HAVERHILL — It couldn't have come soon enough.

The sun, something seldom seen around here this late spring and early summer, is expected to shine for several days in a row starting today.

That means a chance — finally — for kids to take a dip at Plug Pond, for the baseball and softball fields to dry out for the backlog of makeup games, and for families to go for walks without umbrellas.

"You need a couple of good back-to-back days,'' said Vincent Ouellette, Haverhill human services director, who oversees Plug Pond beach and ball fields for the city. "It doesn't take long. The water in the pond will warm up and now is the time to make up those games.''

He said the Riverside-Bradford youth baseball league has extended its annual tournament a week to get in games after several rainouts. Adult softball leagues also are looking to make up games lost to rain.

According to the National Weather Service, today and tomorrow will be sunny with temperatures in the high 70s. Sunday will be partly sunny and in the low 80s. Monday and Tuesday will be mostly sunny and in the high 70s, but clouds are predicted again Wednesday and Thursday with a 30 percent chance of rain.

Ouellette said the ball fields at Riverside Park next to Haverhill Stadium have good drainage and are ready to be used. Other fields, such as the ones at Hunking Middle School used for youth baseball, need a couple of warm, sunny days to dry out, he said.

A couple of warm days also will likely boost the number of people at Plug Pond, Haverhill's only public swimming beach, Ouellette said. With lifeguards watching yesterday, only a couple of people braved the cool water for a swim.

"It's been very slow,'' Ouellette said.

Elsewhere in the Merrimack Valley, people were poised for the sun's arrival.

At the community boating program in Lawrence yesterday, children eagerly set sail on the Merrimack River.

"It's good to be in the water again," said Executive Director Ellen Minzner.

Participants would sail when it was drizzling, but they kept away when the river was too high due to heavy rain and the currents were too strong, she said.

"We adjust the dock daily and sometimes the current was stronger than the wind," Minzner said.

On those days, students stayed in and learned sailing terminology, wind direction and how to tie knots.

In Andover, the 230 children at Camp Evergreen managed to have fun, despite the rainy and overcast days.

"I don't mind the cooler weather. We took advantage of the situation and made it fun," said Jim Loscutoff, owner and operator of Camp Evergreen.

The camp was started by his father, Boston Celtics legend Jim Loscutoff Jr., who won seven championship rings with the team between 1956 and 1964.

The campers elected members to a weather planning committee who came up with activities based on the weather.

One day, campers had Crazy Boot Day, where they wore rain boots of different styles and shades and splashed in puddles of water.

At Captain's Pond in Salem, N.H., youngsters at Camp Otter were forced to stay inside a couple of times when thunder and lightning hit the area. The campers played board games and held dance competitions, said camp director Doug Currier.

"We try to be outside as much as possible," Currier said. "Kids are kids and they don't care if they get wet as long as they're having fun. The only thing that has affected our program is thunder and lightning."

Although the campers did not mind the rain, Currier begged to differ.

"I'm personally sick of the rain,'' he said. "We're at camp and it's suppose to be sunny."

Doc Noel, president of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce, which serves Hampton, Seabrook and Rye, N.H., said he is overjoyed to see the sun return.

During June, three out of five fireworks shows were canceled and the 20-day sculpture show was marred by 17 days of rain.

"Am I sick of the rain? Who isn't?" he said. "We're hoping for a lot of sunshine for the beach area so the business community can recoup from an unfortunate June."

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