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But hey ... what do I know: Chlorine and concrete
Contributed by: Jared Keller on 6/13/2006

Almost 25 ago, one day in the late spring, I sat in my house, watching cartoons, and enjoying the fact that I was done with the first grade. By this point in time, the gloss of school - built up over years of Sesame Street conditioning - had worn off, and I'd realized that I'd been sold a bill of goods made up of roughly sixteen years' worth of homework, tests, and general imprisonment.

Not that I'm bitter, or anything. Lousy, lying Big Bird...

Still, it was summer vacation, and all was right with the world. I had my TV, some baseball with my buddies Billy, Brandon and Cameron, and most likely, some Bomb Pops or Razzles from the ice cream guy every now and again.

Just when I'd gotten a handle on my summer "schedule" as it were, there appeared on the television a sight that completely tossed my world into chaos.

New water slides. At Celebrity Sports Center.

From then on, Elitch Gardens had tough competition for the title of "Favorite Place" in my heart, and I spent countless hours blasting down the Shark and Barracuda, and, when the lines for those were too long, even the wimpy Dolphin. Afterwards, there were always arcade games ( Cobra Command!) to play, overpriced food to buy, and bowling balls to chuck.

It was, indeed, a grand place.

I hadn't thought about it for awhile, but this past weekend, we took our little girl swimming (well, wading...) at an indoor pool in Highlands Ranch. As I stepped inside the humid room, the smell of cholrine smacked me dead in the face, and I remembered. Then, as I looked to my right, I noticed the waterslide. Well, needless to say, Grandma and Grandpa were thrilled to watch our daughter as her mom and I made trip after trip up the gritty concrete stairs, down the slide, and into the swirling vortex of the landing pool.

We both frequented Celebrity as kids, and have gone so far as to wonder, in genuinely sappy couple-style, if we were ever there at the same time. Regardless, we both miss it. My memories of the place - and of the Denver of my childhood - cling like mist on a window, and refuse to burn off.

For just awhile over the weekend, though, we got to go back. All I needed was an arcade with Space Ace or Galaga, and some Tears for Fears on the car radio. Sure the slide's smaller than the grand chutes of Celebrity were (or seemed, to a little kid), and there's only one, but man...that slide brought a smile to my face that hasn't quite faded yet, and left me pretty sure that you can, indeed, go back again; and you know what?

It's a blast.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Jared Keller

Littleton

Jared Keller has posted 470 stories and 64 comments since joining on 12/1/2005. Jared Keller 's average story rating is 4.86.
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