5 Tips to Help Ensure a Great July 4th Weekend Pool Party

By far the most popular weekend for pool use is this coming weekend—July 4th weekend. With Independence Day falling on a Monday this year, and the weather expected to be in the mid 90’s with no rain, it should be a great weekend and pools will be a popular place to be.

Following are five tips to assure that your July 4th pool party will be one to be remembered.

1. Be sure that your pool is ready
   To avoid last minute water problems such as cloudy water or a green pool, be sure that your pool water is balanced—have it professionally analyzed at Gohlke Pools sometime before your party. This preventative maintenance will help prevent eye and skin irritation that sometimes accompanies a weekend of swimming in a pool of unbalanced water. Eye and skin irritation are usually due to insufficient sanitizer levels or incorrect pH levels. If you need any last minute help, our Retail Store will be open the following hours over the July 4th weekend:
   • Saturday, July 2nd 9am-6pm
   • Sunday, July 3rd 11am-5pm
   • Monday, July 4th 9am-2pm
2. Prepare the area surrounding your pool
   In addition to preparing the pool, the area surrounding the pool will also probably need some attention—such as mowing, trimming plants, cleaning the patio, etc. Consider using container plants in the pool area to help dress it up. Also, do not forget to get rid of pests such as wasps & ants. It would probably be a good idea to have wasp spray on hand for any unwelcome pests that arrive during your party.
3. Decorations & Music
   Decorations and music really help set the mood. Seasonal decorations really can add to the feel of the party and paper products such as tablecloths, plates, cups, and napkins are also available in a patriotic theme. Party stores such as Party City or Hobby Lobby are both an excellent source for these festive decorations. For evening parties, try stringing party lights along the fence and in the trees and shrubbery or use tiki torches. As far as music goes, patriotic music or beach music (try some Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffet) can really add to pool parties.
4. Food
   Firing up the grill and serving hamburgers and hot dogs is always a safe bet. For the more courageous, smoke a brisket or some ribs. And for dessert, nothing represents summer and pool fun more than homemade ice cream. Be sure to delegate some of the food responsibilities to your guests.
5. Activities
   Although providing a pool and some food is usually enough to provide for your visiting guests, following are some pool games and activities that can really add to the party:
   • Marco Polo—An oldie, but a goodie!
   • Relay races—For a patriotic touch, use red, white, & blue plastic streamers to separate swimming lanes.
   • Chicken fights—Most of us have participated in chicken fights, but try chicken fight tag (self-explanatory) or chicken fight races (from one end of the pool to another).
   • Sharks and minnows – This game is good for a large group.
   • Water volleyball—Available at most pool supply and sporting goods stores.
   • Water basketball—This was a favorite Available at most pool supply and sporting goods stores.
   • Water football—This game is self-explanatory and is also quite fun.
   • Water baseball –Typically it is played in the shallow end of the pool with bases being approximately 10’-15’ apart. Typically, a ball hit out of the far end of the pool is a homerun.

There are many other pool games that can be found by Google searching swimming pool games and activities.

While enjoying your pool party, remember that pool safety should always be a concern. Many drownings and accidents occur during parties as children are often ignored while parents socialize. You might consider hiring a lifeguard, or consider having parents take shifts being the pool monitor—even provide a whistle and a list of pool rules if you feel it is necessary.

Have a great and safe celebration!