Staying cool in the pool: Residents flock to Water Works in Falls during heat wave

Shannon Coan
·2 min read
Sophia Riddle, 11, left, and her friend Madison Mounts, 12, splash Madison's brother Mason, 9, in the pool at Water Works Park Tuesday in Cuyahoga Falls.
Sophia Riddle, 11, left, and her friend Madison Mounts, 12, splash Madison's brother Mason, 9, in the pool at Water Works Park Tuesday in Cuyahoga Falls.

Dozens of kids drifted along the lazy river, rode inner tubes down water slides and stood underneath the cascading waterfall in the center of the shallow pool at Water Works Family Aquatic Center in Cuyahoga Falls Tuesday afternoon.

With temperatures in the 80s, area residents flocked to the pool to fight off the heat wave. Their common refrain: “We love it here.”

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“It’s a good way to cool down in the summer,” said Mason Mounts, 9, of Cuyahoga Falls, who was at the pool with his sister and grandfather. “There’s a lot of fun things to do.”

Calvin Dennis, 9, takes a ride on one of the slides at Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls.
Calvin Dennis, 9, takes a ride on one of the slides at Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls.

Heat records that have stood since as early as 1925 in some northern Ohio cities could fall this week, the National Weather Service warned.

A heat advisory has been issued for Wednesday, with highs in the upper 90s expected. The heat index is expected to reach 109 degrees.

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Temperatures will remain in the 90s as the week progresses before falling back to the 80s on Friday and the 70s by Saturday.

Water Works has been open to the general public since Memorial Day, but, for some, their visit Tuesday was the first of the season. For others, the pool has been a frequent summer destination.

Fairlawn resident Anna Taylor, 30, was at the pool Tuesday to celebrate her daughter Juliana’s fourth birthday, but she said her family had been there almost every day this summer.

“It’s nice for the kids. It keeps them cool. It keeps us cool,” Taylor said. “We just love it here.”

Juliana Taylor, 4, plays in the interactive water features on her fourth birthday at Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls on Tuesday.
Juliana Taylor, 4, plays in the interactive water features on her fourth birthday at Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls on Tuesday.

Wearing sunscreen and smiles, children enjoyed the day at the pool with their friends, parents and grandparents.

“The pool is my number one favorite place to be in the summer,” said Erin Werth, 49, of Hudson, who came with her three sons.

Despite the overcast skies left over from the storms that hit the region Monday night into Tuesday, attendants were happy to be at the pool.

"I just hope we can enjoy this beautiful day,” Jana Baumann, 45, of Medina said. “So far so good.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Residents head to local pools to escape heat wave