OK, we're not talking the Big Sunset, like in November, when the sun sets like for months. "Set" might not even work as a verb. The sun sort of slides over the Chukchi Sea, nice and smooth below the horizon, hanging out there on the edge for a few hours, and then back up again. It's an occasion for much celebratin', I hear. Tourists and taniqs (that's what they call outsiders in Barrow) mark the day of the first sunset by taking a dip in the sea so they can become official members of the Polar Bear Club. Holy mammalian diving reflex!

Down here in warmer climes, a dip in the bay qualifies us to join something like the Otter Club. By the looks of people splashing in the surf Sunday, the membership has climbed into triple digits. To visitors, the thought of swimming in 50-degree water might sound most Barrow, but for your average K-Bay kid, hey, what better way to cool off on those scorching 61 degree days?

Dark nights, Arctic sunsets, the last gasp of summer: Yup, it's August. And before the kids go back to you-know-what, why not grab the good times with some of these Best Bets?

BEST RUTABAGAS THE SIZE OF DETROIT BET: If you haven't checked out the Farmers' Market this season, now is the time. Our local truck farmers literally, cuz they sell out of the back of their trucks have been raising some amazingly beautiful vegetables. The market is open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday on Ocean Drive across from the Washboard.

BEST ROPE THEM DOGIES BET: Like Anchorage, Fairbanks or Kodiak, we're a military town. Nah, we don't have big flashy air bases or forts, but we do have two Coast Guard cutters in port, the Roanoke Island and the Hickory. This week is Coast Guard Week, and as part of a celebration of the men and women who keep our seas safe, we're having a fair a Seafair. The Seafair Safety Rodeo starts at noon Saturday at the Homer Marine Terminal on the Spit. Events include a Coast Guard helicopter rescue demonstration, survival suit races, an oyster slurp, a fish fillet contest and the Pratt Museum's Great Alaska Chowder Cook Off.

BEST BOUNTY OF THE EARTH BET: The salmon are running, the veggies have grown and the berries are just about ready to pick. Yum! The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies holds a Garden to Gourmet Potluck at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Wynn Nature Center, Mile 2.5 Skyline Drive. Bring a dish of locally harvested edibles and recipes to share. Tickets are $10 at the center offices on Lake Street.

BEST READ 'EM AND EAT BET: Not just anyone can get into this exclusive soiree, but if you've been reading all summer and participating in the Homer Public Library's summer reading program, you can attend the all-you-can-eat ice cream party for the families who participated. The party runs from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Homer Middle School commons.