I don't want to startle you, but it's already July. That's right: we are half way through 2021. Where has the year gone?

Welcome to July, the 7th month of the calendar year and named after the Roman general Julius Caesar. July's birthstone is the Ruby, and the birth flowers for July are the larkspur or the water lily. The zodiac sign for July is mostly Cancer, but Leo starts on July 23.

Let's look at what July brings us in sports, movies, tv shows and of course, the fake holidays.

Starting with sports, the NBA Finals start soon. The Phoenix Suns have punched their ticket to the finals but at the time I'm writing this, it remains to be seen who their opponent will be, Atlanta or Milwaukee. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are set for their 3rd UFC fight on July 10th.

Get our free mobile app

Baseball's All-Star game is July 13th at Coors Field in Denver Colorado and the Summer Olympics are set to start on July 23rd in Tokyo.

Now that movie theaters are back in business, some potential blockbusters are set to come out in July including,

BLACK WIDOW on July 9



SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY also on July 9



And Disney's JUNGLE CRUISE comes out on July 30th.



Moving on to the small screen, TV, both Big Brother and Love Island return on Wednesday, July 7th. Monsters at Work hits Disney+ the same day and Shark Week starts on July 11th.

And finally, the holidays. The big one is the Fourth of July this Sunday, but here are a few more you might want to celebrate: World UFO Day is July 2, National Bikini Day is the 5th, Fried Chicken Day is the 6th, Piña Colada Day is the 10th, followed by Mojito Day on the 11th (sounds like a two day hangover in the making) National French Fry Day is the 13th, Ice Cream Day is the 18th, Junk Food Day is the 21st . . . and National Tequila Day is July 24th.

There you go, July in a nutshell. Let's do this again in 30 days, for August!

Here are Some Fun Things You Still Have Time to do Before School Starts

School starts in Central Texas in just a few weeks. There's still plenty of time for your family to get out and have some fun before this beautiful summer ends. Here are some ideas to spark your imagination and help you plan an epic Texas road trip.

10 Cheapest Texas Getaways

June 18 was National Wanna Get Away Day, and it got us to thinking of where Texans can get away from it all this summer and have a great time without breaking the bank.

Top 15 Under the Radar Cities in Texas

Texas is booming, and as more people move here, they'll be looking at areas like Austin or Houston to settle down. There are plenty of others places they ought to consider, though.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, along with data about home sales and public school ratings, Orchard recently ranked and graded the Top 15 Under the Radar Cities in Texas.

These are unexpectedly good places to make a life for yourself and your family in the Lone Star State. Did your hometown make the list?

More From KSSM-FM