By: Andrew Walsh
Awalsh@wbcowqel.com

Mother Nature cannot be accused of not having a sense of humor. She blasted the first of the Bucyrus Area YMCA Friday Night Pool Parties with knife edge winds that would make even your heartiest of reindeer a touch on the chilly side. Throwing further humor into the mix was the theme for Friday Night’s Party: Tropical Paradise.

To be fair to organizer Kate Dunlavy, no one expects it to be warm in Ohio in January, so the Tropical Paradise theme was quite obviously tongue-in-cheek, but even Kate could not help chuckling at how cold it turned out to be. Despite the lack of cooperation on the part of the weather, and the completely un-funny road conditions, the first party of this new program had a successful turnout. People of all ages; kids, adults, families; dipped their toes in the pool to enjoy some activities, hear some information about YMCA aquatic offerings, and to just enjoy the water. There were refreshments out front, with the tropical punch on offer keeping the night’s theme intact. Completing this ensemble were the life guards on hand maintain safety, as well as the manager of the YMCA, Nate Smith.

The idea for this event was one Dunlavy put forward “about a month ago.” The YMCA has had open swim on Friday Nights for some time, but this is the first event with organized activities. The open swim format allows people to use the pool on a Friday evening, without having to pay as much as a day pass. This format was kept the same for the party: $2 per person or $5 a family for members; and $4 per person and $10 a family for non-members. This gives people who are not members of the facility a chance to use the pool and experience a little what the YMCA has to offer.

The organized part of Friday night’s swim consisted of a hula contest, the limbo and beach volleyball. Next month will see a Valentine’s Day themed, January 21, event with a piñata, water tag, and “I Like”. March’s party, March 21, will be centered around St. Patrick’s Day with a “Find the Pot of Gold”, a hand stand contest, and Marco Polo. Each party will be held from 6:30 pm to 8:30.

“We want these nights to be about family time and bringing families together,” Dunlavy said, “We’re using physical activity to promote healthy living and have some fun!”