The Fountain Turns Green

Sherry joined us for the geocaching event at Fountain Hills on St. Patricks Day. This is an (almost) annual event but the first time Sherry has been able to attend. There was a good crowd of geocachers, around 50, so we got to visit with some people we don't see very often.

The centerpiece of Fountain Hills is our beautiful fountain which is one of the world's tallest man-made fountains. It serves as a focal point for the community and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The fountain was built in 1970 by Robert McCulloch the year before reconstruction of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, another of McCulloch's projects. The fountain sprays water for about fifteen minutes every hour at the top of the hour. The plume rises from a concrete water lily sculpture in the center of a large man-made lake.

The fountain, driven by three 600 horsepower (450kW) turbine pumps, sprays water at a rate of 7,000 gallons per minute though an 18-inch nozzle. With all three pumps and under ideal conditions, the fountain reaches 560 feet (170m) in height, though in normal operation only two of the pumps are used, with a fountain height of around 300 feet (91m). When built, it was the world's tallest fountain and held that record for over a decade. 

At 560 Feet, being one of the "World's Highest Fountains" it is 5 feet taller than Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It reaches 110 feet higher than the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, and is more than 3 times as high as Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone Park. ~ Town of Fountain Hills website

The fountain water color starts clear until the green dye reaches the pumps. Those of us who have been to the event in previous years thought this was the highest we had seen the water shoot into the air. All three pumps were working this year. In doing some research I read how the tradition of the green water on St. Patricks Day started.

Do you know how the green fountain became a St. Patrick's Day tradition in Fountain Hills? Here is the story of turning the fountain green on St. Patrick's Day thanks to Alan Cruikshank and Martin Dawson from the book “Rising Above the Rest.”

Fountain Hills is widely known throughout the state for its St. Patrick's Day celebration when the world famous fountain is turned green.

It began when a young cowboy and building contractor named Terry Gill moved to Fountain Hills from Lewiston, Montana. Of Irish heritage and having a mischievous personality, he decided to ride his horse, Dollar, through the local taverns on St. Patrick's Day 1978. There were only three at the time -The Alamo, The Village Pub and the community's first bar, The Silver Stein (originally known as the Fountain Mountain Inn).

Riding through the front door of the Stein, he caused quite a commotion and damage to the entryway. Terry was more than happy to pay for the damage. Thus began both the reputation of Terry Gill and the traditional celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Fountain Hills.

Later that year, during a Christmas party hosted by Martin and Cheryl Dawson, a discussion arose about Terry's antics the prior St. Patrick's day. Participating in the discussion were Terry Gill, Dee Grimal, Jim Gar, Duke and Joan Miller, John and Barb Kuchan. Jim and Maggie Lavoie, Bill Lavoie, Steve and Patty Nelson, Bob and KC Evans, Archie and Priscilla Archambault, Bob and Linda Travis, John Mitchie and Bob and Chris Trice.

As more libations were consumed at the party, the subject of Terry's heritage and subsequent St. Patrick's Day performance were brought up, with Terry being quite proud and boastful of his efforts. When asked what he might do for an encore on the next St. Patrick's Day, he replied he wanted to turn the fountain green.

Martin Dawson, being of a long line of Irish heritage himself, pushed Terry one step further. He made a challenge to him to water ski around the Fountain as it turned green. Dawson offered to pull him around the lake with his green SeaRay boat.

The challenge was offered in the form of a bet. It was agreed that Gill, Dawson, John Kuchan, Steve Nelson, and Bill and Jim Lavoie would meet at the Silver Stein at 10 a.m. on March I7, 1979, with the boat in tow. From there, they would proceed to the fountain pump house just prior to noon to prepare to add the dye (provided by the ever-helpful Bill Fisher, Fountain Hills Project Manager for developer MCO Properties). The bet's catch? Any of the participants who didn't show up would lose $250.

Word spread about the planned activities, so a large crowd turned out at Fountain Park to see if they would happen. At 12 noon on St. Patrick's Day, the fountain rose and transformed into an emerald green geyser. All but Kuchan successfully skied around the fountain. Kuchan, a local building contractor, was known for always having a short cigar in his mouth. A series of photos on the front page of the next edition of the The Times of Fountain Hills showed Kuchan go underwater at the outset of his run, only to resurface with his cigar still wedged into the comer of his mouth. But, he never was able to get up on his skis.

Because this event was so successful and memorable, it became the start of a tradition that continues to this day. ~ Arizona Office of Tourism: Fountain Hills

The wind direction changed and the spray reached us on the shore. No matter how many times I see the fountain turn green, it is an exciting experience, especially on a beautiful day surrounded by friends.

There are many sculptures on the west side of the lake. This one, First Love, caught my eye. And that was St. Patricks Day 2022.

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