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Making a splash: Centennial Beach to open early

It seems only fitting someone named Natalie Sands plans to celebrate her Sweet 16th birthday at the beach - after, of course, she finishes a final exam and passes her driver's test.

"I'm really excited to be here all summer," said Sands, a newly hired swim instructor at Naperville Park District's Centennial Beach.

She and her friend, Madison Hollis, are looking forward to the beach's early opening on Thursday, May 27, just about as much as anyone who uses or works at the downtown Naperville facility.

"I'm probably gonna sleep in, wake up, have (Natalie) pick me up and go to the pool," Hollis said Tuesday, documenting her plans for her first official day of summer.

Built into an old rock quarry in the early 1930s, Centennial Beach is surrounded by four acres of grass and trees and features a sand play area, concrete shallow end and 15-foot deep end with a quarry bottom.

Like most public pools, Centennial Beach usually opens its gates Memorial Day weekend. But this year is different.

Temperatures have been uncharacteristically warm and area high schools are letting students loose a week earlier than usual - a combination that has prompted park officials to open the gates earlier than ever before, Beach Manager Andrea Coates said.

"You need staff to run the operation and right now we have our college kids but we really need the high school kids," Coates said. "It's not something we're able to do unless all the parts fit together."

Visitors can start shooting down the water slides at 500 W. Jackson Ave. from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. Just like always, admission will be free on Memorial Day.

"If the weather holds up this year I think we'll have a good crowd," Coates said.

On Tuesday morning, the atmosphere at Centennial Beach was peaceful - the calm before the storm. Adirondack chairs dotted the lawn, staged under trees like little soldiers. Blue, orange and green umbrellas stood tall, ready to be popped open. And the 6.2-million gallons of jungle green water sat still.

Coates knelt by the water's edge to check the temperature. She was astonished to find it had risen almost 10 degrees in a week, from 62 on May 16, the day of the inaugural preseason plunge, to 71.

But water temperature was the least of the staff's worries.

"Our biggest thing is we had to make sure our guards were trained," Coates said, adding that a lot of time and hard work goes into preparing the award-winning staff, including retraining and testing returning guards. With water much deeper and darker than the crystal blue pools people are used to, the guards have their work cut out for them.

Park officials also are making plans to spend about $5.5 million to renovate the beach's 1934 limestone bathhouse, but that work won't start until after the swimming season in September.

For now, everyone's simply focused on getting the beach ready for its early debut - just in time for Natalie Sands' birthday.

For more information on Centennial Beach or to renew your beach membership online, visit centennialbeach.org.

<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p>

<p class="News"><b>What:</b> Opening Day at Centennial Beach</p>

<p class="News"><b>When:</b> 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 27</p>

<p class="News"><b>Where:</b> 500 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville</p>

<p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Resident: $6, non-resident: $10, or visit the website for membership information</p>

<p class="News"><b>Info:</b> <a href="http://www.napervilleparks.org" target="new">www.napervilleparks.org</a> </p>

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