SplashJAM returns on Eastern Avenue

SplashJAM, a free temporary splash pad behind Thoroughbred Park, is back.

The colorful splash pad is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 140 Eastern Avenue in Northeastern Park. It officially re-opened Thursday. This is the second year for SplashJAM. The water play area was so popular last year organizers kept the temporary installment open until mid-September.

Additional shade and other amenities are still being added to the area but the water is on, said Jeff Fugate, president and COO of the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, one of the sponsors of SplashJAM.

The Blue Grass Community Foundation and Lexington Parks and Recreation are also sponsoring the water feature. The east side of Lexington has no public pools or water play areas.

There are some minor changes. Last year, motion sensors were used to trigger the water. Those sensors didn’t always work. This year, participants can push a button on the main box on the splash pad to activate the water.

“It has a non-skid surface on it,” Fugate said. “The water jets are more interactive.”

“We are extremely grateful to Lexington Parks and Recreation and Blue Grass Community Foundation for sponsoring this for a second year and we hope it will be a permanent fixture,” Fugate said.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "SplashJAM returns on Eastern Avenue."