The first Spray and Play Day of the summer was a resoundingsuccess in spite of the efforts of one angry boycotter to bring theproject to a screeching halt.

The event, a joint project of the Brookhaven Fire Department,the Brookhaven Police Department, and the Brookhaven RecreationDepartment, involves spraying water off the ladder of the firetruck and allowing area children to play in the spray.

But Roy Smith, a local business owner, said he tried to rallymembers of his community to take a stand against the Spray and PlayDay. He said he believes the city government to be racist and hefeels the event is a plot to re-enact scenes from the Civil Rightsturmoil in the 1960s.

“This is a legalized way of spraying our kids with a fire hoselike they did us during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s,” hesaid. “I’m angry, irate, and disappointed that this is goingon.”

Smith’s efforts were in vain, however, as the parking lot atAlexander Junior High School was soon full of parents and childrenreveling in the spray and interacting with each other and thefirefighters. Nobody on the scene seemed to sympathize with Smith’sefforts, and the children were happily oblivious to the fact thatSmith seemed to think they were being discriminated against.

Pressed a little further, Smith said that part of his ire overthe matter is that he believes there should be a city pool wherecitizens can cool themselves during the summer, even if it means ittakes a few years to get done. He said he believed the Spray andPlay wasn’t being held in “white areas of town,” because thechildren in those areas have the money to belong to privateclubs.

Valerie Moore, who spearheaded the idea of the Spray and PlayDay for the Brookhaven Recreation Department, assured him that theevent would be held in different spots all over town all summerlong. Smith said that fact, and the fact that there were both blackand white firefighters and organizers on scene did not matter tohim.

“I am the political foe of the city government,” he said. “I ama community leader.”

Mayor Bob Massengill said that the event has been planned totarget different areas of town, and that the only motivation behindthe board of aldermen’s unanimous passage of the motion to putSpray and Play Day into effect was for the children of Brookhavento have fun.

“The only purpose in this is for the kids to enjoy the water andhave fun,” said Massengill. “Other cities have done this and it hasbeen successful, so we’re going to do it in a couple of areasaround town throughout the summer. It just seemed like a good wayfor the kids to get to play in the water.”

Smith said he did not allow his grandchildren to attend theevent, and that he would rather see the children of theneighborhood not have such an event, than to have to stoop to sprayfrom a fire truck rather than have their very own city swimmingpool.

But the children were more than happy to participate in theevent, which they and Recreation Department Director Terry Reidsaid went really well.

“I think this went great,” said Reid. “It’s a great experiencefor these kids to be exposed to the firefighters and the firetruck, and I think we’re doing a really fun, good thing here.”

In response to Smith’s anti-Spray and Play campaign, Reid saidthe project is most emphatically not a racial issue.

“I don’t care who comes,” he said. “Anyone that wants to comecan come. We did this for the kids.”

Marquis Brewer, 11, of Brookhaven, said he had a great time.

“My favorite part is running through the water,” he said.

And the firefighters appeared to have had as much fun as thechildren did.

“I just love being with the kids, and this is a great chance forus to interact with them,” said Firefighter Tra Collins. “Therearen’t too many positive role models out there anymore. This is ourchance to show them something new – that they can be anything theywant to be.”

Eight-year-old Alan Henderson was on the scene from thebeginning, ready to take his turn in the spray. He was evenequipped with his Spider-Man umbrella.

Brewer and Collins walked on their hands together in the spray,the water dripping up their noses.

“The turnout was super, and everyone has had fun out heretoday,” said Reid. “The parents are here to supervise, and the kidshave had a blast.”

Spray and Play Days will take place Tuesdays and Thursdaysthrough Aug. 2. Tuesdays the trucks will spray on Grenn Street inthe Alexander Junior High parking lot, and Thursday they will be atCity Park on Hartman Street.