BUCKTOWN — With nary a patch of concrete to be found for laying out a towel, Bucktown's Holstein Park pool is apparently the place to be, even at 11:45 a.m. on a Tuesday.
"It's a great pool," said Humboldt Park resident Lesley Mayra, who spent the morning at the neighborhood pool at 2200 N. Oakley Ave.
Mayra's five-year-old son took swimming lessons, while she and her 16-month-old daughter played in the kiddie pool.
During open swim, Mayra's oldest son, who is part of a day camp, enjoyed hanging out in the main pool.
Just before noon Mayra was headed to join the adult lap swim while her husband planned a lunch break with the kids.
For the fifth consecutive year, Holstein Park pool has been named the city's best public pool in Chicago Reader's annual "Best of Chicago" issue, beating out 78 other indoor and outdoor pools.
When asked about the reason for the pool's success, Holstein Park Supervisor Shannon English said "Kenny does an amazing job."
Shannon was referring to Ken Madura, the park's operations engineer, who maintains the pool. A 35-year veteran of the Chicago Park District, Madura is responsible for keeping the water clean and also serves as the operations engineer for four other city pools.
Madura said Holstein's park pool capacity is "300 [people] on a hot day" and while measuring 50-yards long, the pool is not quite Olympic size, Madura said.
Bucktown resident and author Scott Jacobs described an afternoon at Holstein Park pool in a 2009 blog post, "Poolside at the Park."
"To sit by a public pool in Chicago is to watch the unbridled enthusiasm of youth. The mostly teenage kids couple and de-couple in mock water fights, ride piggyback on each other, venture forth into the deep end and, just as quickly, retreat back to the shallow. Some wear goggles, others tattoos. There is a contingent of young women who have staked out a corner of the deep end deck––that which holds the sun longest––for reading, tanning and talking on their cell phones. And four boys doing flips off the side nearby, should any of the girls care to notice," Jacobs wrote.
Each year, the pool's learn to swim classes sell out quickly, English said.
Currently the three daily adult lap swims have over 300 people signed up, with new members signing up daily, she said. Lap swim passes cost $25 per month or $40 for three months.
While learn to swim classes for children have sold out — with long waiting lists — there are still openings for a 10 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Tuesday parent and tot swim.
The Chicago Park District website describes the parent and tot swim as a "non instructional swim time offered for parents and their toddlers to explore aquatic readiness for future instructional classes."
Holstein Park Pool Hours
7 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Holstein Park's kiddie pool is open 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
View Holstein Park's full pool schedule, including lap swim and open swim, here.
