The fragrance of grilled hotdogs wafted over the pool today at the Southwest Family YMCA in Temecula, as lifeguards swam their yearly qualifying laps to tunes spun by a deejay.
The club, soon to be renamed the Temcula Family YMCA, was holding an open house this weekend to draw the public in, and once in, employees offered people a deal.
The community is invited to come to the party and check out the amenities for free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Anyone registering for membership before Jan. 31 will not have to pay the $75 sign-on fee and joining for January, which has four days left to it, will be $3.
However, as always at the club, at 29119 Margarita Road, anyone can receive a seven-day free pass to try out the amenities, which include a heated (to about 86 degees) junior Olympic swimming pool.
Today the club was full of people checking out the place, from the gym, to the children's room, to the pool.
Outside, a Riverside County fire engine sat gleaming in the sunlight, and firefighters stood around with equipment to explain its use to anyone.
A deejay spung tunes (yes, the Village People's YMCA was played) to a festive, summerlike, atmosphere in the middle of a Southern California winter.
A bounce house was there for the kids and hotdogs were cooking on the grill, offered with chips and soda at $2 per purchase.
Ruth Tell, sitting while her two young grandchildren, Randle and Rain, played at a corner table with a Y employee, said she thought it was wonderful.
"I'm going to join," she said, as young Randle munched on free popcorn as he stood in the circle of his grandma's arm.
As members did laps and then the young lifeguards jumped in for their water tests, people were escorted to the pool deck to take a look at what they get for their money.
