Swim Park Memories

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Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by skitt » Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:36 am

Yeah, me too. If anyone has any photos of swim park inside or out, and particularly the sign of the woman in the bathing cap with her arms uplifted for a swan dive; I would sure like to get my hands on some! Photos, not the woman. Me and Jeff my brother swam there every day during summer vacation. Give me an e-mail or something!

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by Lost Fresno » Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:00 pm

Hey Dave, great to have "Mr. Swim Park" here, we are honored indeed. Do you have any photos to share from back in the day? If you do, I would be happy to assist you in uploading them or if you only have hard copies, I could even scan them for you.

regards,
Lost Fresno admin

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by Dave » Wed Feb 18, 2015 4:31 pm

Hello folks! I know all about Swim Park. It was located just north of Clinton on the west side of Blackstone, in-between Terrace and Harvard. Two local physicians owned it and hired my grandfather Pat Kelly to manage it. My uncle, John Kelly was the head lifeguard. The pool was very large and round, which was a great design because if little kids fell in it was only 18" all the way around. It did have 2 kiddie pools, one one the south side and one on the north side.

It was constructed of concrete with a concrete island almost in the middle, it was position slightly to the west; and yes, it had a low dive, high dive and the tower. It also had only 1 slide mounted in the pool just south of the island, which was also great because if you fell off the ladder you landed in water. It opened around 1950 and close around 1960. It did have a 1 restaurant. Does anyone remember when you ordered fries, you covered them with mustard and not catsup! Back in those days pouring catsup on your fries was a sin! To this day I still eat my fries with mustard. Because my family ran Swim Park, I was there almost daily all summer long. Great memories!

swim park

by skitt » Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:45 pm

I only discovered this site by accident. What a wonderful accident! My family lived in Fresno in the early to late fifties, and my brother and I enjoyed walking by ourselves from Princeton, across Fresno street, across Blackstone ave to what I only remember as Swim Park. There was a billboard cutout of a woman in a swan dive pose and she was wearing a swim cap

We took swimming lessons there, and I still remember being able for the first time to swim out to the center island where ther were diving boards and a curly slide. Awesome memories! I would love to have some pictures of the billboard, and any other pictures of this place so rooted in my fondest of memories. My younger brother is mentally ill and has become a recluse; and I am hoping that these pictures might help him recover some of himself. If anyone has access to any such resource, and could possibly make these pictures available to me for copying or whatever, please make a posting in this forum. I would truely appreciate it. We live in Washington state now, but I will never forget those years.

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by Guest » Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:12 pm

Don, I worked at Swim Park in restaurant for Morris McGlaflin two summers then two for John Kelly the pool owner as a life guard . Before that we went to Swim Park often. I have no recollections of a wooden island there. It was concrete. Left side was high dive, middle had a sixteen foot tower, right side had a low spring board. Only one slide was there. If you can correct me I'm interested in learning. ty JP

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by Steve H. » Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:43 am

I remember in the 50's that when Airway pool cost a dime, SwimPark cost just 25 cents (which was a big deal). I remember the island in the center of the pool that had a low dive, high dive, and tower dive. Climbing to the top of the tower dive was a real thrill. As was jumping off the thing. Lawyers would never let fun like that happen now!

Swim Park

by skitt » Thu May 15, 2014 11:31 am

My brother and I used to go to Swim park every day in the summer circa 1957. I would sure like to get my hands on some pictures of the old place. I also remember Pee wee Playland, but I remember it being at Roading Park.

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by Ajay » Tue May 28, 2013 3:58 pm

I recall that when it opened there seemed to be a worldwide shortage of clothes hangers. You could get in free if you brought ten (I believe) hangers.

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by LAWhitton » Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:52 pm

I was going to post a comment about Swim Park. There are others that are trying to find out about all the old pools. I remember it being round with an "island" in the middle. It was so fun to see the posts from those that do remember it too. I also swam at Blakely's, Weymouth, Maple Plunge, Airways, Wonderland and Clovis Lakes and of course Millerton.

Re: Fresno Swim Park - 1950's

by don howard » Sun Sep 16, 2012 2:32 pm

Yes, it was a very big round pool, shallow around the sides and deep in the middle, it had a wood island' in the middle with two diving boards low and high and a small slide in the shallow water. It was a good place for swimming with lots of room and wow, was it big!
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The_Fresno_Bee_The_Republic.jpg
Click to Enlarge / Fresno Bee - March 28, 1952

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