Shortly before noon Saturday, James Moser and his 6-year-old granddaughter, Madelyn Salas, lined up to get into Clearing’s Hale Pool — one of Chicago’s outdoor pools officially opening for the summer.
“We’ve been waiting for this day,” said Moser, 58, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. “We come in the wintertime and look through the gates like, ‘OK, we’ve got a month, we’ve got two months, we’ve got three months.’ We were just here about four days ago checking to make sure they filled the water up.”
The duo was among several families eager to have fun and get a reprieve from the weekend’s suffocating heat and humidity. The city’s pool season kicked off amid a heat wave, with a high temperature Saturday of 95 degrees and an anticipated heat index of 106. A high of 96 and a heat index of 105 are forecast for Sunday.
Due to the heat warning, the Chicago Park District changed its scheduled pool sessions to open swims from 1 p.m. to closing time on Saturday and Sunday. All of the city’s 50 outdoor pools opened their doors with the exception of the Grand Crossing Park Pool, located at 7655 S. Ingleside Ave. The pool is expected to open early next week once a mechanical issue is addressed, park officials said.
Running tentatively through Aug. 17, the city’s pool season is a short one, though some locations could stay open through Labor Day, officials said. But all pools will offer seven-day access for the first time since the COVID-19 closures in 2020.
But the abbreviated season did not dampen the excitement of pool-goers, with many describing their visits as family traditions.
“I used to take my daughter here when she turned 2, and she’s 31 now,” said Moser, who proudly showed off his daughter’s “Rugrats” towel that he was now toting around with his granddaughter.
Also among the swimmers at Hale Pool was Angela Shear, 38, and her 5-year-old son, Tony Rocha.
Shear remembers visiting the pool when she was in elementary school.
“When we were kids, we didn’t have air conditioning, so I lived here in the summer,” Shear said.
A resident of Clearing, Shear said she wishes the pool season were longer.
“I would be coming all the time if it was open all the time,” she said.
Surprisingly, Hale Pool was far from crowded on Saturday. The line usually wraps around the gate, according to both residents and park officials. And the Southwest Side includes the hottest areas of Chicago, according to a climate study.
Clearing resident Al Molina didn’t realize that he lived in one of the area’s hottest areas.
“I just check the weather forecast and hope that when we go it’s not going to rain,” said Molina, 54, who has been bringing his two sons to the pool for 10 years.
“It’s just very much appreciated because not all of the park districts have a pool, so we are very fortunate.”
Some of the city’s most popular pools are in McKinley Park, Portage Park and Washington Park, according to Sam Jorden, manager of beaches and pools for the Chicago Park District.
Some community members even call the latter the “jewel of the south,” he said.
Not even that gem was packed on Saturday. Kids had plenty of room to splash around in the 50-meter pool. But, sadly, the giant slide was closed for maintenance, a lifeguard said.
Still, those in attendance were happy to cool off and carry on their family rituals.
Antonio Wright, 50, swam at Washington Park Pool as a kid and now brings his 5-year-old grandson, Jakari Hill, to experience what he did.
“It looks like the kids have a ton of fun,” said Wright, who now lives in Harvey. “There are no adults around here doing adult things that they shouldn’t be doing around the kids. So I would recommend any family to come. It’s definitely family-friendly.”
Stephanie Holmes, 42, who lives in the South Loop, praised the pool’s cleanliness, convenience and safety. Unlike some parents, she hopped in the pool with her 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah Jones, and 4-year-old grandson, Avante “AJ” Holmes Jr.
“I feel free in the water,” Holmes said.
Although Holmes admitted it was hot, she didn’t seem too bothered by the weather.
“It’s been hotter,” she said. “I was born and raised in Chicago. The humidity can get well over 100. So this is a day when I can’t complain because I know there are hotter days to come.”