Shepard Park Beach, Park, Amphitheater & Public Restrooms

It Clearly says it on there wed site the beach will open June 24

I am fairly local and have utilized this beach for decades. I took my two grandkids to the beach on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and it was closed?!? No sign, no warning, no staff to ask why or for how long; just a big padlock and chain. We have always enjoyed just walking/playing on the beach or lying in the sun if there wasn't a lifeguard. It is over an hour drive to pick up my grandkids and get there, VERY difficult to find parking, then a long hot walk carrying all the beach stuff.... I am very disappointed that "our" beautiful beach has come to this. Why would the beach be closed on the Saturday of the kick-off to summer weekend?....

We were met by extremely rude staff who demonstrated an implicit bias against people of color with masks in favor of entire caucasian families who essentially skipped the line to go in. One member of my family simply went to the bathroom, even notifying one of the attendants. However, upon returning, they were not allowed back in, with another attendant citing a lack of a "beach towel" to reenter since the rest of the family was in the water. Yet several other families were being admitted despite no one leaving to meet the capacity. No social distancing procedures were met, hardly anyone was even wearing a mask outside the beach itself, and the staff were not apologetic at all. We left immediately and definitely will not be returing.

The beach itself was okay and the town is doing a good job with social distancing. I would rate the beach as average if it weren't for the lifeguards. The few I encountered had a bit of an attitude. The encounter that sticks out the most is one that happened at closing time. The lifeguards told everyone to get out of the water at 5:40. My understanding is the beach closes at six so you figure we had about 20 minutes to get packed up and leave. Not the case at all. The lifeguards stared everyone down and round us all up so that we were off the sand within 5 minutes. When we got to the pavement I tried to round up my kids and get their shoes on. While I was absorbed in this task, one of the lifeguards started closing the gate on us. I lost my cool a bit and commented that they could've said excuse me first. The lifeguard bristled and said she did but not loud in an attempt to not be rude. Okay... but don't you think almost hitting someone with the gate is more rude than saying can you move out of the way so we can close the gate?? What really has me upset about this is that it was not 6:00 until we got to our car several blocks away. So all that rush and it wasn't even their closing time yet.