Ever since I saw the movie Do The Right Thing, I’ve always wanted to open a fire hydrant and play in the water. Sure, it’s probably not legal and it looks like it would make a huge mess, but honestly, it just looks so fun. Especially in this heat.
It looks like I’m not the only one with this train of thought, as the City of Kalamazoo recently reached out to X to ask citizens to stop opening fire hydrants, no matter how hot this end-of-summer heat wave is.
It’s hot
August ended with a bang after a cool spell turned into an incredibly hot heatwave last week that was so hot that schools in Grand Rapids closed for a day. It looks like summer vacation will last a little longer for some students here.
Sporty blonde stands on the beach with a towel on a sunny day
Kalamazoo says stop
When it’s this hot outside, people are looking for any way to cool off. The City of Kalamazoo knows this and has sent out a request for residents to look for alternative ways to cool off, including public water parks. Opening these fire hydrants without city permission can cause damage to underground pipes.
READ MORE: 5 ways to stay cool during a heatwave in Western Michigan without air conditioning |
Interestingly, the city knows how effective these hydrants can be in cooling people down and will Opening your own fire hydrants to the public. Between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., city staff will open fire hydrants at the following locations:
- Rear end of Interfaith (Building 1038), extreme northwest corner
- Burrell and Lawrence
- Krom and Clay
- Washington and March
- Sherwood at Roosevelt Apartments
- Clarence and Jackson
- Hays Park and James
- Charlotte and Sherwood
- Northway and Princeton
- Fairbanks and Center
- Church and Norway
Pools and wading pools in Grand Rapids 2023
Summer goes by way too fast when you live in Michigan, so you have to take advantage of every moment of sunshine. One of the best pastimes is enjoying the amazing pools and wading pools that the city of Grand Rapids offers its residents and non-residents. Here is the schedule for summer 2023.
Gallery Credit: Big Joe Pesh
Safety information during a heatwave
