😎 The communities behind Philly’s cool pools | Morning Newsletter

The extreme heat isn’t going anywhere. Expect highs around 97 degrees today, but it’ll be somewhat cooler tonight once temps dip to 77.

First, dive into the joy neighborhood pools bring with some splashy photos by our staff photographers.

We’re also looking at the Schuylkill River Trail’s extension farther south, thanks to a couple of million dollars in state funding.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Katie Krzaczek (@hashtagkatie, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The heat is on in Philly, and neighborhood pools are one surefire way to cool down. But they’re also a reflection of the unique communities they serve.

Our staff photographers Heather Khalifa and Jessica Griffin captured the joy of spending hot summer days at the local pool and how these summer reprieves exude character as community gathering spots.

Whether they’re neighbored by basketball courts, or boxed in by homes — old, sturdy brick rowhomes or new, polished gray ones — pools provide more than a place to take a dip. Parents can catch up in the shade, an ice cream truck will linger outside the gates, awaiting swimmers seeking a sweet treat.

For Kesha Pitts, the pool equipment manager at the Ford Pool for the last 24 years, “It’s about the children.”

“I do this every year for these babies,” Pitts said.

See more photos and descriptions of Philly’s pools.

🏞️ The Schuylkill River Trail, which currently claims 4 miles along the eastern waterfront in Center City, is getting extended farther south on the river’s western bank.

🏞️ A $2.5 million redevelopment grant from the state is funding the extension — which will connect cyclists, joggers, and walkers to west side of the river that includes Bartram’s Garden, St. Joseph’s University, and University City.

🏞️ “It’s actually only a little over half a mile,” Joseph Syrnick, president of the nonprofit Schuylkill River Development Corporation, said of the planned trail. “But it will eliminate the current dead end [at 62st Street] and allow the trail to actually connect back into the street system.”

🏞️ The SRDC works with the city to revitalize the river from Fairmount Dam to the Delaware River — an 8-mile trail branded as Schuylkill Banks, which is part of the much longer Schuylkill River Trail that is planned to run 130 miles to Frackville in Schuylkill County.

🏞️ The Philly expansion will include a pedestrian bridge over the Schuylkill, which won’t be completed until about 2025.

Philly-area native Rand Geiger went from Holy Ghost Prep student to Hollywood producer — and his latest endeavor might be your current favorite show. Which Netflix hit is it?

a. Stranger Things

b. Ozark

c. The Umbrella Academy

d. Bridgerton

Find out if you know the answer.

Wawa is partnering with which New Jersey brewery on its new hard iced tea?

BRYCE MAGIC WEAPON

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Mary Black, who correctly guessed Claes Oldenburg as Tuesday’s answer.

That’s all for today. Hope you’re staying cool in this heat! 🥵