MULLAN - In 1974, Dawn McKinnon was just a little girl, sitting with her feet dangling into the water at the Mullan Pool while her mother served as the manager.

Thirty-seven years later, McKinnon still likes to dip her feet in the pool, but now she is the one in charge, and oversees her own children as lifeguards and will soon celebrate her 20th anniversary as manager of the pool.

"It's neat to say that I've been in one place for so long. I must really enjoy what I do, because I cannot believe that it's already been 20 years. It feels just like yesterday that I started," she said. "It's cool to say my mom used to do this and that I was the little kid on the side filling in when she had to run out."

McKinnon sought to take over for her mother, who drilled into her brain that "you should always keep your water safety up."

The younger McKinnon went off to college, but it wasn't long before she was taking up the family legacy, setting her roots in Mullan, and raising her own kids poolside.

"I've been in this place since I was a kid, and after I went to college for a short while, I was right back here," she said. "I was raised in this place, and I got the chance to raise my kids in this place. It all worked out really well, and this was a great place to have a family."

The Mullan pool continues to be a great source of entertainment and recreation. It offers aerobics three days a week, a daily open swim, lap swimming twice a week and is available for private parties. While everything in the place has been modernized, from the SpongeBob SquarePants paintings on the wall of the kiddy pool to the 10-foot high jump, the prices are still living in 1974.

"Parents can't believe that we only charge 50 cents for children to get in, and only $2 for them," McKinnon said. "I like to say, 'We're cheaper than a candy bar and much better for you.' We try to make it so that any children who wish to can come in and use the pool."

Most people would get bored of doing the same thing after 20 years, but for McKinnon, her patrons keep her young and fresh.

"My favorite part of running the pool isn't just interacting with the public, but I enjoy meeting the new people that have just come in," she said. "I've had people start out here as mere acquaintances that have developed into really great friends. The best part is getting to know these people on a personal level. I love it when people just stop in to say hi."

While Dawn continues to raise the next generation of McKinnons at the pool, there would seem to be no end in sight for the intrepid leader of the pool.

"I hope more than anything that I'll leave here as a happy, caring person, because I'm a happy go lucky person," she said. "I really enjoy just watching happy people and trying to make people happy. When the time comes for me to get out of here, I hope that people will continue to remember me as a happy, caring person."