The community is invited to participate in a family swim meet as well as water safety day at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford on May 31, 2026.

Courtesy image

By Ronni Newton

As the summer swimming season gets underway, an event being held for the first time in West Hartford will highlight not only the fun side of swimming, but also important water safety tips.

Both the Spring Splash Classic and Water Safety Community Day will take place at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford on Sunday, May 31, and participation in both portions of the inaugural event are free to attend.

“What I wanted to do was have a community event to celebrate and educate families about best practices,” said Michael Kerrigan, general manager of Cornerstone Aquatics Center.

May is “Water Safety Month,” and with the approach of summer, Kerrigan initially started planning an event focused on public safety, with family-oriented programs from the West Hartford Police Department and West Hartford Fire Department. “Then I started thinking – how could we make a swim meet fun?” he added.

Cornerstone Aquatics Center, West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The result is the inaugural Spring Splash Classic, which will kick off the day from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be traditional swim races for children ages 8-15, as well as family relay races that can include parents and other adults. The Water Safety Community Day portion of the event will run from noon to 3 p.m., and is open to all ages.

Although registration is required for the purposes of planning, the community day is free to attend. “You can do one or both,” said Kerrigan of the swim meet and the water safety event.

Additional fun will be provided by a DJ, and a pizza truck will be onsite as well.

Kerrigan is very excited about holding a first-of-its-kind event like this at Cornerstone, and said people began registering as soon as it was announced through the Leisure Services Rec Desk.

For more about the family swim meet, click here.

For more about the community safety day, click here.

Cornerstone Aquatics Center, West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton