Charleston's 'Splash Day' aims to bring fun, relief to start of the week

Charleston Parks and Recreation will host "Splash Day" on Monday, July 29 from 2-5 p.m. at Roosevelt Neighborhood Center, 502 Ruffner Ave.Photo byTim CooperonUnsplash

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If the summer heat has you down, the City of Charleston has something planned that may lift your spirits — and cool you off, too.

From 2-5 p.m. on Monday, July 29, the Parks and Recreation Department will host Splash Day, a free event to celebrate Parks and Rec Month. Splash Day will be held at the Roosevelt Neighborhood Center, 502 Ruffner Ave. on the city's East End. It is open to the public.

According to information provided by the city, Monday's celebration will be a "splash-tastic day filled with water games, fun games and much more."

Due to the event, the area of Ruffner Avenue between Jackson Street and Lewis Street will be closed from noon until 5 p.m. on Monday.

Splash Day comes amid a particularly hot summer in the Kanawha Valley. The average temperatures in the area in the weeks leading up to the event often reached highs in the 80s and 90s, with excessive humidity on many days. The National Weather Service on Thursday issued a severe drought alert for the Kanawha river valleys. On Friday, Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all West Virginia counties due to dangerous drought conditions.

Come Monday, Splash Day attendees may get wet from more than just the water games. As of this writing, the forecast for the Charleston area predicts an 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with possible rainfall amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch for that day.

But the point of Splash Day is to get wet and find relief from the heat, right?

"Come cool off," Parks and Recs officials encouraged recently. "Celebrate with us for Parks and Rec Month."