Before taking the first public ride down the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center’s new 40-foot tube slide on Saturday afternoon, Hannah Rollo-Myers was admittedly nervous. In the eyes of this dainty Cold Springs Elementary School student, the start of the attraction was waaaaay up high, and so was the 5-foot drop at the end into the outdoor pool.

A few twists and turns — and one plunge into the deep end — later, fright was long gone from Rollo-Meyers’ face.

In its place was pure joy.

“It was awesome,” the youngster said while itching to take off for another spin. “When you cross your legs and your arms, you go super fast.”

Rollo-Myers, fellow Cold Springs classmate Gracie Cruce and Good Hope Elementary’s Emma Pichelmayer had the honor of christening the first major addition to the Aquatic Center since the facility opened in 2009. Once the trio had their fun, the slide was opened to the rest of the pool goers. It didn’t take long for every step on the attached spindly staircase to be completely covered from top to bottom.

It was a scene Waid Harbison, marketing director for Cullman City Parks and Recreation, comically couldn’t quite picture at the beginning of the month.

“It’s come together really, really well and really fast,” he said. “It’s kind of shocking to me. I’m not a construction kind of person. You come out here on the pool deck and there’s nothing here on May 1, and they’re like, ‘We’ll be done in three or four weeks.’ I’m sitting here thinking there’s no way. But they did an awesome job getting this thing up and rolling.”

The newest slide, which cost around $250,000, gives the Aquatic Center a grand total of three. It sits near the high dive and complements the already wide array of indoor and outdoor pool features offered for members and the community.

“To me, this just adds one more thing that will bring people out,” Harbison said. “A lot of people drive to Point Mallard and places like that, so I think the more we can do and keep in Cullman, obviously the better off we are.”

With another school year in the books, options for parents to keep their kiddos entertained are about to be in high demand. The Aquatic Center is one solution, but it only scratches the surface of fun Cullman City Parks and Recreation has planned for this summer.

See below for a few of the upcoming programs Harbison laid out in a recent blog post:

% Camp Cullman (ages 5-12)

‰ Just Play (ages 5-12)

% Drive-in and dive-in movies

% Art classes

% Youth tennis camps

‰ Summer track and field

% Concerts in the Park

% Swim lessons

% Archery camp

% Junior golf clinics

‰ Gymnastics and cheer

For more information on any of the aforementioned programs, call 256-734-9157 or email info@cullmanrecreation.org.