Summer 2018 Hometown Messenger

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News from the City of Shakopee | Summer 2018

Celebrating 50 years of SandVenture

Built in 1968, aquatic park

remains a favorite swimming pond for Shakopee swimmers

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90 Days of Summer BodyWorn Cameras Firefighter Training Crime Prevention Calendar

This summer, the SandVenture Aquatic Park will celebrate its 50th year as a Shakopee swimming destination. The man-made swimming pond was built in 1968 to recreate the family fun of a lake getaway. Located at Lions Park, it features a sand-bottom, chlorinated pool surrounded by a sand beach. CONSTRUCTION OF POOL 1968-69 Derby Days Beach Party June 1988. Aerial photo was taken from a hot air balloon.

The push for a community swimming pool began in the early 1960s to provide residents with a safer and cleaner alternative to swimming in the Minnesota River. In spring 1968, the City Council officially approved construction of the pool, bathhouse and 12-foot diving well. The cost of the facility was approximately $200,000. The pool was officially dedicated on June 8, 1969, and opened to the public June 14. In its first year, daily admission was $.50 for children and $.75 for adults. A family season pass was $16. In the early years, the Shakopee Municipal Swimming pool was a year-round facility. In winter months, the pool was used as an ice skating rink and the bathhouse a warming house. WATER SLIDE ADDED IN 1985

"The building and surroundings may have changed over the years, but the fun and excitement of a visit to SandVenture on a hot summer day hasn’t." Sherry Dvorak Recreation Coordinator

Cover Photo: A young girl celebrates the Fourth of July at the Parks and Recreation Department's annual Happy Birthday America parade. The 2018 parade is June 29.

Recreation Supervisor Sherry Dvorak remembers coming to the pool in the late 1970s for two weeks of swimming lessons. She still recalls walking through the old turnstyles at the admissions counter of the original bathhouse.

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