June is here and more dating is near. At least for me. Well, I am a dating expert and I do a lot of research. I also research plenty of festivals and fairs. I’ve been traveling all over the East Coast for the past few years doing temporary tattoos, face painting, and getting asked out on dates. So I guess I’m really a dating-slash-festivals-and-fairs expert. And there is no better place to meet new people (except the Internet) than at summer festivals and fairs. I always seem to meet an interesting person or two, or three or four…

If you’re single, arts and craft shows and music festivals are a great place to meet like-minded people. They might like handmade crafts or love the same band as you. These are great places to meet people, especially if you have an open heart, an open mind and love to eat Philly cheesesteaks, nacho cheese and ribbon fries. You never know, you just might find your next big squeeze in line at the fresh-squeezed lemonade stand. The sugar might not be the only sweet thing in your near future.

When you meet someone at a festival there are some topics that you should totally avoid. Here are some bad opening lines not to use when you meet someone this summer.

1. Wow, did you see that kid puke on the roundup?

2. I hate vegetables. I can only eat them if they’re fried. But I live for deep fried Twinkies.

3. The Porta-Johns here are pretty nice, except they’re all out of toilet paper.

4. Baby, you’re hotter than funnel cake grease!

5. You make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae.

Instead, here are some good topics you could use to start a conversation…

1. Did you check out the paintings in summertime Stanley’s booth? They have such vibrant colors.

2. Do you know what time the fireworks start? I love fireworks.

3. Can you believe that guy who won the pie eating contest? He must have been starving!

4. Hmmm. I wonder who has the best Philly cheesesteak here?

5. The crash up derby was a riot and if you pay, I’ll let you watch me hit that junker with a sledgehammer.

Coming up with conversations isn’t all that difficult. If you’re a guy, don’t think a gal will think you’re a creeper just for starting a conversation. Most women like to have a guy approach them, especially if you’re flirty and have something interesting and funny to say. Some women are so shy, they might only look at you once and turn their head away. That’s why I’m here. I’m letting the masses know what is going on. If you’re attracted to someone, my vote is for approaching them. The worst thing that could happen is that you spent two minutes of your life practicing hitting on a woman. You can practice on women you’re not even that interested if you’re really shy or nervous.

And ladies, if you want guys to approach you, don’t stand there with your arms crossed and a sourpuss look on your face. If a guy catches your eye look at him once, smile and turn away. Glance at him again for a few seconds and turn away again. Then, look at him again. The third time’s the charm. Seriously. Believe me, it works. One glance just isn’t enough. Don’t forget to smile. You can look coy if you want. You can smile if you want. You can look serious if you want, but that won’t get you too far. Whatever feels comfortable to you. And if he doesn’t approach you, he probably doesn’t have anything to offer you, or he’s just too darn shy.

If what you’re doing isn’t working with meeting someone new, the only thing you can do is change yourself. There isn’t such a thing as changing someone else. So starting with you is the first step.

Dina Z. Colada is a dating expert. Please send any dating questions or comments to dinazcolada@gmail.com.