Summer officially begins on Thursday with the longest day of the year, and Patch is getting a jump on the season by starting a summertime photo gallery featuring submissions from the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills community.

If you're at the Hinsdale Community Pool or the Lions Park Pool, snap some pics and post them to Patch. If you're eating and playing outside at Dips & Dogs, snap some pics and post them to Patch. If you're dancing the night away at Uniquely Thursday in Hinsdale or Dancin' in the Street in Clarendon Hills, snap some pics and post them to Patch.

The goal is to get together a photo gallery that tells the story of Summer 2012; so that on September 21, when summer is over, we can look back at a season worth looking forward to.

How do you post your pictures? Easy!

1. Click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button just under the picture to the right.

2. Browse the photos on your computer and select the summer pics you want us to feature.

3. Wait a quick second while those selected photos are uploaded into our gallery, then add a caption describing the "who, what, when, and where" of the picture.

4. Shoot me an email at joe.odonnell@patch.com and tell me you posted photos to the summer gallery so I can keep the feature fresh and highlight the latest photos.

It's that easy. Feel free to ask any questions or express any concerns/problems via email. I'll respond ASAP. 

Happy Summer 2012, everyone. Let's capture it and make it memorable!