05/27/2026
Some elements in this post were borrowed from a post written by David Hough (1970s Memories). The slide and swings at Lions Beach! Let’s start with the swings…most were at least 8 feet high. I would hazard a guess that the ones at the beach were a bit higher. Long chains were suspended from a pipe ending in a seat, the insidious sling style, the chain ends left nice indentations on your legs. If you never had the pleasure of swinging on one, this is how it went: You stood with the seat around your backside and started walking or running, keeping a firm grasp on the chains. Then the work began. When you left the ground (heading forward), you put your feet together, pointing them out in front of you, while you leaned back, pulling the chains with you. As you swung backward, you tucked your feet under your seat and resumed the upright position in the swing. Then again, on the backside, your position was reversed, feet out, body back. If you did this right, you could build up some speed. My favorite was going high enough to make the chains slack for a moment or two:) Some daredevils leapt from the swing mid-air! We pushed those suckers in ways that today’s lawyers (and insurance agents) would cringe!
