Fountain at Pittsburgh's Point State Park celebrates 50 years
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh icon is celebrating five decades of gracing the Golden Triangle. The fountain at Point State Park has been welcoming Pittsburghers and guests since 1974.
"This is the city's front yard so I really enjoy starting the fountain every morning," Point State Park maintenance supervisor Bartholomew Weynard said.
He calls working with the fountain the greatest job, from answering questions about it to even servicing it.
"Especially this year, having the worst flood in 20 years, having two floods within a week of each other, having to clean the mud out of there," Weynard said.
Every hour, 1.5 million gallons of water cycle through the fountain, while getting its water from an aquifer. For all you yinzers out there: it doesn't come from the mythical fourth river. Most days it's set to shoot up about 100 feet out of its possible 150.
"It stands as a symbol of Pittsburgh's beauty, our resilience and certainly our vitality," Visit Pittsburgh President and CEO Jerad Bachar said.
From marathon weekend in May to the end of October, there is something about that water shooting up into the air and sometimes spraying people that brings generations to the Point. State and local leaders celebrated this 50th anniversary Wednesday, hoping the next 50 are just as enjoyable.
"That beauty is that the benefit of these investments that we continue to make will accrue to our children, our grandchildren and people we will never meet," Riverlife President and CEO Matthew Galluzzo said.
For Weynard, seeing this every day makes for never having a bad day at the office.
"I love this fountain. I take pictures of it and send it to my family all the time. This is Pittsburgh right here. This is a symbol of Pittsburgh here," Weynard said.
If you've been here long enough, you too probably have a memory of the "fahntain dahntahn."