COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP, PA — While many people looked to enjoy the hot and sunny weather at Tobyhanna State Park in Coolbaugh Township, it's days like this when Mallorie Blackmon and Kiara English look to protect their skin from the sun.
"Always keep hydrated, sunscreen, hat. For the little ones, I like to have like a little shirt. My son has a little shirt over his swimsuit. Just shade," said Mallorie Blackmon of Avoca.
"We got the tent, so we're not just sitting straight in the sun. You know, just beaming down on us either, and it keeps the babies cool because we have a younger baby in here as well, so she just can't sit in the sun, you know," said Kiara English of Coolbaugh Township.
To help protect visitors while they are out in the sun, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is once again supplying free sunscreen to guests at state park beaches and swimming pools.
The program started in 2017 with only two parks and has now expanded to 33 state parks across the state.
Lee Dillon is the manager of Tobyhanna state park.
He says the dispensers are filled with 30+ SPF BrightGuard sunscreen.
"Taking care of your skin is one of those things, if you're going to be out and your going to enjoy these beautiful facilities, the environment and the outdoors you gotta protect yourself and sunscreen and your skin is just one of the many things that you have to do," Dillon said.
Not only does wearing sunscreen help you from getting burnt, but it also helps reduce the risk of getting cancer.
"The experts say that applying SPF 30 sunscreen on a daily basis will greatly reduce the potential for skin cancer and the dispensers that we have here in the park have an SPF 30 sunscreen in them," Dillon said
"With the skin cancer from the sun and sunburning and some people are a little bit more sensitive to the sun, and it just feels nice to know that I don't necessarily always have to worry about sunscreen," Blackmon said.
The Sunscreen dispensers can be found at 33 State Parks, including several in our area.
For a full list of the parks, click HERE.