Katie Frugauff and her two children, Theo, 4, and Milo, 7, initially went to the city’s Greenwood Street Beach on Monday.
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Finding that beach closed, they packed up their oversized beach umbrella and sand toys and drove to Clark Street Beach, where they met up with friends.
“We had a good time,” Katie said.
With the first day of school this week, going to the beach is “an end-of-the-summer activity,” she said.
With many of the city’s beach staff returning to school, the city typically rolls back hours at Greenwood and other beaches, moving to a reduced schedule this time of year
Under the change, which went into effect on Monday, Greenwood Street and South Boulevard Beach will be open for swimming from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays through Friday, September 2. Clark Street Beach will be open for swimming from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays beginning Wednesday, August 24, through Friday, September 2.
Beaches will still be open for non-swimming activities before 4:30 p.m., officials said.
Lighthouse Beach and Lee Street Beach, meanwhile, will maintain normal hours, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., for the remainder of the season, officials said.
In addition, all five public swimming beaches will continue to be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, under the revised schedule.
The season includes one more free beach day for Evanston residents — August 29 at Lee Street Beach.
Henrietta Berning, a retired physical education teacher who taught for nearly three decades at Evanston Township High School, used the free admission Monday this week to walk a couple of laps in the sand.
Berning, at 83 still competing and medaling in masters swimming, said she needed the workout after spending too much time in front of her TV watching the Olympics.
“One more free day. I may bring my girlfriend,” Berning said after finishing her workout Monday.
Stephanie Fosnight Regester, a middle school pastor at Evanston Vineyard, savored her shrinking beach time, meeting friends at the sailing beach earlier in the day and even having pizza delivered there before moving over to Clark Street.
“It’s been a pretty nice day,” she said, adding: “If you live here you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
For more information about the beach schedule, residents can call or text 847-448-4311, or 3-1-1 if in Evanston.