No swimming signs were up again at Kings Beach in Lynn on Sunday, which has consistently ranked the most polluted in the state.Photo: Carl Stevens/WBZ NewsRadio
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On this beautiful summer Sunday, a lot of people went to the beach to sit in the sun or go in the water. But in Lynn, it was to paint, and not by choice.
No swimming signs were posted once again at Kings Beach in Lynn and Swampscott, warning beachgoers that swimming could make them sick — it's one of the most consistently polluted beaches in the state. According to a 2020 report, it was unsafe to swim at the beach 64 days a year — more than double the rate of the second-to-worst beach.
That's precisely why artist Annette Sykes wanted her Plein Air painting program on Kings Beach.
"I wanted to highlight it in a way, using painting as a way to bring people here and be able to enjoy this wonderful place, in a safe way."
Annette set up easels, provided canvases and paints, all thanks to a grant from a group called Better Beaches. The group is run in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and gives out money to artists and organizations to make creative, free uses of the state's beaches.
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) reports:
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