Community members reminisce about Krug Pool as it wraps up final season
By Chris Fortune
St. Joseph residents will have one less outlet to beat the summer heat after Friday.
The City of St. Joseph shared a reminder across its social media accounts this week that Krug Pool will close for the season on July 26.
As News-Press NOW previously reported, this is Krug Pool’s final season after opening in 1958, with different generations of locals visiting throughout the years.
“Since I’ve lived in St. Joe, I’ve always brought the granddaughters to Krug (pool) because we live on the North Side,” Cindy White said.
White said she is proud to live in St. Joseph, but she said it’s a shame the city is closing Krug Pool.
“I think Krug Pool is the best-kept secret,” she said. “I think a lot of people — as I visit in the community — they’re not really aware of it.”
Krug Pool lags in attendance compared to the St. Joseph Aquatic Park, which saw 1,000 and 8,000 people in attendance respectively in 2023. One resident said the lower attendance at Krug Pool could be attributed to not being open on weekends.
“I would come swimming on Sunday after church,” Stephanie Rau said. “Any time I’m off, they’re normally closed.”
For Rau, Krug Pool’s closure means saying goodbye to a piece of her childhood.
“I had five brothers and sisters — we’d walk here, we’d swim,” she said. “When we got done, we’d walk to the Dairy Queen and walk home, and it’s just the fact that they’re closing — it’s sad.”
Pool and water park enthusiasts will have the North Side Splash Park and a Hyde Park shallow swimming pool to look forward to, with tentative opening dates in 2026.
The city also intends to partner with the YMCA for an indoor pool by contributing $7 million to the estimated $16 million project if the YMCA secures the rest of the funding by the end of 2024.
In the meantime, Thomas Eagleton Indoor Pool at Missouri Western State University is scheduled to reopen to the public in August, but Rau would like to see another outdoor swimming pool.
“Indoor is okay in the wintertime,” she said. “In the summertime, you really need to be outside. You need fresh air.”
