Fountain Hills’ namesake, often still referred to as “The World’s Tallest Fountain,” continues to bring visitors to the community from all over the world.

The Fountain, celebrating its 37th birthday in December 2007, has given the community its name and its identity. The Fountain and Fountain Park are the focal points of Fountain Hills.

Statistics are not kept about visitors to the Park, but the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce compiles a report about visitors to the Chamber office. It is presumed that these visitors at least stop by the Park to view the Fountain.

People came from all but four states in the first four months of 2007. Visitors from around the world came from Canada, England, France, Italy, Switzerland and the British West Indies.

No visit to Fountain Hills is complete without a stroll around the Park. Currently, the Fountain operates each hour on the hour for 10 minutes beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 9 p.m. daily. The Fountain also is turned on for longer periods of time for special occasions such as concerts in the Park, Pony Express Days and St. Patrick’s Day. It will not operate on windy days.

The St. Patrick’s Day celebration not only features a special running of the Fountain, but it is the only time during the year the Fountain is green. The March 17 event showcases the emerald green Fountain at noon and again at 5 p.m.

The idea for the Fountain is credited to the late C.V. Wood Jr., a planner for McCulloch Properties, Inc., the original developer of Fountain Hills. In the spring of 1997, the Fountain’s operations were taken over by the town.

The Fountain’s nozzle weighs nearly a ton and is more than seven feet in length. The nozzle was built in Zurich, Switzerland. The line connecting the nozzle and pumps is an 18-inch diameter cement coated and cement lined steel pipeline.

The column of water produced by the Fountain differs from other large fountains. Instead of a solid stream of water, it projects a hollow cylinder of high-pressure water, six inches in diameter, with air drawn into the column’s open center to mix with the water.

The current daily height of the Fountain is estimated at about 330 feet. Currently, only two pumps are used to propel the Fountain, while the third is kept as a backup. The jet stream can project up to 560 feet under optimum conditions when all three pumps operate.

Fountain Park is a 64-acre site with a playground, an 18-hole championship disk golf course, a splash park, picnic tables and benches and a sidewalk encircling the lake. The Fountain Hills Veterans’ Memorial also is located at Fountain Park. A performance pad and amphitheater provide a site for entertainment.

The Park serves as a gathering site the annual Easter Sunrise Service. It also has become home to the “Movie Night under the Stars” event, and the Parks and Recreation Department uses the amphitheater as a site for musical concerts.

In the next fiscal year, the Town of Fountain Hills will complete its new irrigation system and install a new walking path on the west side of the Fountain. The disk golf course will undergo improvements with new concrete tee boxes.