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Nibley finally ends Heritage Days by jumping in the pool

September 14th, 2010 Posted in Arts and Life

Story and photos by Max Dahl

NIBLEY — Family Swim Night, the event originally scheduled during Nibley Heritage Days, cashed its “rain check” last week.

Nibley Heritage Days, the city’s annual celebration, ran June 14-19 with measured success except for a thunderstorm that canceled the originally scheduled family swim night.

The Logan Aquatic Center was reserved for the event although the pool closed to the public Labor Day. At least 160 prepaid wristbands had been purchased from Nibley City Hall, but more than 220 people had entered the pool by 7:45 p.m. and streamed in steadily thereafter, including Councilman Scott Larsen and his family.

Laura Frandsen, in her inaugural year as the Heritage Days Chair, felt the event was well attended; although she had been worried that the morning’s rain and wind throughout the day could have canceled the rescheduled event. She was one of the self-proclaimed “four comedians at the door” who added a personal touch to the evening by personally greeting people as they arrived, and pointing out which family members she had last seen.

Many families and friends carpooled and spent the evening splashing in the shallow kiddie pool, swimming and wading in the tepid 25 yard by 50 meter pool, tumbling off the low and high dives and braving the chilling swinds to stand in line for the dual slides; one with high-walled banked curves, and the other a wedgie-inducing drop that kept its most serious sliders skimming across the water, long after leaving the fiberglass.

Brent Johnson watched from the sidelines while six of his family members and two neighbors that he chauffeured splashed in the crystalline water. The group was so excited that they arrived 90 minutes early, and Johnson had to find a few activities to fill the time before the pool was ready for use.

Living in Cache Valley for the past 45 years, Johnson has witnessed the expansion around him and decided to move his family from North Logan to Nibley during the housing “explosion” in which Nibley experienced more development than the remainder of Cache Valley combined.

The mantra that Johnson has adopted and repeated as a vending machine supplier was to “make people sweet, one person at a time.” He lived out his motto as he supported his children poolside; whether down the slides or off the diving board, Brent was there smiling with a member of his family and speaking support.

The harmonious event approached a Norman Rockwell quality; no tears were shed, no lifeguard whistles blown, no arguments broke out. A feeling of old-fashioned community cohesion enveloped the pool, and when the lifeguards started ushering patrons out smiles, laughs, hugs and expectations were exchanged.

NW

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