‘Swim with the Grinch’ returns with mischievous merriment

Q: We love the Grinch. Would you tell me about “Swim with the Grinch” in Canton?

A: You are inquiring about the upcoming “Swim with the Grinch” at the Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Aquatic Center on Saturday, with two time slots: 9-10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The event has been hosted since 2014. In 2016, it added the underwater tree lighting.

“It’s crazy that a lot of people think the Grinch is a scary kind of guy, but I think a lot of kids have watched enough of the Grinch that they know he grows some hearts,” Admin. Division Director of Cherokee Recreation and Parks Kim Whatley said.

“Usually our lifeguard staff argues over who gets to play the Grinch each year,” she said. “They all want to be able to be the mischief maker.”

After checking in with the elves at the front desk, guests will go down to the pool deck, where water games, lighting the tree, crafts and opportunities for picture taking with the Grinch await.

Every participant receives glow sticks to shape and hang on the Christmas tree.

“A little bit of the tree is above the water for the smaller kids who maybe don’t want to go underwa- ter. It allows for different age ranges,” said Whatley. “Our older kids are usually the ones who help swim the ornaments down to the bottom of the tree.”

Outside of the pool time are craft options. One is making a frame where the kids can stick their Polaroid photo taken with the Grinch.

“My kids actually still have theirs and put them on our Christmas tree,” she added.

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COURTESY The Grinch helps with crafts but, known for mischief, disrupted some of the kids during craft time at Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Aquatic Center’s 2019 Grinch event, the last one before the pandemic.