Skylar Parrish, 3, sprays water with her fingers at the splash park at Palatine Park.
FAIRMONT — Just in time for summer, the splash park at Palatine Park is open and spraying water from every direction — down from flower-shaped fountains, sideways from sprinklers and even straight up from the ground. The new addition turned on the water for a soft opening last weekend, and it and the entire park will be open Saturdays and Sundays until construction is complete.
“I think it’s great that the kids have a place to come and play,” said Trista King, who watched her children play in the water Sunday afternoon. “Even if you don’t really have the money to go to the pool, you can come down here and they can have just as much fun.”
Parents sat on the picnic tables inside the fenced-in splash park and watched their kids as they ran through the fountains and sprays, put their heads under the flowers and even stopped jets of water with their feet and hands. King is happy to have a safe place for her kids to play, she said, and they asked when they would be able to come back before they left that afternoon.
“I think this is probably one of the best investments Fairmont has made for their children ever,” said Jami Miller, a mother who visited the park for the first time Sunday. “I love the fact that it’s free. The kids can run around. It’s beautiful. It’s a gorgeous view down here. It’s just really nice…