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The Sandcastle , A History ( Continued From Previous Page )
have a club-like feel and was described as “ the finest facility of its kind ...[ on ] the east coast .”
Part-time resident Susan Lorch remembers both pool complexes . She began vacationing on Kiawah during her college years and later she suggested to her dad that they build a house together , which they did in 1997 . She had five children in six years , so , “ I wasn ’ t in the big pool much before they redid it . We would use the outdoor bathroom and walk down the boardwalk to the beach . There were no decks .” She remembers the “ paper tickets ” that were membership cards , the vending machines for drinks and the ice cream snacks at the snack bar , and the playground which consisted of “ three little metal things : a duck , a dolphin and one other .“ She also fondly remembers the lifeguards who taught all of her children to swim .
Photos Courtesy of Susan Lorch
The new pool became a social gathering area for families . The children made lasting friends there and it was a popular enough gathering place that some children of Club members preferred the social scene at the Sandcastle to the Beach Club pool . “ It was my kids ’ first choice of a place to go . We would arrive and they would immediately head down to the Sandcastle ,” Susan said . “ They would go for the day , go back and forth from pool to beach to pool , have lunch there , do crafts on the picnic tables in the area that is now the bar , build sandcastles , play Ping Pong ,” Susan said . “ It was their second home . At night we would gather there with friends and have Lowcountry boils using the picnic tables . The kids liked to line up on the wall facing the parking lot and spit watermelon seeds . Their only bad memories are of the squirrels eating their food . They quickly learned to keep the food secured .”
Susan credits the new big pool with hastening her younger children ’ s potty training . “ It was a new rule that you had to be potty trained to go in the big pool . My son got potty trained at the beach house just so he could go in the big pool .” Her daughter did the same . Susan ’ s mother , Martha Cavanaugh remembered , “ The lifeguards would clap and cheer when , at the beginning of the summer , another little one would jump into the big pool , indicating he was potty trained .”
The pool area had several enhancements attractive to the children . The new showers were particularly popular on cold days . “ When we couldn ’ t find them , we would look in the bathrooms and there they were taking showers forever .” The new playground was a hit but it also had its dangers . “ The slide was a tunnel . The children would all climb on the top of the slide together . Then they decided to put water on the slide . A couple of the kids flew down and someone broke an arm ,” Susan recounted .
There was some illicit after-hours activity . “ After the lifeguards went home , the kids would pull the lifeguard stand to edge of the pool so they could dive off it ,” Susan recalled . The pool had lights but they were not turned
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