Philly likes a good party.
Some people drinking beer at a block party there recently had an idea about how to improve the vibe: What if they filled a dumpster—which is usually filled with filthy garbage—with water and used it as a swimming pool? What if? The possibilities were endless.
You may have guessed at this point that this makeshift pool wasn't exactly "legal." But this year's Cedar Street Block Party, which also featured a Beer Olympics and a slip 'n' slide, definitely would not have been as special without it.
Not all men are capable of big ideas. Some only have small ideas. Some have ambitious ideas, but lack the means or audacity to make them a reality. Others, like Justyn Myers, possess that rare combination of ambition and skill, capable of discerning, for example, that having just a kiddie pool at your block party, is, indeed, child's play.
So, as Billy Penn reports, Myers and his buddies got to work, renting the dumpster you see above for $250, and filling it with water from a nearby fire hydrant, to the delight of dozens of fully-grown humans, who happily exchanged their long- and short-term health on Saturday for a little chill.
City authorities weren't as pleased, saying Wednesday that they would not be issuing any more block party permits to the dumpster pool's block, after outlining some sensible reasons why you shouldn't make a habit of swimming in large garbage receptacles.
"We are not screwing around, Philly," a city official said.
Not all pioneers are recognized in their own time: this, most of us can grow to accept, if not appreciate.