Hundreds of kids denied entry after Woods Park pool party reaches capacity

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A nonprofit in Lincoln held a pool party Saturday for kids and their families at the Woods Park pool.

But hundreds of kids couldn’t get in the water.

The Honesty Project of Lincoln focuses on helping underprivileged youth find resources in the community.

Its event on Saturday had free food from another nonprofit, Lincoln Food Fort; a live DJ; and free haircuts provided by Visionary Youth.

Around 600 kids showed up, but only about 250 were let into the pool.

A member and volunteer for the Honesty Project, Tai’an Williams, said organizers were expecting about 200 kids.

“We had posted it on Facebook, and I think around 60 people had said they were going, so we didn’t anticipate that many people showing up,” Williams said. “Unfortunately, when they got to max capacity, they had to close the doors.”

The city said the pool use application was for 145 people. Pool management agreed to let in 105 more people, but the pool was not staffed to handle any more than that.

Founder Clay Anders said the Honesty Project is looking for a facility big enough so everyone can attend its events in the future.

He said he was grateful for the support the project received from the community.

“We love throwing pro-social events for the kids,” Anders said. “We feel it’s very important for these kids to get out of the house, off their tablets to interact with one another.”