Though attendance numbers are down slightly, water attractions still popular

While the mild summer temperatures have been ideal for visiting parks, trails and other outdoor amenities, they've taken a toll on aquatics facilities.

A group of people band together as they pass by the waterfall in the lazy river, Friday, August 1, 2014, at Cape Splash in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

Locally, visitors might have found the water a bit too chilly to dive in at Cape Splash or Central Municipal Pool.

Patrick Watson, aquatic supervisor for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, said they've noticed a drop-off in overall attendance at both locations.

"[Attendance is] not what it's been the past two or three years, or 2012 when we had that massive heat wave and drought," he said. "We've noticed a slight difference in numbers, but overall it's doing well."

In 2012, high temperatures led to high attendance at Cape Splash, which boasted more than 90,000 visitors that year. Since its opening in 2010, more than 315,000 visitors have come to the water park to play on the splash pads, float along the lazy river or take a trip down the slides.

Dustin Denson and his son Drew cool off on the splash pad, Friday, August 1, 2014, at Cape Splash in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

Watson said Cape Splash has become an annual summer destination for many families, which is why he said he believes the facility has still maintained good attendance through the mild weather.

Lack of other nearby facilities also might have prevented the water park from taking a stronger hit. Cape Splash is the closest water park for many families in the area, but Central pool has a few draws of its own.

The Olympic-sized pool is used by six swim teams, Watson said, and receives frequent use year-round thanks to the bubble that covers the pool in the colder months. The facility might be seeing slightly smaller numbers this year, but he said it's still in regular use.

"We even hosted a regional championship swim meet two weekends ago," Watson said. "Between swimmers and spectators, we had over a thousand people on the campus of Central pool and it was huge."

It's also put to regular use by the public for swim lessons -- which are also offered at Cape Splash -- and other programming. Numbers for swim lessons have been consistent, "if not slightly up," Watson said. The many activities hosted for children and adults at the water park also enjoyed strong turnout.

Bentley Hendrix runs through the spray rings, Friday, August 1, 2014, at Cape Splash in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"Our pirate/mermaid party had a record turnout," he said. "We had a pretty good turnout for our youth triathlon, we had our adult beach bash a week ago -- all of our programs seem to have done really well, despite the weather."

But the weather hasn't been uncooperative all summer. Data provided from the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, shows May had an average temperature of 69, while June's average was 77. Both numbers were slightly higher than usual.

The biggest change came in July, when temperatures averaged 74 degrees, which is about five degrees below normal for the Cape Girardeau area.

"We've had a good couple of hot weekends, which has helped with overall attendance, but as far as the consistent back-to-back-to-back days that are in the 90s, it just hasn't been delivered this summer," Watson said.

Cape Splash stays open through Labor Day weekend, leaving a chance for numbers to bump back up in August. Even if the month promises the hot, muggy days typical to the area this time of year, it's not likely to make a large difference for the local water park, since it soon will go down to reduced hours with the start of the school year. Effective Aug. 13, Watson said, Cape Splash and Central pool will only be open on weekends. Once the bubble goes up in September, however, the pool will resume its seven-day-a-week schedule.

Attendance this summer may not compare to numbers of the past, but Watson pointed out the children were still enjoying the local facilities. Often, the lack of heat still isn't enough to keep them away from the water.

"One day [at Cape Splash] we noticed a kid was shivering, but he was still wanting to go down the slide so bad," Watson said. "We said, 'You might want to warm up in the sun,' and [he] goes, 'No, I'm having too much fun.'"

srinehart@semissourian.com

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