Column: Chautauqua Park once had popular public beach

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — I am not going to go jump in the lake, although every now and again I am invited to do this. There was a time when jumping in Lake Okabena was the most popular sport in my life and I was at it nearly every day.

The popularity of lake jumping has waned only slightly in more recent times. Algae, which turns lake water to stinky green pudding, keeps jumpers and divers at bay. In an interesting point of fact, some Worthington residents have taken to jumping in the lake through holes in the ice in mid-winter when there is no algae. The penguin people may not have in mind an opportunity to avoid swimming in the green but they may be on to something. Swimming when the water is cool but clear surely is another way to skin a cat.

I was parked on the bank above the lake at Chautauqua Park lately, and I was remembering jumping in the lake along that shore. I learned a curious lesson there. It is possible sometimes to succeed in failure.

The Chautauqua Park beach was Worthington’s chief public beach through a long period. In total, I am confident through passing years that thousands of people, maybe tens of thousands, went swimming from a Chautauqua pier. There is something strange about this to people who know Okabena’s shores and bottoms.

Okabena has wonderful swimming beaches. Centennial Park is a good one. The beach along the east shore of Slater Park — the beach on the bay — is another good one. It is less well-known that the beach off Vogt Park is a great, sandy beach.

Chautauqua Park has a rock-strewn bottom which has caused many a moan and which can be blamed for very many stubbed toes. It became popular because — well, because The Park was there. This was the Chautauqua grounds and, earlier, this was where the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic came together for reunions and for, “Tenting Tonight.” Piers were built there, the steamboats landed there, canoes and rowboats could be rented. In one time there were slides and water wheels there. Chautauqua Park is where Worthington went swimming, no matter that there is a rough and rocky bottom. 

A major Worthington event, a major event for kids in years before World War II, was the Red Cross Swim School conducted at Chautauqua Park early each summer. Special instructors were brought to Worthington for swim school and local instructors helped as well. Kids were divided by age groups and assigned times. Hot or cold. Some June mornings along that lake shore were very cool.

In the time of the swim schools, there still was a white wood diving tower a distance off-shore although there no longer were diving boards.

Here was where I learned my lesson in success and failure. Our final test at swim school was to dive from the pier behind the band shell, swim to the tower and then return. You got a certificate if you succeeded.

I had apprehension about this test all through our swim school days. I never was a great swimmer. 

When my turn came I got off to a fair start. I made a dive and swam to the tower. I was out of steam. I couldn’t swim back — but obviously I had to make it back.

My dad grew up along Jack Creek, and he had taught me what the Crippen boys used to do on the creek. Roll on your back and start circling your arms above your head. Swim on your back. You move along at a pretty good clip.

I was embarrassed as I made my return to the park pier and to my classmates. I was quite a dismal failure. As I remember, I was the first one who didn’t complete the swim to the tower and back. I believe I was thinking of a place where I might hide when the instructor came with my certificate and shook my hand.

“The important thing about being in water is being able to keep your head up and succeed in getting to shore. This boy didn’t succeed in the expected way but he succeeded,” the man said.

I thought, “Wow!”

Ray Crippen is a former editor of the Daily Globe. His column appears on Saturdays.

The popularity of lake jumping has waned only slightly in more recent times. Algae, which turns lake water to stinky green pudding, keeps jumpers and divers at bay. In an interesting point of fact, some Worthington residents have taken to jumping in the lake through holes in the ice in mid-winter when there is no algae. The penguin people may not have in mind an opportunity to avoid swimming in the green but they may be on to something. Swimming when the water is cool but clear surely is another way to skin a cat.

I was parked on the bank above the lake at Chautauqua Park lately, and I was remembering jumping in the lake along that shore. I learned a curious lesson there. It is possible sometimes to succeed in failure.

The Chautauqua Park beach was Worthington’s chief public beach through a long period. In total, I am confident through passing years that thousands of people, maybe tens of thousands, went swimming from a Chautauqua pier. There is something strange about this to people who know Okabena’s shores and bottoms.

Okabena has wonderful swimming beaches. Centennial Park is a good one. The beach along the east shore of Slater Park — the beach on the bay — is another good one. It is less well-known that the beach off Vogt Park is a great, sandy beach.

Chautauqua Park has a rock-strewn bottom which has caused many a moan and which can be blamed for very many stubbed toes. It became popular because — well, because The Park was there. This was the Chautauqua grounds and, earlier, this was where the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic came together for reunions and for, “Tenting Tonight.” Piers were built there, the steamboats landed there, canoes and rowboats could be rented. In one time there were slides and water wheels there. Chautauqua Park is where Worthington went swimming, no matter that there is a rough and rocky bottom. 

A major Worthington event, a major event for kids in years before World War II, was the Red Cross Swim School conducted at Chautauqua Park early each summer. Special instructors were brought to Worthington for swim school and local instructors helped as well. Kids were divided by age groups and assigned times. Hot or cold. Some June mornings along that lake shore were very cool.

In the time of the swim schools, there still was a white wood diving tower a distance off-shore although there no longer were diving boards.

Here was where I learned my lesson in success and failure. Our final test at swim school was to dive from the pier behind the band shell, swim to the tower and then return. You got a certificate if you succeeded.

I had apprehension about this test all through our swim school days. I never was a great swimmer. 

When my turn came I got off to a fair start. I made a dive and swam to the tower. I was out of steam. I couldn’t swim back — but obviously I had to make it back.

My dad grew up along Jack Creek, and he had taught me what the Crippen boys used to do on the creek. Roll on your back and start circling your arms above your head. Swim on your back. You move along at a pretty good clip.

I was embarrassed as I made my return to the park pier and to my classmates. I was quite a dismal failure. As I remember, I was the first one who didn’t complete the swim to the tower and back. I believe I was thinking of a place where I might hide when the instructor came with my certificate and shook my hand.

“The important thing about being in water is being able to keep your head up and succeed in getting to shore. This boy didn’t succeed in the expected way but he succeeded,” the man said.

I thought, “Wow!”

Ray Crippen is a former editor of the Daily Globe. His column appears on Saturdays.

Tags: isnt that something, chautauqua park, lifestyle, columns, worthington