CHAD PLAUCHE-ADKINS The Marietta Times ABOVE: As his friends cheer him on, Dakota Snodgrass, 12, of Lowell, flips into Memorial Day at the Lowell Pool.

With temperatures in the 80s throughout Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer became a quest to keep cool throughout Marietta.

The Lowell Pool and Marietta Aquatic Center did their best during the holiday in order to help visitors beat the heat and have fun.

Stephanie Bills, assistant manager at the aquatic center, said good weather on Monday brought everybody out of their homes and into the water. With approximately 200 visitors filling the parking lot, late comers were forced to leave their vehicles parked along the roadway.

“Today has been the busiest day so far,” she said.

According to Bills, the weekend thunderstorms kept the crowds away the first two days the center was open, but with the help of new attractions, the pool was almost at maximum capacity on Memorial Day.

The water slides, lazy river and kid’s pirate ship have drawn in crowds for years, but a new inflatable obstacle course and basketball hoops brought in people like Gregory Carter, 27, of Parkersburg. He said he made the drive to Marietta to enjoy the day with his loved ones.

“There’s a nice family vibe, a lot of family fun here,” he said. “It’s a great way to spend the Memorial Day weekend.”

Susan Williams, 37, of Marietta, said bringing her family of four to the aquatic center over the holiday has become an annual tradition.

“As long as the weather is nice, we come every year. There’s something to do for kids of all ages,” she said.

The Lowell Pool opened on Memorial Day to a crowd of approximately 40 people, much to the surprise of Manager Liz Zimmerman.

“It’s a very nice crowd for opening day. It’s been a good year already,” she said.

Zimmerman said with bad influences at every turn, the pool offers an ideal place for parents to send their children.

“It’s a safe environment, and there aren’t a lot of safe environments left,” she said.

Zimmerman admitted her pool didn’t have as many amenities as the aquatic center, but what it lacks in equipment, the Lowell Pool makes up for by being a true neighborhood pool.

“We get the same 15 families that come every year and get passes,” she said. “It’s almost like a reunion every summer.”

As she looked out over the pool, she said she has gotten to know the kids that come every season so well, she catches herself playing more of a maternal role instead of a managerial one.

“If I see a kid about to do something they aren’t supposed to, I just give them my ‘Mom look,'” she laughed. “They straighten right up. It takes a village, so we band together.”

Marietta Aquatic Center

• Open noon to 6 p.m. Saturday through Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. on Friday.

• Day passes cost $5 for youth and seniors over 55, $7 for adults.

-For more information about season passes call the aquatic center at 740-373-2445.

Lowell Pool

• Open noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

• Day passes are $5 per person, children 5 and under are free.

• For more information about season passes call the pool at 740-896-8869.

Source: Times research