Splash

It's the first sign of summer when kids start splashing in the pool, and the lanes at Community Pool in Winchester opened just in time - temperatures are expected to hover around the 90-degree mark for the next week in Central Kentucky. The junior Olympic-sized pool at the Gene Gay Swim Complex on Friendship Drive is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission for swimmers age 16 and older is $3, ages 4 to 15 pay $2, and children 3 and younger swim for free.

Positioned on the sideline of the pool at the Wiliam E. “Bunny” Davis Recreation Complex, Jennifer Osborne hops from foot to foot, then gyrates her hips while Latin music plays in the background. A group of eager students mimic her moves from their much-cooler positions in the pool. It’s time for water Zumba, the latest trend in the popular aerobic dance activity. “Kick, kick, now travel,” Osborne instructs. Occasionally, Osborne runs over and splashes in the water to provide some relief from the 95-degree temperatures.

It really didn't matter how you looked or what you were doing as long as the end resulted in a splashdown at the Community Pool Wednesday afternoon. A large number of swimmers visited the pool to deal with afternoon temperatures reaching 90 degrees.

HARRODSBURG - Several individuals spoke up Monday at the Harrodsburg City Commission meeting regarding the city's budget for next fiscal year. Represented at the meeting were Anderson-Dean Community Park, Fort Harrod Beef Festival and Mercer County Fairgrounds, Ragged Edge Community Theater, James Harrod Trust, Harrodsburg Historical Society, Wilderness Trace and Harrodsburg/Mercer County Industrial Development Authority. In the case of Anderson-Dean Park, additional funding from the city could go toward creating a "splash playground" for children of all ages in the near future, said Mark Bryant, park director.

Azlyn Day, 3, left, and Wade Harris, 4, decided the photographer also needed to cool off while taking photos of them playing with a lawn sprinkler Tuesday afternoon. The children, and their friends, were staying cool playing at the Calvary Christian Church summer day care. Jade Berryman, 7, received a face full of water while taking her turn on a slip and slide.

Clark County kids cool off with a splash

Six-year-old Preston Martin found relief from the heat Thursday afternoon while playing on a soak and splash at his home on Primrose Lane. Temperatures on the last day of May touched the 90 degree mark. More heat is forecast for today with a chance of rain and cooler temperatures predicted over the weekend.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Staff writer Liz Maples tracked down this fish story recently on vacation in Texas. ATHENS, Texas - The biggest blue catfish ever caught in America - and perhaps the world - has turned into quite a ham. The 121-pound fat cat stars in a daily dive show in the 26,000-gallon theater aquarium at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries here, 75 miles south of Dallas. She made her first appearance when Cody Mullennix, of Howe, Texas, pulled her to the surface of Lake Texoma after a 30-minute fight.

"Luz Makes a Splash.” By Claudia Dávila, c.2012, Kids Can Press, $16.95 U.S. and Canada, 96 pages.   You thought you might roast to death. Yep, it was hot last summer. The hottest you could remember, and your Mom said the same thing. All you wanted to do was spend the day inside or in the pool, except that it was dry outside, too, which might've changed your pool-going. You were sure you might roast. But did you know that there are actions you can take to help your neighborhood when it's hot and dry?

Music Danville First Church of God - 7 p.m. Wednesday, Kentucky State Youth Choir will be in concert. First Church of God's Kim Perrin is a member. The church is at 3220 Harrodsburg Road. Hope Independent Church - 4 p.m., Sunday, the Spiritual Gate Keeper of Lexington, will be in concert. The church is at 888 Duncan Hill, Danville. Vacation Bible School Danville First Church of God - 6:30-9 p.m. June 11-15 for age 3 to eighth grade. A free light meal will be available for kids up to 18 years old. The theme is "Avalanche Ranch - A Wild Ride Through God's Word.

"Luz Makes a Splash.” By Claudia Dávila, c.2012, Kids Can Press, $16.95 U.S. and Canada, 96 pages.   You thought you might roast to death. Yep, it was hot last summer. The hottest you could remember, and your Mom said the same thing. All you wanted to do was spend the day inside or in the pool, except that it was dry outside, too, which might've changed your pool-going. You were sure you might roast. But did you know that there are actions you can take to help your neighborhood when it's hot and dry?

