By Elizabeth Weinbloom
The Valley Stream Pool is like a traditional beach club, but without the commute or the extravagant price. For $170 for village residents and $310 for non-village residents of the high school district, a whole family can enjoy a diving pool, a regular pool and the two-year-old children's interactive pool and kiddie recreation area, featuring a wading pool with an assortment of fountains and sprays, like those in a water park. Lower membership fees are available for individuals, senior citizens, handicapped residents and Valley Stream firefighters and auxiliary police officers.
The pool is open from 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., seven days a week, until Sept. 2. The pool is always well attended but never packed. On the hottest days of summer as many as 600 people come to the pool, said Recreation Supervisor George Baker, but not all at once; some families coming on weekdays, others only on weekends, and still others only at night or in the morning.
"Every day of the week there's some activity" at the pool, said Vinny Carey, the lifeguard manager. A glance at the pool's schedule proves this, with events varying from story time and game sessions to poolside dances and movies at night. In between such activities there is plenty of time to splash around in one of the three pools, under the watchful eyes of some of the pools' 50 lifeguards. The lifeguards are at the pool from one hour before it opens until one hour after it closes, said Carey, during which time these young men and women drill and ensure the safest pool possible. There have been 13 rescues so far this summer, all of which have been entirely successful.
Regular staples at the pool include the snack bar and the cart of paperbacks that constitute the pool's book trade with the Waldinger library, which allows people to take and leave books at their leisure. On any given day the surface of the pool is speckled with bobbing heads as damp children run back and forth [but no running by the side of the pool!] with their friends.
"I usually just jump in the pool and have fun with my friends," said nine-year-old Evan Kearney, who was enjoying the sun and water last Friday. "They redid it and it's very nice," said his mother, Teresa Kearney, of the pool area. "Especially when I'm able to get a lounge chair," she said with a laugh, referring to the new chaise lounges and mammoth shade umbrellas that have become a hot commodity around the pool.
If swimming competitively is of interest, the Valley Stream Swim Team for children aged eight to 16 practices at the pool every weekday and competes in the Nassau Municipal Swim Conference. Other children can join the Aquatic Club and participate in a patriotic-themed water show in August, or take swim lessons and receive Red Cross Levels I through VII certifications. For some excitement on land, the Looney Bin brings rides and games to the pool on many days.
There is still plenty of fun available at Hendrickson Park for residents who choose not to join the pool. The recreation program offers inexpensive classes throughout the summer. Children can take six karate lessons for a total of $35, or take tennis lessons, learn chess, arts and crafts or woodworking for similar prices, all in the park. Adults can participate in a defensive driving course to learn to drive more safely and to get a discount of their car insurance premiums. Other programs are offered elsewhere in the village, such as the week-long sports camps at Firemen's Field and the summer recreation program at Barrett Park.
Another event in Hendrickson Park is the Brown Bag Lunchtime Concert series, with performances at the gazebo in the park from noon to 2 on Fridays, August 9 and August 23.
Finally, Hendrickson Park itself offers many opportunities for fun. There's a wide, scenic biking/ jogging/ skating path around the lake, benches under weeping willows for picnics, and tennis and handball courts for exciting games. Adjacent to the end of the bike path is an entrance to Valley Stream State Park, which includes a variety of playground equipment, picnic tables and barbecue grills.
With so many opportunities for summertime fun in Hendrickson Park, why would anyone ever leave Valley Stream?
