By Mary Lou Wehrli
Special to PN
“May I have your attention, please!” Safety is number one at Centennial Beach. Every hour swimmers leave the water and get off the lower deck for a Routine Safety Break. It’s time to reconnect with your group, grab a concession, or catch some beach blanket sunny rays.
If you have not yet graduated 8th grade or are younger, there are three times every day to pass the Deep Water Swim Test. Centennial Beach holds 6.2-million gallons of water and most of it is in the deep. Fifteen feet deep. It’s important that all who wish to swim or dive in “the 15” can swim! An honorable Right of Passage personally earned by each successful swimmer demonstrates their courage, confidence and skill. (Don’t’ worry. Those who struggle are guided out by a lifeguard, coached, and encouraged to try again another time.)
Families settle onto a grassy spot, headquarters for the day. A picnic later on. Sunscreen spread or sprayed. The thunder of running bare feet over land and walkway are slowed by the guard’s megaphone boom, “Waaalk! No Running. Walk, Please.” Splash! Into the water. It takes a week to fill Centennial Beach with Lake Michigan water. Clear and cool, opening day – May 25 this year – means summer is here!
“Go, Mudrats!” The Centennial Beach Swim Team and Water Polo Team are powerful competitors striving for victory! It’s time to sign up for membership, swim lessons, aquatic fitness and diving classes – visit www.CentennialBeach.org. Beach Yoga and Paddleboard Yoga are also popular. Visit www.NapervilleParks.org for weather cancellations.
How did Centennial Beach come to be?
Community spirit! That’s how The Beach came to be. One of three quarries in the middle of downtown Naperville, Centennial Beach is a spectacular addition made possible by the people, yes, the people.
It was a dark and stormy night. Depression had settled across the land. Hard times. Soup kitchens in Naperville. Buddy, can you spare a dime? Nickels and dimes, dollars and $500s were donated by citizens to throw a party. A Centennial! Parades. Pageants. A Permanent Memorial. Naperville was 100 years old in 1931. Everyone played a part, happy to be focusing on the positive.
It was a bright and sunny day. As a gift to the future, the vision of a 45-acre Centennial Park was determined to be the best permanent memorial. Led by Centennial Chairman, Judge Win G. Knoch, two abandoned quarries and land on both sides of the DuPage River were acquired privately (33 donors kicked in $500 each). All was donated to the City of Naperville. Together the leaders and citizens of Naperville made the dream a reality. Employment! Recreation!
“I’m going to the Beach!”
The bathhouse was dedicated in 1934, constructed from limestone mined from the very quarry that was now, with sandy-bottom shallow end, Centennial Beach.
A Riverwalk was also part of the vision. Limestone and concrete lower walkways along the river were built. Fifty years later in 1981, Naperville’s Sesquicentennial, a broader Riverwalk was determined to be the best permanent memorial celebrating Naperville’s 150th Birthday. Again, a community working together made it possible. (What might be planned for the 2031 Naperville Bicentennial?!)
But these are not just features on the landscape. They represent what a community can do with public/private partnerships to encourage health, fellowship, and economic vibrancy. With ideas from everyone, leadership presented inclusive opportunities for people to give back to their community. The celebrations welcomed all backgrounds, all pocketbooks, all talents. Community spirit created places that are safe and fun, surprising and delightful. Places to connect with nature, friends, and personal reflection. Places of the heart.
Who takes care of Centennial Beach? Good question. At first, from 1931-1969, it was the City of Naperville. In fact, in the early years, city commissioners were excited every Monday to learn the weekend receipts from Centennial Beach and used some to fund city expenses. Residents swam free, but people came from miles around and on the train to enjoy this 6-plus acre sacred dimple on the landscape.
2019 is the 50th Anniversary of the Naperville Park District’s Management of Centennial Beach. A favorable referendum, led by Carleton Nadelhoffer, created the Naperville Park District in 1966. A board of 7 elected commissioners guide the budget and policies, while the executive director oversees dedicated employees delivering more than 1,500 arts, recreational and environmental programs, special events, and the care of 2,400+acres of parkland, including facilities like Fort Hill Activity Center, Knoch Knolls Nature Center, Naperbrook & Springbrook Golf Courses, Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, and Centennial Beach. Thank you, Naperville Park District!
(There was a brief scare in the 1970s when an executive director thought it would be better to use the Beach for boating and build a blue pool in the parking lot. GASP! No way! Nadelhoffer was joined by Roberta Boecker-Priz, Calista Wehrli, and Chuck Koch to lead decisions to improve the Beach. And thus it came to pass. WHEW!)
There have been many improvements to Centennial Beach under the leadership and budget of the Naperville Park District. Tax dollars generally account for less than half of the annual park district budget which is supplemented by fees, grants, and bonding authority. The goal of 50/50 is by design for balance and is transparently supported by a 3-year planning cycle.
But, back to Centennial Beach improvements over the years: The 4’ shallow was changed from a sand to concrete bottom. A slide was added. Lap lanes were defined. The diving boards were moved from the southeast to the northeast of the pool for safety reasons. The lower walkways were completely rebuilt.
Centennial Beach Bathhouse and Site Improvements in 2011 included renovated locker rooms, new concession building that matches the limestones of the bathhouse, improved pedestrian and traffic flow, enhanced front entry and drop off area, addition of family changing rooms, new deck level restrooms and the addition of an ADA lift. A permanent stair access to the channel was added in 2015.
Centennial Park has a playground, restrooms, ice rinks, sand volleyball courts, baseball field, horseshoe pits, and a skate board facility. Parking for 298 vehicles (including ADA and motorcycles.) supports these activities and special events. Several life affirming triathlons are held during the season. The Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise stages the St. Paddy’s Day 5K at the parking lot.
