Every weekday from 2 to 3 p.m. through the end of August, residents can cool off with a blast of water from a Hopkinsville Fire Department pumper truck in one of the city’s parks.
The Hoptown Hose Down is billed as an alternative to swimming at the Tie Breaker Family Aquatic Center, which has been closed this summer because of the novel coronavirus. A pumper truck will travel to a different city park each weekday “to safely spray down attendees with a waterhose and nozzle” organizers said.
The first mobile spray was today at DeBow Recreational Complex.
“With Tie Breaker Family Aquatic Center closed down for the summer, we’ve been seeking creative alternatives toallow our residents to have some cool, clean fun, and we think we’ve found a winner with Hoptown Hose Down,” Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman said in a news release. “We’re grateful to HFD for helping makethis happen and know that the community will grasp this opportunity to enjoy a refreshing COVID cool down.”
Park employees will facilitate the mobile spray parks and will ensure social distancing for health and safety, according to the news release.
Officials said use of a pumper truck won’t “take away from any regular services or emergency response by the Hopkinsville Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services.”
Fire Chief Steve Futrell said, “As a truly community-driven department, we are pleased to be involved with this fun concept. The pumper truck we’ll be bringing to each location holds 1,000 gallons of water, so we look forward to showing off our equipment while hopefully putting smiles on a lot of faces.”
The rotating schedule each week will be as follows:
- Mondays at DeBow Recreational Complex
- Tuesdays at Second Street Park
- Wednesdays at the dog park on Pardue Lane
- Thursdays at Westside Park
- Fridays at Joe Mumford Park
Each day will be limited to 100 participants to comply with Christian County Health Department requirements and guidelines.Updates on the Hoptown Hose Down will be posted on the Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation Facebook page. Additional information is available by calling the Parks and Recreation office at 270-887-4290.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
