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Video, photos: Chattanooga experiences its first-ever Slide the City

Sliders reach the bottom of the 5th street hill during the Slide the City water slide event Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A 1,000 foot water slide was set up on 5th street downtown for the event. Sliders reach the bottom of the 5th street hill during the Slide the City water slide event Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A 1,000 foot water slide was set up on 5th street downtown for the event.

By Will Healey June 21, 2015 3 min read

Photo Gallery

A rainy day at UALR

Trent Gibbs, Zacc McClure and Tristan Stuart hang out on a bench on a rainy afternoon.

Megan Lindsey doesn't let the rain stop her from getting to class!

Aareon Hillery, Adelia Hill and Alyssa Welch hang out in the computer lab.

Wesley Jackson and Tommy Vise take a break outside The Commons.

Ambrea Brimmage checks to see if her family remembers where to send her letters!

Marshall Bettoney walks to the Jack Stephens Center.

ready or not...it's time to go
BACK TO SCHOOL!

Victoria Litzsey and Chris Mitchell smile for SYNC

Yusof Alruwimi and Fadi Qtouf chill between classes.

Brendon Sickles smiles for SYNC after he checks his mail.

A few students enjoy campus in the rain!

Urban water slide? Sign me up.

The 1,000-foot water slide that stretched two full blocks down Fifth Street in downtown Chattanooga on Saturday proved irresistible for Blaz Ruzic. The Cleveland, Tenn., man grabbed his green spandex suit, his pirate hat and his toilet-shaped inner-tube as soon as he saw a post about the event online Saturday morning.

“How can you say no?” Ruzic said.

All told, more than 2,000 people came out to “Slide the City” on Saturday. Hundreds queued up on the block between Lookout Street and Walnut Street for a trip down the slide, which had lines for solo, group and family sliders. After 45 minutes in line and just one run, Jenn Hayes and her son Connor, 10, decided to pack it in.