Growing up in the small town of Hazlehurst in the late 1990s and early 2000s era, I was a frequent visitor to a certain town landmark referred to as the Youth Center.
This place was a multi-purpose building mostly used for church gatherings, family reunions, birthday parties and dances, and pancake suppers for the Lions Club. This location had ample parking for attendees, and also boasted a volleyball court and a swimming pool for local members to use.
The pool was the best part about the Youth Center, as far as the local kids were concerned.
The front doors didn't open until 9 or 10 a.m. on most days, and the teenage lifeguards were always less than excited to see a bunch of kids waiting in line with pool toys, goggles, and towels in tow.
We always had to wait patiently while the lifeguards checked the pool area before we were allowed to actually go into the water.
Sometimes, if I was early enough to be the only kid there, I would just sit and admire the water as it sat perfectly still, mirror-like, undisturbed by any splashing swimmers.
Slowly I would step into the water and watch the ripples grow and grow until the pool was filled with a waves.
I know we kids gave the lifeguard fits during the summer at the Youth Center. Even though the pool rules were clearly posted on a wall in large red letters, it didn't stop us from running around the pool area chasing each other, throwing things, and nearly drowning countless times by playing dunking games in the shallow end.
It also did not help that the lifeguards were almost always a friend or a relative to us kids. At least three of my cousins or their friends were a lifeguard at some point during my time there and I received more than my fair share of time-outs at the pool.
A few times day we would be forced to take breaks from the water so the lifeguards to check the pool maintenance or go for a swim themselves. We would always find another way to enjoy ourselves, such a playing 4-Square with a ball on the cracked concrete, or eating candy bars and bags of chips at fifty cents each.
As the years went by, the Youth Center changed ownership, and I moved away. After almost 20 years, the building still exists, but the pool is no longer visible from the roadside. Perhaps one day it can be bought back to life, for a new generation of kids to enjoy.
