Tim Phillips Show, 8/20/26

We all have our own personal interests and favorite ways to spend free time, whether it’s parachuting out of a plane or going to a concert or an art museum. While everyone defines “fun” a little differently, in some places, having fun isn’t just an option, it’s more like a way of life. And thanks to a new report from WalletHub, we know where those places are.

Their annual ranking of the Most Fun States in America has just come out.
WalletHub compared all 50 states on 26 key indicators of enjoyable experiences that won’t break the bank in the areas of entertainment and recreation, and nightlife.
States were rated on factors like the cost of going to the movies, access to national parks, the number of casinos per capita, and the average price of beer and wine.
California is the Most Fun State this year, thanks in part to having the most movie theaters, restaurants and performing arts theaters per capita, as well as the second-most attractions per capita overall.
It also has the most scenic byways per capita and the best beach access nationwide.
Florida comes in second, as it has a large number of restaurants, amusement parks, arcades and music festivals, and the second-most miles of shoreline.
Michigan wins for having the most golf courses per capita, Vermont has the most skiing facilities per capita, and Alaska has the best access to national parks.
At the bottom of the ranking is West Virginia, making it this year’s Least Fun State. Mississippi and Vermont round out the bottom three.
The Top 10 Most Fun States in America

California
Florida
Illinois
Nevada
New York
Colorado
Washington
Texas
Minnesota
Arizona

( Montana is 28, North Dakota is 40, South Dakota 27, Idaho 30, Wyoming 33)
Source: WalletHub

Least Fun States .. According to a new survey by Wallethub based on number of music festivals, beer and wine prices, access to national parks, marinas per capita, and number of attractions 
1 West Virginia (least fun)
2 Mississippi
3 Vermont
4 Arkansas
5 Delaware
6 Rhode Island
7 Connecticut
8 New Hampshire
9 Alabama
10 Maine

Throwback Thursday - ROLL WITH IT    STEVE WINWOOD    1988

List of 1988 Major News Events in History
North, Poindexter, Secord, and Hakim were indicted for their involvement in the Iran-Contra affair.
The US Senate ratified the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union
Burma -- 8888 Pro-Democracy Protest
Benazir Bhutto was elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The Soviet Red Army withdraws from Afghanistan.
Iraq carries out a poison gas attack on Kurds
A suspected Libyan terrorist bomb explodes on a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie in Scotland
Archaeologists uncover the original Globe Theatre in London
Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires
Stephen Hawking Publishes " A Brief History Of Time "
The first major computer virus infected computers connected to the Internet.
The US Stealth Bomber is unveiled
Using Carbon Dating, it is established that the Turin Shroud Can Not Be the Burial Cloth of Christ
The Antidepressant Prozac was introduced, which quickly became the market leader for treating depression

Movie Ticket $3.50
US Postage Stamp 24 cents
Dozen Eggs 65 cents
Gallon 2% Milk $1.89
Pork Chops Lb 40 cents
Lotus 123 Spreadsheet S/W $299.00
Star NSX Dot Matrix Printer $189.00
Logitech Mouse $89.99
Tastybake Oven
Walnut Laminate Bar
CD Cassette Boom Box

Popular Films
Rain Man
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Big
Twins
Crocodile Dundee II
Die Hard
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Beetlejuice
Dangerous Liaisons
A Fish Called Wanda
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

The Labor Day holiday weekend is right around the corner, which means that summer is starting to wind down and people are now planning their fall getaways. So, what’s on everyone’s travel bucket list for the upcoming season? Airbnb is revealing the biggest travel trends for fall, which include shorter weekend trips, lesser-known destinations and traveling for sports and live events.

Fall is the “season of weekending” - According to Airbnb, 60% of travelers are planning short trips over longer vacations this fall and more weekend trips are happening this fall than in any season last year. People are searching for terms like “fall foliage,” “leaf peeping” and “apple picking,” and the top-trending weekend destinations in the U.S. include:

Tannersville, New York
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Blue Ridge, Georgia
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
“Lore-tripping” to under-the-radar destinations is on the rise this fall - Small towns and lesser-known spots are especially popular with Gen Z, as 90% of them are interested in “lore-trips” to places with quirky, colorful backstories rather than major cities with popular hotspots. These travelers are interested in affordability, authentic local culture and off-beat attractions that can be found in destinations like:

Hot Springs, Arkansas
Helen, Georgia
Rapid City, South Dakota
Wildwood, New Jersey
Twentynine Palms, California
“Groundhopping” is taking over as a sports and live event travel trend - It refers to visiting as many stadiums, arenas and venues as possible to check live event landmarks off a list. Nearly 70% of Airbnb survey respondents are interested in this trend, whether it’s to see a concert tour date or a football game.

Source: Airbnb

Tim's News You Can't Use 

World Mosquito Day: Those pesky critters are everywhere right now, but some places have it worse than others.

According to data from Orkin, these are the Top 10 Most Mosquito-Infested Cities:

Los Angeles
Chicago
New York
Detroit
Atlanta
Washington, D.C.
Houston
Dallas
Cleveland
Denver
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Roastbrief says Pizza Hut is renaming themselves Hut for the upcoming football season.  The chain dropped the word Pizza and now uses Hut on signs and menus. 
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Sporked says Dunkin Donuts and Febreze have teamed up for three new home scents including vanilla latte, cinnamon roll, and strawberry frosted donut. They come in spray bottles and refills
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Dexerto says Sugarlands Distilling has released a Pringles Dill Pickle Potato-flavored vodka. A 750ml bottle has a proof of 60.  The potato chip spirit is selling for  $21.99.
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Yahoo Finance says Little Caesars is going to start using autonomous robots to deliver pizzas. The rollout will begin in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami
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The Daily Dot says retailers have begun placing security tags on Halloween candy. Videos have popped up on Tik Tok that show bags of M&M’s and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with white flashing security tags on them. Retailers are hoping to cut down on shoplifting ahead Halloween
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WHDH says a Sandwich, Massachusetts teen recently got trapped up to his chest in sand while digging a hole on a beach. Emergency crews freed him after an hour. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to be OK.
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The Cabin says a 99 year-old Conway, Arkansas woman recently fought off a burglar in her home.  Matthew Jayce Turk broke into the woman’s home. She sustained minor injuries during their fight. Turk was arrested for a felony.
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The Marietta Daily Journal says a Cobb County, Georgia man was recently found sleeping nude in a Walmart parking lot. Richard Harold Simpson II was charged with public indecency. He gave no reason for his actions
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Back in March, professional thieves pulled off a daring three-minute heist at a museum near Parma, Italy — and made off with paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse. Well, Italian police are happy to announce that the missing artwork — worth more than $10 million — has been recovered. The cops found the paintings inside an empty television box in Parma. Even better, five suspects have been arrested in connection with the burglary. According to one unnamed official in Italy, “They were professionals. But we were better.”
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An art work caused a commotion at a gallery in Vancouver, Canada. The director of Vancouver’s Access Gallery got a call last week from police that someone was in the building and that a caller reported seeing a person’s feet sticking out from behind a counter. The police thought medical assistance was needed so they got firefighters to help break into the gallery. What they found was not a human, but “The Preparator” by Alyssa Pierre. It is a statue of an art handler kneeling over a crate with their upper body disappearing inside. The gallery director is now angry because the police breach cost the organization a thousand dollars. Police broke in even after a close friend of the artist told police it was a piece of art and not a person.