The Invasion of Coco Key

Quote of the meeting: “Oh my god, the water main just broke!” – Will C.

The meeting of September 14th was not a “typical” Troop 281 meeting, to say in the least. Instead, it was the first of a monthly series of “fun meetings” that have been scheduled into the troop calendar, a practice started this year. To kick off this new trend, the destination for the 14th was the Coco Key waterpark and resort, up in Sharonville, Ohio. Several scouts carpooled from the church and arrived around 7:30, but scouts who could get there on their own could get in as early as four in the afternoon. After paying the $10 entry fee, it was just a short walk through the arcade to get to the resort’s main attraction.

While most of the indoor waterpark was scaled more for smaller kids, Coco Key was still a very fun experience for all the scouts. There were a few other people there, namely a couple of kids and their parents, but for the most part the entire waterpark was open for the scouts. The biggest thrills could be found towards the back of the waterpark, where no less than four water slides offered different wet and wild rides to guests, two of them twisting into absolute pitch black darkness from start to finish. Another popular area was a sort of pool where water basketball could be played or scouts could attempt to cross a balancing bridge that constantly moved and easily threw people off balance. A slow-moving “river” in the middle of the waterpark offered a more relaxed ride (with the occasional jet of water from above, just to keep things interesting), and lastly the hot tub was explored by a few of the younger scouts because it had an accessible outdoor section accessible through a waterway running through the wall.

However, like all good things, the 9:00 closing time seemed to come faster than it did, and so the scouts had to pack up and change into dry clothes if necessary before leaving for the cars and heading for home. Everybody was in agreement that it had been an exciting time at Coco Key, though, so hopes are running high for the next big “fun meeting” that’s in store for everybody!

-Ben Hallenbeck, Troop Historian