Lounging by the pool on a glorious Independence Day

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GLEN RIDGE, NJ — At the Glen Ridge Community Pool on Independence Day, there was a good crowd and the rain that was in the forecast for the evening was not suggested by the sky.

Bob Silvera, the pool’s assistant manager, was at the gate to admit people to the pool. He said a new boroughwide computer system was in use for the first time this season at the pool. “The whole town went computerized,” Silvera said. “Just like the rest of the town, we take credit-card payments. Last year, it was all paper.”

He admitted he has not quite figured out the new system yet, but said there has been an increase in membership. When the pool opened for Memorial Day weekend, he said it was especially busy because the water, usually cooler at the beginning of the season, benefited from a warm spell at the end of May.

There were other sights at the pool on the Fourth of July that were out of the ordinary. For instance, there weren’t many people reading books, which was unusual. During the summer, the pool is usually an easy place to spot seven or eight readers.

There, underneath her hat, Glen Ridge resident Selena Butcher was reading a Rolling Stone magazine, with the Arts and Leisure section from an out-of-date New York Times beside her. She said she was catching up on her reading. Mark Haefeli, a Montclair resident and pool member, was also reading. But that was about it.

There also seemed to be a lot more kids swimming in the pool than usual. And there was also a bake sale going on. A bake sale at the Glen Ridge Community Pool? But there it was, a fundraiser for Swim Across America, an organization that raises money for cancer research. Youth swim coach Mike Kerr, who coaches the Piranhas team, was hoping to raise $10,000 and earn the opportunity to swim the English Channel. He was looking to pull in $500 on the Fourth of July.

“I’ve been utilizing the Piranhas,” he said. “We did a swim-a-thon in June and raised $2,500 for Swim Across America. I’m even selling car magnets.”

Kerr, who also coaches the Glen Ridge High School swim team, said the proceeds go toward cancer research. Once he raises the $10,000, he becomes eligible to swim the channel on a five-man relay team in September. Each team member swims for an hour, with a chase boat following. Kerr said the crossing, from Dover to Calais, takes between eight and 12 hours, and the idea of the swim intimidates him.

Silvera came by to say he was wearing a Linden Avenue Elementary School “Spring Fling” T-shirt that his daughter helped design back when she was in second grade. He said she had recently graduated from college.