 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2009-06-01 10:29:00
Remember...
Question: Do you remember the old municipal pool?
Answer: I sure do. July to me was always the hottest month although I suppose it actually was hotter more times than not in August. I especially remember living in the Riverside area of Wichita and enjoying swimming at the municipal swimming pool. It was located at the entrance to the area called Riverside Park. There were tennis courts. The swimming pool seemed like it was a giant and was used by nearly all of the kids in the area. First you had to check in. They gave you a device that looked like a large safety pin. It contained your clothes locker number and it indicated you had paid your fee. I remember the smell of chlorine and the sounds of kids splashing and laughing and the excitement I felt of getting in the water and having fun for myself, instead of just hearing it all. You would go in and change into your swimming suit and leave your street clothes in the locker. Then you would enter the pool. I remember the chlorine foot bath that you had to step in just before you entered or exited the swimming area. The lifeguards were sitting high up on umbrella-covered chairs. There were enough of them to cover all areas of the big pool. The areas were segregated by their depth and there were very strict rules for each area. Should you decide to break the rules by water fighting or diving off the bank in an acrobat manner or off one of the elevated diving boards, the lifeguard, in a loud voice which was magnified through a handheld megaphone, would shout for you to stop. If the jolt of him or her shouting wasn’t enough to get you to stop, the embarrassment you felt usually was. The pool always seemed so clean and sanitary, considering the number of swimmers they had each day. On the hottest days, as you might imagine, it was extremely crowded. Those of you who remember no air conditioning can understand why…the only way to cool off was to go swimming. We had electric fans in nearly every home…and later…homes were kept more bearable with the old water evaporative coolers, which were used in the early 40s. Then, years later came the REAL air conditioners. Remember how restaurants and businesses had signs that said “Cool Inside?” I get to thinking about all these things with each July, and here it is already upon us. Well, do your best to stay cool…and don’t forget…swimming is a wonderful way to do it too. Until next time…
