Splash Down in Haverhill – Cooling Water Cannons at Two Parks!
WED. AUG 21 – UPDATE FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE: The water cannon at Swasey field will be turned on from 3 PM to 7 PM! Stop by and bring the kids! No dogs please. I regret that the spray park is still not ready we are waiting for the grass to cure. We will try to open it by Labor Day but it may be next spring. Sorry for the inconvenience but enjoy the water cannon.
Thursday, July 18. The sun was so hot, we thought it might be making popcorn in the cornfields today. The Heartbeat of Haverhill didn’t even have the energy to try cooking an egg on the sidewalk like so many news reporters do when it gets this hot. We wilted on the walk to the mailbox and no relief was in sight. And then we read a status update on Mayor Fiorentini’s Facebook page….
“BEAT the HEAT! Tonight, Plugs Pond, our not so hidden gem, is open until 8 for public swimming. Down at Riverside Park, (behind the stadium) we are turning on water cannons from 3 PM until 8 PM for the kids. And in Swasey Field, in the part near the basketball hoops, we are hoping to have a water cannon working this afternoon, stay tuned for more information. Bring your kids, we want them to be cool and safe this summer!”
Water Cannon at Swasey Field Haverhill
First question – what on earth is a water cannon? Don’t they use those to quell riots? Not these water cannons. These are used to keep the cool by misting everyone in the perimeter of the shooting water. And city officials ordered them out to the parks for a special limited engagement. That sounded like the making of some great photographs… and completed a baker’s dozen of ways to beat the heat in Haverhill. For the other 12 read this blog post http://wp.me/p3wgPC-4v We were most impressed when we watched one young lady at Swasey Field, of her own volition (not coached by Mom), walk out of the spray to say “thank you” to Mayor Fiorentini who was standing on the edge of the park. What terrific kids we met. And here’s a hint the kids taught us…sometimes the spray that escapes from the joint between two hoses is as much fun as the water cannon itself.
And now pull up a lawn chair right under the misting water cannon and chill with these folks pictured in the slideshow below. And if you missed it today, try again tomorrow at noon. We hear it’s gonna be a scorcher!
(c) 2013 by Alison Colby-Campbell
2 comments on “Splash Down in Haverhill – Cooling Water Cannons at Two Parks!”
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Alison Colby-Campbell
The Heartbeat of Haverhill 
cant wait for the water park to be open
Gail, I hear you, but it’s great to have the water cannons in the meantime. Sure beats the “sprinklers” I used to run through as a kid. Thanks for reading.