New Water Park Thrills Children and Parents

THUNDER BAY – Fun for the family. In a word that is what parents are saying about Thunder Bay’s newest splash pad at the North End Recreation Centre.

For many Thunder Bay families, finding safe, fun, and affordable recreation opportunities in the summer presents a challenge. On Monday a visit to the new splash pad which was officially opened last week is to see how this new addition to the local recreation scene is already a hit with families.

If you consider that laughter is one of the best medicines available, especially laughter by the innocence of children, then the North End Recreation Centre might have to be renamed a healing centre.

The highlight of the park is the bucket that fills, and gathers a gaggle of excited children who can’t wait for the water to fill it and have it tip over and soak them with a cooling blast of water.

The park has been designed with parents and viewers in mind. There are several large water guns that kids can use to spray water at each other. What is great is that if they aim their watery blast off the cement pad, the spray shuts down.

The new facility is located at North End Park, on Huron Avenue, and is the City’s fourth Splash Pad. It has been dubbed the “Thunder Canyon” by the manufacturer, referring to both the linear setting nestled between existing play structures and a treed berm and the loud splash of water that occurs from the splash pads centre piece water bucket.  The pad also features two ‘bays,’ each of which is designed to appeal to a different age group.

This is the Sound of Summer Fun

The Splash Pad includes:

The Toddler Bay
An approachable area that contains softer water effects, including elements with names such as the Duck and Owl, Liquid Jail and Liquid Sprout..

The Family Bay
A large space that contains more interactive and combined types of play opportunities, including elements with names Cat Tail, Lion Blaster, Bear Blaster and Lazy Buckets. This bay also contains larger water volume elements for older family members such as the Multi Play Centre, Cloud and Double Lily.

The new Splash Pad’s water features are initiated by two activators and shut off after a set period of inactivity to conserve water. They also have low-flow fixtures to minimize the amount of waste water generated.

The new Splash Pad will be open daily from 9 am – 9 pm throughout the summer.