Elgin's downtown splash pad the perfect cool-down place on hot 90-degree-plus days

Chicago Tribune

03-07-2025

Nothing says summer like jumping into a splash pad on a hot day.
But when you're only 11 months old and it's your first time experiencing Elgin's Festival Park water attraction — or any splash pad, for that matter — the concept can be a bit intimidating.
Such was the case for Armiz Rodriguez, who was initially reluctant to check it out even with his mother, Kimberly, holding his hands as they got inches away from the shooting water sprays. But sitting near the water and letting it fall on his head seemed to help him get over his fears.
Armiz's siblings — 5-year-old twins Athena and Aquiles — had no such qualms as they ran through the bouncing fountains that Kimberly said she remembers playing in herself as a child.
With temperatures expected to be in the low- to mid-90s over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, it's a sure bet the splash pad will be seeing plenty of action from kids and maybe a few adults wanting a brief reprieve.
Heat indexes are going to make it feel like it's closer to 100, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Lenning.
'(The holiday) will be a warm but not abnormally warm July day,' Lenning said. Fortunately, the humidity 'won't be quite as high as it could be this time of year.'
With the hot temperatures, however, will come clear skies — perfect for the Fourth of July Parade at 11 a.m. in downtown Elgin followed later in the day by an outdoor gathering in Festival Park with food trucks, family activities, live music and a fireworks display at dusk.
Forecasts are calling for a chance of storms Saturday night and Sunday, Lenning said.
Although temperatures in the 90s are not unusual for early July, the normal high is about 84 degrees, according to the weather service. The hottest holiday on record in the Chicago area was 102 degrees in 2012.
But it has been unusually hot so early in the summer season, with a heat advisory issued for three days in late June when temps exceeded the 90-degree mark. In fact, there were 10 days of temperatures over 90 degrees in June and the average average temperature in the Chicago area 3.6% above normal last month, Lenning said.
'People need to be careful about making sure they have a way to cool off and stay hydrated,' Lenning said of the next few days. 'This time of year, we don't want anyone to have heat-related illnesses.'
Cooling off in water is one good option, the Illinois Department of Public Health advises. So is staying hydrated and cool and learning the signs of heatstroke, which include hot, dry skin; chills; confusion or dizziness; and slurred speech.
Maria Rocha brought her 7-year-old daughter, also named Maria, to the splash pad Wednesday to make sure she stayed cool but couldn't resist going in herself.
'It's so fun,' Rocha said. 'The water feels great.'
And it beat the heck out of what she had been planning to do that afternoon, she said.
'Ironing can wait,' Rocha said.
The splash pad is open daily in the summer from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.