Tag Archives: Musical Fountain

Upcoming program at Marge’s focuses on Grand Haven fountain

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Great Lakes, Upcoming Events, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

There will be a special 60th anniversary celebration for the Grand Haven Musical Fountain on Aug. 27.

A staple in the Grand Haven community for 60 years, this week the popular Mr. Sid’s Video Series will focusing on the Grand Haven Fountain.

Terry Stevens, the fountain engineer, will join the group to talk about the history of the largest musical fountain “of its kind” in the world and the particulars about its operation. The presentation is at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW.

Stevens is on the Musical Foundation Board and an instructor in the engineering department at Grand Valley State University.

The Grand Haven Musical Fountain is a synchronized display of water and lights. The fountain is located on Dewey Hill on the north shore of the Grand River, not far from where Grand River connects to Lake Michigan.

The fountain was the brainchild of Dr. William “Bill” Creason, longtime resident, dentist, and former Grand Haven mayor. The fountain was modeled after a Przystawic musical fountain show which Creason saw in Germany while providing density for the U.S. Navy after World War II.

Local engineer William Morris Booth designed the fountain which was building by volunteers in 1962. Over the years, the fountain’s program system has been upgraded several times. In 2017, the software was updated to take advantage of new lighting and water effects.

Upcoming Sid Lenger Vide Series programs are: Sid Lenger’s video of Switzerland on Sept. 21, and Lorna and Daniel Dobson lead a discussion on two of Rev. Ed Dobson’s video lessons “My Garden,” identity after losing a loved one, and “Ask Forgiveness” on Oct. 19.

All programs start with a 15-minute hymn sing at 1:45 p.m. 

Artwork celebrating Grand Haven Music Fountain to be unveiled

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Recreation, Upcoming Events, , , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Grand Haven Musical Fountain has daily shows at dusk throughout the summer.

On Thursday June 23, the Grand Haven Musical Fountain Committee with the Friends of the Musical Fountain, Inc. will host the unveiling of a commemorative work honoring the 60-year history of Musical Fountain operations

The work was created by Chris LaPorte, a Grand Rapids based artist and 2010 winner of ArtPrize. As part of the Musical Fountain’s 60th anniversary fundraising efforts, prints and posters in varying sizes and formats will be on sale after the unveiling event (www.ghfountain.org/art).

“The Grand Haven Musical Fountain has been a summer spectacle destination for generations now. So many people have shared their family memories of enjoying the nightly show since I began the drawing, LaPorte said. “The Fountain itself is awesome. And, what the Fountain does and continues to do for the community is also amazing. Capturing the mutual experience of the community over decades is part of what I’m trying to capture with this drawing.”

A copy of the original work along with other artifacts from the Musical Fountain’s 60-year history will be on display in the Tri-Cities Museum window at 200 Washington Ave. in Grand Haven through August.  Because of limited space, parties interested in attending the unveiling should contact the Musical Fountain Committee at info@ghfountain.org.

The Grand Haven Musical Fountain is beloved landmark of the City of Grand Haven that presents a creatively synchronized combination of lights and water with popular musical selections. Free nightly shows occur at dusk from Memorial Day to Labor Day with weekend shows in May and September (www.ghfountain.org/showtimes). Fountain operations and maintenance are a joint effort of the City of Grand Haven and an all-volunteer Musical Fountain Committee.

The Friends of the Musical Fountain, Inc. is a newly formed non-profit organization [501 (c)(3)] committed to creating sustainable funding for the maintenance and future enhancements to the Fountain (www.ghfountain.org/friends).

A free 60th Anniversary celebration is being held on Aug. 27 at the Lynne Sherwood Stadium and will include the debut of another water feature enhancement to the Fountain (www.ghfountain.org/60years)!