Local summer camps adjust to high heat

MEDFIELD, Mass. — It’s Waterworld Week at the Park and Rec’s Summer Camp.

And what perfect timing.

“It’s a theme week where we do water activities every day,” said Program Coordinator Jacqui Conley. “It just worked out perfectly. It’s Waterworld Week and we’re going to Water Wizz and it happens to be really hot.”

Water Wizz is an outdoor water park, located in East Wareham.

Really hot, as in the low 90s. And while humidity wasn’t a huge factor Monday — it will ramp up as the week goes on. And that means extra precautions at summer camps across the state.

“We’re having our campers make additional water stops, especially our little ones that like to say they drank, but they didn’t,” said Katie Walper, Medfield’s Park and Rec Director. “Heat stroke is obviously something we’re conscientious about — not just for the kids but also our staff.”

“There’s so many people swimming, so many different areas to look at,” said Lifeguard Emily Hollander. “That’s why we make sure we have extra lifeguards on duty and the camp counselors are in the water, too, which really helps us out a lot. There’s just extra eyes helping out.”

Twelve-year-old Rory Medeiros kept a shirt on while swimming because he’s prone to sunburn.

“The heat plus the deflection off the water can give you a pretty bad sunburn,” he said.

And long-range forecasts are calling for another heat wave early next week.

“I’ve been here all my life and this is the hottest summer yet,” said twelve-year-old Matthew Picciano.

In about eight weeks, we’ll see if he’s right.

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