The Memorial Day Parade steps off from there at 10:30AM Monday, May 27 this year.
“Let’s go to the Beach!” can be heard echoing around town. Kids in swimsuits on bikes peddle toward 500 W. Jackson Avenue. Towel over neck, popcorn and ice cream money in pocket, they are ready for the day. Families arrive. Seniors and strollers follow the curving path down to the water. There is something for everyone.
Memberships are available now through www.CentennialBeach.org or Fort Hill Activity Center, 95th Street Center, Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Center, and after May 25 at Centennial Beach. Benefits include early entry (11AM) on weekdays, 10 percent discount at Centennial Grill, coupons for Park District amenities and two guest passes. Pre-season memberships are discounted through May 24. Daily resident/non-resident admission fees are also available.
“I’ll meet you at the Beach!” Time to get together. Relax. Catch up with friends. Adult Float is a favorite. Open most weekends from 9-10:55AM only patrons 18 and older may enter AND bring floatation devices. Islands of conversations drift in the shallow and the deep. 10:55?? Already?! NOOO! Don’t blow that whistle!
Beach Bums on the hill laugh as they play Pitch or Rummikub. Tippy-toe children squish through the sand to fetch a bucket of water for their castle. Pods of teens swim out to the rafts while others face the challenge of invisible walls in a game of pier tag. Divers, jumpers, cannonballs and bananas explode off the high board interspersed with a tentative creep to the edge of the 3-meter plank and a bold first leap! Often acknowledged by nearby applause.
And so many amenities! Adirondack chairs, colorful banners, umbrellas, a crystal clear sound system, blue sky with puffy, white clouds, singing cardinals and gentle, glistening dragonflies, acres of thick green grass, the leafy shade of tall sycamore, maple and cottonwood trees, picnic tables and grills, sand volleyball and bags. Oh, my!
Cheerful staff greet you at the front gate and concession stand. Highly trained lifeguards with watchful eyes, and practiced teamwork oversee patrons. First Aid, CPR and SCUBA certification are some of the requirements to be a Centennial Beach lifeguard. New this year is the job of Shallow Water Lifeguard where SCUBA certification is not a requirement. Check out www.NapervilleParks.org/Employment.
Centennial Beach, born of love and hope, is a signature gem of Naperville. Memories are made here. The soul is renewed. The body is strengthened. Schedule a family or corporate picnic. Take a deep breath. Connect. Visit soon!
“Thank You for Your Cooperation. You May Now Resume Swimming!”
Centennial Beach Milestones in the new Millennium
2000 – Millennium Carillon in Moser Tower was built, overlooking the Beach.
2002-2004 – Beach renovations included new concrete decks, a new circulation system and lighting, new staircases leading to the bathhouse and water play features.
2004 – Centennial Skate Park opened adjacent to the Beach parking lot.
2006 – 75th anniversary celebration, including the Bottom-Feeder Ball in April to raise money for the shallow-end slide, and a day-long celebration in July featuring an Aquathon show, contests and entertainment.
2007 – Carillon Visitor Center opened with tours of the Carillon and interpretive signs including Centennial Beach as part of the “Three Gifts,” which are the Riverwalk, Millennium Carillon and Centennial Beach.
2007 – Centennial Beach named one of the 150 Great Places in Illinois by the American Institute of Architects
2007 – Installation of shallow-end slide, funded in part by donations from the Bottom-Feeder Ball
2007 – Centennial Beach begins the tradition of hosting a volunteer appreciation picnic
2008 – Review team assists Park District in planning renovations to Centennial Beach
2009 – The first Special Needs Nights were scheduled to provide a time on Sundays after the 6:00 closing for families with special needs to enjoy a calmer setting. These have continued every summer since then.
2010 – First Pre-Season Plunge on May 16
2010 – Renovations begin after Labor Day, when the Beach closed for the season
2011 – Re-opening celebrations took place Memorial Day weekend. The 2010 – 2011 Centennial Beach Improvement Project included a new front entry plaza and patron drop-off area, a new entrance to the bathhouse, family changing rooms, improved locker facilities, deck-level restrooms and lockers, a new ADA platform lift, a new concessions building, Centennial Grill, with an expanded food menu, and new mechanical systems and infrastructure for the bathhouse.
2011 – Concerts in Your Park includes a concert at Centennial Beach on July 24
2012 – Centennial Beach wins state award for Outstanding Facility from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and Illinois Association of Park Districts at the annual conference in January
2012 – A Pre-Season Plunge was held at Centennial Beach on May 12, including a demonstration by lifeguards of safety drills and training routines.
2014 – 95.9 The River hosted the Float Your Boat for a Cause event at Centennial Beach, where participants set cardboard boats floating to raise money for local nonprofits.
2014 – The first Beachside Yoga class sells out quickly.
2015 – New stairway installed for swimmers in the channel between lap lanes and diving area
2016 – Centennial Beach celebrates its 85th anniversary, and the Naperville Park District celebrates its 50th anniversary
2016 – On May 12, Marge Wehrli Walsh was honored at a Park Board meeting to mark her 95th birthday. Marge served as the first female lifeguard at Centennial Beach during World War II. The Park District gave her a commemorative Adirondack chair, which she used at the Beach as part of the Beach Bums.
2017 – Paddleboard yoga debuts at Centennial Beach
2018 – One of the Beach Bums, Brian Dickhut, trains at Centennial Beach for the world triathlon competition
2018 – Lifeguards honored at the June 14 board meeting for their teamwork that saved a swimmer’s life.
2019 – Mudrats Swim Team adds a water polo team
April 27, 2019 – Centennial Beach was frosted with snow flurries, one month before opening day on May 25.
Created by Mary Lou Wehrli with great assistance from Sue Omanson for the Naperville Park District.
