SCRANTON, Pa. -- The Scranton School District's last day for students is this Friday and that means it's time for the city's pools to be open for the season.
The pool at Nay Aug Park is just about ready, and it's looking good. It will be the first of the five city pools to open this summer.
That happens this weekend, on Saturday at noon.
On a day like this, some wished that day came a bit sooner.
It's already mid-June and students in the Scranton School District are still in school, so even on a day like this one, the city pools can't open just yet, no matter how bad we want them to.
The pool at Nay Aug Park opening to the public is good news for kids, but it's even better news for business at Ice Cream Lady Shoppe, the only food stand at Nay Aug.
"My days will get longer and busier," said Bobby Martinez. "I can't wait for the day that it opens. At least we can have some business here. I'm ready for it."
Martinez says dozens of kids stop by the stand every day asking when the pool will open and so do his own four kids!
"My kids, oh my God, they're so excited! They can't wait. Every day they ask me when it will open. I tell them over and over. They're excited. They just want to have a nice summer."
The city is still looking for lifeguards, so if you're interested in applying, you can pick up an application from Scranton City Hall or Weston Field.
"We get a lot of people coming through the parks. We can't physically open the pools if we don't have the safety for the kids. We need a lot of people watching, a lot of eyes on the kids," said director of parks Brian Fallon.
If the city doesn't have enough lifeguards, all five of the city's pools won't be able to be open at the same time throughout the summer, so the parks department director hopes more will apply.
"A lot of excitement, the pool is up and running. The slides are ready to go. We're just excited for the kids to get out of school and enjoy the pools," said Fallon.
The pools at Weston Field, Weston Park, and Connell Park will be set to open soon and the city will put out a schedule of what days and times each will be open.