of Pennsylvania Historical Recovery Services are scheduled to speak to members June 24, according to the society’s website.

Bongiovanni and Beers are expected to talk about their experiences metal detecting and conducting excavations.

The Hivel Und Dahl Preservation Society will host “A Gathering at the Cabin” event 1-5 p.m. June 26. The cabin is located at 6561 Powder Valley Road, Zionsville.

Summer also is time for gardening and Lower Milford Township is asking gardeners to share their bounty of perennial rain garden plants, garden planning ideas and knowledge and time to help create a retention pond garden at the township building, 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road.

Ornamental grasses and water-friendly plants are particularly sought, according to the township’s spring newsletter now available online.

Gardeners need helpers in the garden and chief among such helpers are bees. The Emmaus Borough/Upper Milford Joint Advisory Council and Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy will host a downspout planter and Mason Bee shelter workshop 7 p.m. June 28 at Emmaus Community Park, 401 Shimerville Road, Emmaus.

The bee shelters will be made with recyclable materials and participants are asked to bring a recyclable container to harbor their shelter.

There is a cost for the downspout planters.

Visit the joint council’s Facebook page for information.

Lower Milford Township Supervisors meet 6:30 p.m. June 17 in the township building, 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road.

Upper Milford Township Supervisors meet 7 p.m. June 3 and 17 in the township building, 671 Chestnut St.

The next column will appear in the July 7 edition.