City of Camas will throw ‘going away party’ for pool

UPDATED at 1:40 p.m., Friday, Feb. 8: The “Thanks for the Memories” gathering has been postponed due to Saturday’s forecast of snow. The event will be rescheduled for a later date. 

Camas Parks and Recreation Department is throwing a going away party for the city’s beloved, 65-year-old swimming pool, which closed in 2018, after city officials deemed the pool’s upkeep costs too expensive to maintain in the long-term.

The “Thanks for the Memories” gathering will honor the outdoor swimming pool’s history. Attendees are encouraged to bring historic or memorable photos of the pool building or of themselves or family members enjoying the pool’s amenities.

City staff will be on hand to scan up to five photos from each attendee. The city will save the photos for archival reference at the Camas Public Library and the Two Rivers Heritage Museum.

The city’s pool photos will be on display at the event, and are available in digital form for people who wish to have copies.

Residents are encouraged to come share memories, add to the photo board and meet with Parks and Recreation staff.

Although the pool’s interior will not be open during the party, there will be an area for “selfies” and other photos at the pool’s main and rear entrances.

Attendees can share their favorite pool memories for a memento that will be kept in public archives.

For questions, call Krista Bashaw at 360-817-7991 or email kbashaw@cityofcamas.us.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to share photos for the public archives, email up to five photos by Feb. 4, to Bashaw at kbashaw@cityofcamas.us.

The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9, but has been canceled due to a forecast of snow over the weekend. The city released the following statement on Feb. 8:

“The ‘Thanks for the Memories’ gathering to celebrate the 65 years of the Camas Municipal Pool has been canceled due to Saturday’s forecast of snow. The event will be rescheduled for a later date.
Our snowy weekend will provide an opportune time for you to go through your old or newer photos to find ones you took while visiting the pool. At the rescheduled event, we will be digitally scanning and archiving our community’s Camas pool photos to be saved for archival reference at both the Camas Public Library and the Two Rivers Heritage Museum. You may also scan the photos and email them to Krista Bashaw at
kbashaw@cityofcamas.us.”