City pools to open early

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

City Hall will open five outdoor swimming pools for the Memorial Day holiday.

The pools that will open for the holiday include Battery Park, 2719 Dupont Circle; Blackwell, 1500 block of Maury Street; Fairmount Pool, 2000 U St.; Powhatan, 5051 Northampton St.; and Randolph, 1507 Grayland Ave.

According to city officials, all five will operate from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27; Sunday, May 28; and Monday, May 29.

This is the third year that the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities has launched the outdoor pools during the holiday. Previously, the department operated four pools for the holiday weekend.

“We are excited to open most of our pools early,” Christopher Frelke, department director, said.

He added that he “is delighted to report” that the department has hired and trained a full complement of lifeguards this year. Lifeguard numbers dwindled in Richmond and across the country during the pandemic, creating staffing problems for public and private pools.

The five pools also will operate from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, according to the department.

Two additional pools, Hotchkiss at 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd. and Woodville at 2305 Fairfield Ave., will open on Saturday, June 10, the day after Richmond Public Schools closes for students on Friday, June 9.

All seven pools will be open seven days a week through Labor Day, with longer hours on weekdays, according to the city.

Chesterfield’s Memorial Day event to unveil Tomb of the Unknown Soldier replica

Free Press staff report

During a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 29, Chesterfield County will include the unveiling of a replica of the iconic Tomb of the Unknown Solider and present a live re-enactment of the changing of the guard by the Chesterfield County Sheriff Honor Guard. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on the Historic 1917 Courthouse Green.

The tomb unveiling ties in with the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Lt. Col. Stephan Ruppel-Lee, a highly decorated Army veteran who most recently served with the 29th Infantry Division in Kuwait. Along with his deployments and overseas operations in numerous countries, Col. RuppelLee also spent 18 months as the Commander of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. He will speak to that experience during his address.

“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial,” states Arlington’s website. “The neoclassical, white marble sarcophagus stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a

Memorial Day 2023 holiday closings

final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. The Tomb has also served as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on military service.”

Lt. Col. Ruppel-Lee has been awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Department of the Army Staff Badge, Combat Infantrymen’s Badge, Expert Infantrymen’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and Airborne wings.

Ceremonial remarks also will come from Board of Supervisors Chair Kevin Carroll (Matoaca District), along with the tolling of the Historic 1917 Courthouse Bell, and the presentation of wreaths.

Petersburg city pool opens Memorial Day weekend

Free Press staff report

Petersburg’s public swimming pool located at 1216 Farmer St. will open for the season on May 27, it has been announced. The pool will remain open through May 29, from 12 to 6 p.m. each day for the holiday weekend.

“This is the first time since COVID that the city has been able to open the pool on time,” said Marquis Allen, director of Petersburg Recreation and Special Events. “We are pleased to offer a full season of swimming for our citizens, especially our youths.” available in select market areas

While school is in session, the city pool will open on the following weekends from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: June 3 – 4, June 10 – 11 and June 17.

Beginning on June 20 through Aug. 26 the pool will open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The pool will remain open for the Labor Day holiday weekend, September 2 – 4, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Parents or guardians (adults) must always accompany children 13 and under while at the pool.

For more information, please contact Recreation and Special Events at: (804) 324-4015 or recreation@petersburg-va. org.

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