photos and words by Andrew Dickinson

It started with a flip contest off the diving board.

Hear Nebraska and Parlour 1887’s Pool Party with Scru Face Jean, Routine Escorts and OK Party Comedy took advantage of the casual Labor Day holiday. Sunday evening, Sunset Hills Pool flashed with lights, smokers hid in the shadows and the cool evening forced swimmers to huddle around the fire to dry off.

In the diving contest, three flips total were facetiously described over the PA system as 90 flips, and the winner, who Ian Douglas Terry and Ryan de la Garza (of OK Party) described as “clearly on the high school diving team” performed what they estimated was “millions of flips.”

One couple danced to the rap Scru Face Jean under the yellow glow of water pouring off the giant mushroom in the foot-deep water. With a keg drink in hand, many people were enjoying this last chance at a summer night at the pool.

And at the end of the night, the diving board was being used again, this time as a launching point for long-distance basketball shots. Swimmers decided where they’d head next — it was only midnight after all — and the good vibes from a holiday evening well-spent carried on.

See photos from the night here:

Andrew Dickinson is a Hear Nebraska contributor. He photographed a story on Scru Face Jean three years ago, and was glad to take pictures of him again. Reach him at andrewd@hearnebraska.org.