Hot Ways to Cool Off
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| Samantha Lebeau and Melanie Belanger enjoy a snack at the Rainbow Shack. |
In the vast and air-conditioned Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts, patrons from as close as Connecticut and as far away as California browsed the art.
Charlotte and Bill Baugatenar of Conneticut were looking at art on Monday but had a better idea for keeping cool — head 3,500 feet straight up.
Bill had buzzed Mount Greylock in high-flying tour of North Berkshire with Shamrock Aviation
"The view was truly awe inspiring in the mornings light," said Baugatenar as he described his 40-minute air tour of the city of Williamstown and Mount Greylock.
But if you are afraid of heights, better find another way to cool off. The drastic change from the low 80s to almost 100 degrees can have harmful and potentially fatal consequences, especially children and the elderly.
| Slow down, avoid strenuous activity. |
| Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Protect your face with a wide-brimmed hat. |
| Drink plenty of water regularly and often, even if you do not feel thirsty. |
| Limit intake of alcoholic beverages, which can dehydrate you. |
| Eat well-balanced, light, regular meals. Avoid high protein foods that increase body heat. |
| Stay indoors as much as possible. |
| Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle. |
| If you do not have AC, use a fan and stay on your lowest floor, out of the sun. |
| Go to a place where you can get relief from the heat, such as schools, libraries, theaters and other facilities with AC. |
| Covering sunny windows can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent. |
| Sunburn slows the skin's ability to cool itself. Use sunscreen lotion with a high SPF rating. |
| Check on family, friends and neighbors. |
| Source: Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency |
While MEMA advises people to stay out of the sun, the muggy weather was driving families to the beach at Windsor Lake and the falls at Natural Bridge State Park.
At Windsor Lake, also known as Fish Pond, several families where cooling off on the beach. Father
Raphael Vega said the lake, better known as Fish Pond, is an ideal place to take kids on a hot day as his toddler Jadin splashed in the water. Jadin happily described how much fun he was having building sand castles and wearing his floatie.
Over at Natural Bridge, several more people where cooling off in the river and under the scenic waterfalls at mid-afternoon on Monday.
While the quarry doesn't have a beach, it does allow animals for pet lovers who want to keep their animals cool as well. Local residents Ian Wilson and Autumn May said, "tubing and white water rafting were great ways to stay cool" while taking their dog for its first swim in Hudson Brook.
Others chose to cool down with ice cream at dairy bars, including the Rainbow Shack in Adams, Dairy Queen and Lickety Split.
Young Katie McLear, who had been home sick, was being treated with ice cream at the Rainbow Shack. Her baby-sitter Kelsey Sheply said, "ice cream was the best way to cool down after a long day by the pool."
Students Samantha Lebeau and Melanie Belanger stopped by after school for ice cream. They planned to go over to "Bellevue Falls and jump off the rocks," hopefully landing the in the pristine water below.
Some other great places to stay cool this coming summer include the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink, which will reopen July 1 and North Adams Movieplex 8, which offers a two-hour escape from the reality of high temperatures in its air-conditioned facility.
While temperatures are excepted to drop into the 70s over the next few days for a quick cool off but will climb back into the 80s by the weekend.
