Oh my word. Will August never end? February is the shortest month and August is by far the longest, a full 17 days longer than any other. At least it feels that way.

Nothing happens in August. The month has no holidays, since there’s nothing to celebrate. The business world grinds to a halt amid last-chance beach vacations and general summertime torpor. Emails go unanswered. Meetings are canceled for lack of attendees. Those who do make it into the office arrive late and duck out early, since no one’s around to notice.

It’s not just in offices, either. Civic groups and charitable organizations avoid staging events during this cruelest of months, knowing attendance will be poor. Even the world of barbecue largely comes to a standstill.

For those of us who visit barbecue joints professionally, August can be tricky. Once July 4 has passed and the dog days have descended, plenty of mom-and-pop operations close for an entire week or more to let Mom and Pop take a vacation. It’s not just family-run spots, either. Each year in August, the acclaimed Franklin Barbecue in Austin shuts down for a full ten days, while many others take similar “smoke breaks.”

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