Although thousands of people enjoy swimming at Chicago’s Lake Michigan beaches every year, few, if any, would consider swimming in the river. “Think Swim, Think Swiss: Bringing Swiss-Style Swimming to the Chicago River” is a joint effort of the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago and Friends of the Chicago River, and is sponsored by ThinkSwiss. Using Swiss urban lake and river success stories as inspiration, the exhibit helps Chicagoans envision a Chicago River that is clean enough to swim in.

Friends of the Chicago River discovered that as the public’s perception and understanding of the river improves, so does support for its continued recovery. This is why it is partnering with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago to help Chicagoans imagine a day in the future when they can add swimming to their urban river recreational activities. Switzerland’s many river and lake baths show how Swiss cities have embraced and enlivened their rivers. These examples offer instructive lessons for the possible future of the Chicago River in our own city.

The exhibit will be installed in front of Friends’ McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum for one day only, on July 17, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This free program includes games, quizzes, and prizes as well as discounted museum admission.

The exhibit consists of five Swiss Cross Boxes with superimposed visual images of Swiss urban rivers, lakes and swimming structures, viewed through specially designed kaleidoscopes. Visitors can look through each of the kaleidoscopes and see swimming structures and other images superimposed on the downtown river vista. The images inside the kaleidoscopes help visitors envision a Chicago River that is clean enough to swim in - just as Swiss rivers are.

Friends of the Chicago River staff will be on hand to explain the increasing use of the Chicago River for recreation, issues still facing Chicago River, and what it would take to make it swimmable in the future. Swiss Consulate staff will be on hand to explain how Switzerland’s environmental policies have helped clean up Swiss rivers, and how urban dwellers are making river swimming a popular summer recreation activity.