Editor’s Note: We welcome any and all submissions from our readers to share with us their favorite local swimming holes. Submissions should include the spot’s location and why you enjoy beating the heat there. Photos are welcome, too. Send submissions online to Editor Erin Place at eplace@cabinet.com. They will be printed in a later edition of The Cabinet.

WILTON – The only public swimming area in either Wilton or Lyndeborough is Goss Park, located in Wilton on Route 31, about equidistant between downtown Wilton and South Lyndeborough Village.

It is owned by the Wilton-Lyndeborough Youth Center and has been serving area youth with swimming lessons and much more since 1959.

The swimming pool was created by diverting part of Stoney Brook, making it a nearly natural area. Regular water testing by the state has shown that it is one of the cleanest and least chlorinated swimming pools in the area. But because it is essentially running water, it tends to be on the chilly side.

“Refreshing,” a young life guard called it.

Third-year director Kristin Schwab talked about the ever-growing program offerings on a recent hot day, sitting at one of the picnic tables under the big pine trees overlooking the pond.

“We dredged out the pond this year,” she said. “The first time in 10 years. We needed to increase the depth for the diving board.”

Youth Center employees put in new lane lines for lap swimmers and added a sidewalk along the entrance road from the beach to the deep water area where the swim team competes.

In addition to swimming, the park offers a snack bar, arts and crafts, tennis court, baseball/soccer field and a family picnic area. There are four sessions of swimming lessons at all levels, and tennis lessons are available.

A summer sports camp offers basketball and soccer, including a “tot soccer” program for 3- to 5-year-olds.

Schwab said they try to offer something for everyone. Regular teen and pre-teen nights include a bonfire, dancing and “two-and-a-half hours or fun and games for families.”

The grill is turned on on Wednesdays and pizza is available Friday. A bicycle safety class is planned for August. Floats can be used one day a week plus on the weekends.

“We are trying to find a night for adult volleyball,” Schwab said.

Since Goss Park is a natural area, she said, it often can pose unusual hazards.

“We had a nice snapping turtle visit, a small one. We were advised by Fish and Game that they avoid people so the more people, the less apt to see one during the day,” she said.

The park has its own life guard training program. All staff members are trained in first aid and CPR. Instructors are certified in Red Cross Safety Instruction.

The park is supported by both towns. A family membership costs $80, an individual is $35. Resident senior citizens older than 65 may swim for free. A family doesn’t have to be resident of either town to join as members. The area is open to anyone for $2 per day. Hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1-7 p.m. weekends. The park is closed during inclement weather.

“A lot of people come in for the day. We are very laid back,” Schwab said.

The Youth Center was formed by a group of residents in 1949 and incorporated the following year. At first they transported people to either Caswell Pond in Temple or to Silver Lake State Park in Hollis for swimming activities.

The name was changed to Wilton-Lyndeborough in 1977. Lyndeborough children have attended from the beginning and there has always been a Lyndeborough member on the board of directors.

The 14-acre site was acquired from Jenny Goss in 1956. After a period of fundraising for construction, the park opened in 1959. The park was named for the Goss family who had once farmed the area.

Next week’s issue of The Cabinet will feature swimming spots in Milford and Amherst.