Sunday, July 10, 2016

"Warning to Quarry Lake cliff jumpers: Over 80 trespassing tickets issued so far this year"

From The Journal Times.com:

MARK SCHAAF mark.schaaf@journaltimes.com  2 

"MOUNT PLEASANT — While illegal, cliff diving has been a fact of life at Quarry Lake Park for generations.

"But it hasn’t gotten any less dangerous, as evidenced by an 18-year-old Illinois girl who was taken to a hospital by helicopter last month after reportedly going to the park to cliff jump with friends.

"Law enforcement officials say social media and peer pressure have helped drive more cliff divers to the county park at 3533 Northwestern Ave. Many come from out of state, sometimes after park hours.

"So far this year, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office had issued 84 citations at the park, according to a figure The Journal Times obtained Wednesday. The vast majority of those are for trespassing, Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said, with many of those people taking a jump estimated from 20 to 40 feet.

"'We are very concerned, as firefighters and police, about people getting hurt doing that,' Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki said. 'That’s one of the reasons why we try to step up enforcement in the park and try to make sure we curb this activity as much as possible.'"

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/warning-to-quarry-lake-cliff-jumpers-over-trespassing-tickets-issued/article_43eac7f7-23c7-5b4b-8e69-c33c7b86350e.html



About fifty years ago, I had a part-time job while in high school.  In the summer there wasn't always enough work for all of us to put in an 8 hour day.  One day four of us  took off for the day after 4 hours.  One guy had a brand new Mustang.  The rear seats were all but nonexistent.  The seats felt like scrub board.  Anyway, we ended up at the Quarry, high on a bluff.  The driver and one of the othr guys dove in.  I can't beleive that I gave it serious consideration.  I'm not that good of a swimmer.  Anyway, I didn't jump and neither did the other guy.  We should've chcked the Mustang for keys and taken off.       

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