Make Your End-of-Summer Trip to Your Favorite Shore
There’s nothing quite like a day at the beach, particularly as the month of August slips away. Summer’s on the wane, the kids will be back in school soon, and the temperatures (both in the air and the water) will soon get nippy. Why not plan one last visit to your favorite swimming hole, whether it’s an inland lake or the ocean? Better yet, why not do it on the 30th of August, which, since 2014, has been officially designated as “National Beach Day.”
The History of National Beach Day
The very first National Beach Day took place on the shores of Lake Michigan in 1929, when the Milwaukee Knights of Columbus declared one in conjunction with their annual convention. Unfortunately, the idea never gained any traction.
Nearly a century later, in 2014, the pet and family lifestyle expert Colleen Paige reimagined National Beach Day as an opportunity to both pay homage to the nation’s beaches, promote water safety, and prevent their environmental degradation.
Maximizing Water Safety on National Beach Day
There are simple measures you can take to minimize safety risks when swimming in any natural body of water:
- Identify the designated areas for swimming and stay within them
- Never swim without a lifeguard present (if one is customarily posted)
- Don’t swim by yourself, even if you are a strong swimmer
- Be aware of potential currents, including under-toes, rip tides and other moving water
- Pay attention to how long you have been swimming…many water accidents are a result of fatigue
- Don’t use a natural body of water to learn how to swim in water over your head
Here are some great ideas for getting into the spirit:
- Host a picnic and enlist everyone to spend some time cleaning up the beach—Who doesn’t like hamburgers and hot dogs before or after a dip in the water? Ask everyone to bring their favorite picnic side. Organize a beach volleyball game or have someone bring a guitar. Before you leave, though, ask everyone to spread out and collect anything that doesn’t normally live at the beach. With a good group, you can make a difference, for yourself and for others who come after you.
- Turn your back yard into a beach—Maybe you live too far from the water. Maybe your lives are too busy to travel to the lake or the ocean. Have a beach party at your house. Ask everyone to bring beach towels and sunscreen, roast hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire, and cue up some of your favorite beach music on the stereo.
Our nation’s beaches are a precious resource. This year, honor that resource on National Beach Day.
