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After a brutally cold and snowy winter, residents are looking forward to the start of summer and jumping right into the pool at Barry Playground, 1800 Johnston St., which they named as the top community pool.
The four-acre city site also includes sports fields as well as basketball, tennis and volleyball courts available year-round, but the increase in temperatures will result in locals taking dips in the pool to cool down.
“Last summer it was really, really hot, and the pool is a great place to be when it’s hot,” recreation leader Anthony Spadaccini, who will enter his fourth year at Barry this summer, said.
The pool has plenty to offer youngsters with one-hour swim lessons at noon and a swim team that practices 4 to 5 p.m. daily. The squad, which isn’t widely known about, Spadaccini said, competes in a South Philly district meet each August, with a chance to move onto a citywide competition. The pool also offers an adult swim in the final hour of the day, allowing those age 25 or older to have it to themselves from 6 to 7 p.m.
The site, which was named as top park/playground in the 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards, was a causality of budget cuts in ’09, but since then, the number of swimmers has gradually increased, especially among new residents, Spadaccini, who resides a few blocks from the pool at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, said.
“I just hope more neighborhood people come to the pool,” he said. “A lot of locals go down to the shore, but as an alternative to that, I’d love them to come out [to Barry].”
Murphy Recreation Center dove in for silver and Ridgeway Pool swam for the bronze.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
2014 Readers’ Choice Awards
Cuisine
Steak ‘Em Up French fries
Philip’s Steaks and Geno’s Steaks (tie) Cheesesteak
PrimoHoagies Hoagie
Lil Nick’s Deli Specialty sandwich
City Pizza Pizza crust
Green Eggs Cafe Brunch menu
Penrose Diner Omelet selection/Diner
Scannicchio’s Italian Restaurant Date night/BYOB
Ristorante Pesto Italian restaurant
Johnny Chang’s Ethnic restaurant (non-Italian)
Breezy’s Café New restaurant (January 2013 to present)
Stogie Joe’s Tavern Bar menu
Nick Elmi Top chef
Sweet Tooth
Isgro Pastries Cannoli/Bakery
Pop’s Water Ice Gelati
Potito’s Cupcakes
Termini Bros Cookies
People
Jason Douglas DJ
The Business Local band
Bobby Rydell South Philly celebrity
Dana Smith Elementary school teacher
Vikings Mummers Brigade
Carl Arrigale High school coach
Neumann-Goretti High school team
Bryan Hughes Youth/recreation league coach
Nick Foles Philly pro athlete
Places
DiBruno Bros. Italian specialty store
Galdo’s Catering Hall
Ten Pennies Florist
Monti Rago Funeral Home, Inc., Funeral home
Packer Park Neighborhood
Epiphany of Our Lord Church Church
Lombardi’s Prime Meats Butcher shop
TLA Music venue
On the Move
Planet Fitness Gym/health club
DanceAdelphia Ballet program
Barry Playground Community pool
Fitness Works Place to take a Pilates class
And Let’s Not Forget
Bartender Category not on this list
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