Family Fun Day at the Pool Makes a Splash

What happens when you're selling hamburgers and hotdogs at 25 cents a pop?

Everyone in Maplewood shows up.

That's the way it seemed Sunday at the Maplewood Pool as head lifeguard Eddie La Pierre unofficially pegged the turnout as "the biggest crowd of the summer."

Activities were held in all four pools for children ages 3-12. Relay races, coin tosses, kickboard games and the biggest splash contest all had children showing of their skills and talents as they competed against each other to win fun prizes. The final game of the afternoon was the favorite of everyone — the water balloon toss.

As mentioned, food was just a quarter an item, eliciting these comments from pool goers:  "It is the biggest bargain of the season" and "I fed my family for two dollars!" With choices of grilled chicken, burgers, hotdogs, potato, macaroni and pasta salad, there was something for everyone. The only drawback of the amazing food deals was the long line, as everyone tried to get in on the deals.

Live music was provided by Jim Buchanan and friends, and the pool advisory committee hosted a poolside chat to share ideas and plans for the pool's renovation taking place in the coming off-season. (For a sneak peek at the renovations, you can take a look at the plans posted on the bulletin board as you enter the pool — a double slide seems to be generating much excitement). 

With these improvements, next year's Family Fun Day is sure to be an even bigger hit. Start stashing those quarters now....