Totally Texas -- Ready, set, row!

Cardboard Boat Races

Samuell Grand Pool

3201 Samuell Blvd. (near I-30 and E. Grand Ave.)

Dallas, Texas

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When I heard about the art of racing boats made of cardboard, my first thought was, it can’t be done. Second thought--maybe if it can cross the pool really fast. . . And then, well, the course has to be across the short side of the pool. And final thought--it’ll be really fun.

I was only right about the last possibility. Half the fun of propelling a contraption made of cardboard across a body of water is the fun of falling into the water on a hot summer day. And even the boats that collapse can still win prizes if their teams can push them all the way to the finish line.

But no, you can’t take the short route. You’ve got to get the entire length of the pool, starting at the deep end. Luckily for today’s participants, most of whom can expect to end up wetter than their boats, there are lifeguards.

And about that speed issue? Forget it. Floatability counts more than streamlining. The winners were all heavily coated in waterproof tape, the only structural material allowed, other than the cardboard itself. Even so, as you can see from the illustration for this post, duct tape can only help so much. Then it’s up to the team (maximum size, six members) to row, push or pull their soggy vessels all the way to the end.

And the term “boat” may be a slight misnomer. The key is to put together anything that will float, including rafts. Judging from last year’s entries, participants are not actually required to remain inside the vessel.  Pushing and towing are definitely allowed.

A call this afternoon from Dallas Aquatics confirmed that boats can be registered as late as 6:30 p.m. today, July 11, at Samuell Grand Pool.  There is a $15 entry fee per boat.  Races will start at 6:30 and last well, as long as it takes. 

Admission to the pool and to watch the races, is $1 for kids, $2 for those age 12 and older. Normal hours at Samuell Grand Pool are 1-8 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday. See you at the races!

For more information about Dallas public pools and their programs, see
www.dallasaquatics.org/.

Totally Texas -- It’s a wet, wet world!

So much great, non-pricey stuff to do with kids, I’m going to concentrate on only one--water play--for this Memorial Day weekend. With so much available, I’m mostly addressing Dallas options. If you’re an outlier, see your city’s website for local options.

Dallas swimming pools don’t officially open until June 7, but if register yourself or your kids for lessons through the end of May, you’ll take home a free ticket to Bahama Beach Family Waterpark. Click on “program guide” at www.dallasaquatics.org for a complete listing of pools and classes. Register at the website or your local recreation center. Not sure you can afford swim lessons? Check out the scholarship programs available through the website. And then get a free preview at Samuell Grand Pool’s Splash Day, June 6, 2-5 p.m., with free swim lesson evaluations and water games for the whole family.

Can’t wait a week to get all wet? Lucky for us, Dallas spraygrounds open tomorrow, May 24, to give us a preview of water fun before Memorial Day storms come through town. My neighborhood’s Ridgewood Park sprayground is among those opening for the season, after being closed the past two summers for renovations. With some exceptions, spraygrounds are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. See www.dallasaquatics.org/132/Spraygrounds for a complete list and schedule.

Hot items later this summer:

Friday dive-in movie specials, combining two of my passions, water and film. Films June 13, June 27, July 18, and August 8, free with paid pool admission. See the Dallas Aquatics site for programs for sites and times.

Cardboard boat races, July 11, at Samuell Grand Pool. My grandkids were fascinated to hear about this event which, yes, involves constructing a vessel completely out of cardboard (and waterproof tape, lots and lots of tape) able to navigate all the way across the pool. That’s all the way, the long way. Entry fee is $15 per boat. I’ll give you this hint from observation--speed is less essential than waterproofing. Last summer, most entries disintegrate before making it past the halfway point. Teams still get recognition of they can pull or push the remains of their boats to the finish line.

I’m also looking forward to Dog Day Afternoon, August 23, 2-5 p.m., with swimming, splash and swimsuit contests for dogs. Swimsuits for dogs? Definitely a photo op. At Samuell Grand Pool. See page 16 of the Dallas Aquatics site program book for details.

Need more options for free or nearly free water fun? How about the Dallas Arboretum’s beloved Toad Fountain? The Arboretum is usually on my pricier list, but admissions on Wednesdays are buy one, get one free, making it easier for kids to enjoy the fountain and the rest of the Arboretum’s regular attractions. If you can wait until August, admission goes down to $1 for the month (parking not included). Caution: the Arboretum doesn’t allow changing clothes in its restrooms, so come prepared to get wet.

Other wet, wild and free options my family likes: the interactive water fountains at Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas; Pegasus Plaza, Main and Akard, in Dallas; Main Street Garden, 1900 Main Street, Dallas, between South St. Paul and Harwood (a favorite for water garden, playground, café, restrooms and lending library); Addison Circle Park, Addison Circle Drive, Addison; Belo Garden, 1014 Main Street, Dallas. I’ll address these and more later in the summer, but for now, see “Water spouts keep summer flowing” and “Summer winds down, splashes keep going,” at this site.

(Next Friday--kid movie mania. And yeah, it’s mostly free or low-cost.)

Totally Texas -- Stay cool in in the pool

The boys love spray parks -- those soft-floored playgrounds full of devices that squirt, spray, splash and dump water on the children (or adults) cavorting through them. And the city of Dallas loves them as safer, lower cost alternatives to swimming pools.

They’re great ways to tempt kids outdoors for exercise and sunshine, and I’ll provide links to those operating this season in Dallas and some neighboring cities. But they can’t completely replace conventional swimming pools, for the simple reason that you can’t learn to swim in a spray park.

You also can’t row a cardboard boat across a swimming pool. Yes, cardboard boat races are happening July 13 at Samuell Grand Pool, 3201 Samuell Blvd., in Dallas. There’s a $15 entry fee per boat (holding up to six people). Judging will be based on creativity, team spirit and speed -- with a Titanic Award for the best of those that don’t make it all the way across the pool. Contact Elisabeth at 214-670-1515 for information, or download the registration form at www.dallasaquatics.org/.

For those with or without cardboard, Dallas operates offers a variety of water safety and swim programs at $30 for eight lessons, and has a scholarship fund to help those who need financial assistance. To request financial aid, click on www.dallasaquatics.org/community-pools/.

See class schedules and specifics under “swimming pools” at www.dallasparks.org/. Dallas pools will be open through August 12.

There’s also a list of Dallas city pools, with hours and contact information, at the site. When I checked the Dallas Parks site, it mentioned 22 pools, but the city is actually operating 16 this summer, plus one -- at Fretz Park -- only open for swimming lessons. The Lake Highlands pool also has an associated spray park. (Unfortunately, my Ridgewood neighborhood spray park is closed for repairs.)

The seven available spray parks are also listed at the Dallas Parks site. Spray parks are open through Labor Day weekend, September 4.

For public swimming pools in Richardson, see
www.cor.net .  (Note: Arapaho pool at Heights Recreation Center is closed; Glenville Pool includes a spray park).

For swimming pools in Garland, see www.garlandparks.com/. For Mesquite, see www.cityofmesquite.com/pard/index.php/.

But even if you know how to swim, please wear a life vest if you are boating. Local search and rescue volunteer Susannah Charleson mentions that, because Texas lakes are man-made, they are full of submerged trees that can entangle even the best swimmers.

(Charleson is a Dallas area writer whose memoir of her search and rescue dogs, Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog, is available at www.amazon.com and www.BN.com/. You don’t want to turn up as a sad example in her next book.)