Hundreds Attend Otter Cove Grand Opening in St. Charles

More than 800 swimmers and sunbathers converged on Otter Cove on Saturday for the grand opening of the St. Charles Park District’s newest aquatic park.

The crowds took advantage of every square inch of , from the Frog Bog Activity Pool to the Crayfish Canal Lap Pool and the Salamander Slides–which are among the park’s most popular attractions. Lines formed consistently for several hours for both the body slide and the tube slide.

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Johanna Kistner of St. Charles was among the many lifeguards who ensured the safety of Otter Cove visitors. She directed those who had already come down the body slide to leave the water.

“Can you exit by the stairs for me? Thank you,” Kistner asked as a young boy who splashed his way to the pool’s edge and climbed the stairs.

“Some people don’t want to do what they’re supposed to do,” Kistner said of her
job. “It’s challenging.”

Dorothy Harbusch of South Elgin, who brought her 11-year-old granddaughter Amelia Smyth to Otter Cove, was impressed with the lifeguards, as well as the park itself.

“It’s so much bigger and better than I thought it would be,” Harbusch said after floating down the Turtle Creek Lazy River on a two-person tube with Amelia. “There are so many kids here, but it’s so well supervised with all these lifeguards; it’s really safe.”

Amelia agreed with her grandmother’s assessment.

“I want to come back again next Saturday,” she said.

Leticia Biebart of St. Charles and her 1-year-old son London Biebart paused for a
moment to have a free photograph taken with the Otter Cove mascot. She said the activity pools for younger children are “very well thought out,” and she was eager to try another of the park’s features.

“I’m dying to get on the lazy river,” she said. “It will probably be the last thing we do before we get out of here.”

St. Charles Park District Executive Director Ray Ochromowicz said the day’s weather, with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, provided the perfect atmosphere for the grand opening, which also included a ribbon cutting and introductory comments by park board vice president Karrsten Goettel.

Ochromowicz said the idea was to expose the park by letting all park district residents in free of charge for the day. The fun lasted until about 3 p.m.—immediately after the ribbon cutting ceremony, thunder and lightning encroached on the area and visitors were asked to leave the pool. Nevertheless, Ochromowicz was satisfied with the grand opening.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” Ochromowicz said.

For more information, visit www.ottercove.org.