The Memorial Day holiday began in earnest Saturday as camping, fishing and boating enthusiasts flocked to area lakes and swimmers took to the water during opening day at the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center.

All 240 camping sites at Clinton Lake State Park that were equipped with electrical outlets were in use Friday and Saturday, park officials said. Many campers also were taking advantage of other sites.

Feliz Vargas camped in the state park for the past few years on holiday weekends, and he returned Friday night. From Kansas City, Kan., Vargas was taking it easy between bike riding and fishing outings with his girlfriend. He also brought his bird dog so it could get some exercise at the nearby off-leash dog park.

“This is a good location,” Vargas said as he looked over his surroundings. “You got restrooms and showers over there. It’s nice and quiet.”

Vargas planned to camp out until sometime this morning.

Austin Iron Whiteman, 9, exits the newly installed slide at the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center, Seventh and Kentucky streets. The pool opened for the summer on Saturday.

“Then I’m going home to take in the festivities there for the rest of the holiday,” he said.

A short distance away Rick Lowe and his family from Olathe were unloading their gear after arriving in the park Saturday afternoon. They already had the tent set up and were readying a motorboat for the water. Although this was Lowe’s first trip to Clinton, his wife, Mary Lowe, had been there several times before.

“We’re going to do some fishing,” Lowe said. “I’ve been a Missouri lakes person, but so far this looks pretty good.”

The Lowes’ children, Nicole Stewart, 14, Dave Stewart, 10, and Hunter Stewart, 7, had already settled in and were exploring the grounds.

“Our 10-year-old is off looking for sticks,” Mary Lowe said. “He’s going to be working on some of his Cub Scout Webelos projects.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expected about 40,000 people to visit Clinton Lake by the end of the three-day weekend. As of late Saturday there had been no serious incidents in the state park, said Ray Taylor, an officer with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

About 50 swimmers, most of them children, had jumped into the water at the Outdoor Aquatic Center, 727 Ky., by late Saturday afternoon, manager Lori Madaus said. She said the crowd was typical for an opening day with temperatures in the 80s.

“It’s been great; there have been no problems,” Madaus said.

There are two new features at the aquatics center this year. One is a drop slide, and the other is a basketball goal.