Colby Coleman never stays out of the water.“He grew up in the pool,” Coleman's father, Greg Coleman, said.  The George Rogers Clark High School senior started “messing around” at the pool when he was 6 years old and he has been hooked ever since. He traded his football cleats for the sport when he was a freshman. The decision landed him a diving scholarship at the University of Kentucky, where he will compete for the Wildcats next fall. He signed a letter-of-intent with Kentucky in November.

It was a teamwork building exercise, racing against time and another team to see who could fill a barrel with the most water in one minute at the Bluegrass Christian Camp this week. The only problem, the barrel had 40 3/8-inch holes that team members must use their fingers, toes and body to plug, top photo. Zach Lunsford, 14, bottom left photo, discovered there were a lot more holes with water pouring out than he could plug. In a total test of trust, Traci Barnes, 17, fell backward into the arms of several campers during the “trust fall” at the camp, bottom right photo.

Positioned on the sideline of the pool at the Wiliam E. “Bunny” Davis Recreation Complex, Jennifer Osborne hops from foot to foot, then gyrates her hips while Latin music plays in the background. A group of eager students mimic her moves from their much-cooler positions in the pool. It’s time for water Zumba, the latest trend in the popular aerobic dance activity. “Kick, kick, now travel,” Osborne instructs. Occasionally, Osborne runs over and splashes in the water to provide some relief from the 95-degree temperatures.

Mandy Faulconer gets excited every time she arrives to her office at College Park Gym. Although most of her surroundings have been in place for an extended period of time, once glance at the construction zone near her office sends out a wide smile across her face. "I look out this window every day and I see something new and different," she said with a smile. "The other day, I was in a meeting about the colors of the pool, and it was just exciting to see everything that actually goes into it from the ground up. " Faulconer, recently hired as aquatics manager/programmer at the Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department, can already envision swimmers and others stepping into the indoor pool currently under construction at College Park.

Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater's eyes were filled with joy when an attendee of the annual Festival of the Fourth thanked him for the event. "That's what it's all about," he said. "It's a town that comes together to have 25-cent hot dogs, pony rides and watermelon. It's what a small town should be ... it's to value the families. " Those sentiments were echoed throughout the day as about 2,000 festival-goers enjoyed a parade that featured 30 entries, followed by arts and crafts, patriotic music performed by the Jessamine Jazz Ensemble and, of course, 25-cent hot dogs grilled up by Wilmore public works employees.

Azlyn Day, 3, left, and Wade Harris, 4, decided the photographer also needed to cool off while taking photos of them playing with a lawn sprinkler Tuesday afternoon. The children, and their friends, were staying cool playing at the Calvary Christian Church summer day care. Jade Berryman, 7, received a face full of water while taking her turn on a slip and slide.

Jodie Meeks seems to be enjoying everything about the NBA draft evaluation process and is still not showing any signs that he's ready to stay put at Kentucky for his senior season. Meeks, UK's leading scorer last season when he was one of the nation's top 3-point shooters, has worked out for various NBA teams including Oklahoma City, Detroit, Washington, Atlanta and Minnesota. He's also gone through the NBA draft combine - and he still has more workouts scheduled before the draft later this month.

LEXINGTON (AP) - John Calipari told the Kentucky faithful that he is "humbled and excited" to lead such a "storied program" Wednesday when he was introduced as the Wildcats' basketball coach. And though Calipari cautioned the Kentucky faithful that he was not the "grand poobah" or the "emperor", he received a king's ransom to leave Memphis. (Note: click here to see a pdf of Calipari's contract with the University). Before the press conference Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that will make Calipari the highest paid coach in the nation.

"I recognize the seriousness of this mistake," Olympic champion Michael Phelps said, according to a report on CBSnews.com. "I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life. " If you assumed the aforementioned quote was uttered by Phelps following the recent revelation that he was caught smoking marijuana at a party back in November, you'd be wrong. In actuality Phelps' words of contrition actually came just over four years ago when he pled guilty to the charge of drunken driving.