Uncle Wilbur’s Fountain saved by local generosity

The Uncle Wilbur Fountain in Acacia Park, a staple of summers in downtown Colorado Springs since 2001, was to be partially shut down due to budget cuts in the city's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department – until a local woman donated $25,000 for its continued operation.

The Fountain is comprised of 200 unpredictable jets of water and 52 other spouts that spray from the ground. There is also an array of fiber optic lights that work in concert with the tuba music played by "Uncle Wilbur" and his pet monkey, "Spot."

Designed by Bob and Kat Tudor, owners of the Smokebrush Center for Arts and Theater in the Springs, the fountain was intended to be simultaneously fun, fanciful and unpredictable. The original plan was titled "Plugged Leak Fountain," and featured several plumbers attempting unsuccessfully to prevent a series of leaks from spraying erratically as a fountain.

The project was later modified to "Uncle Wilbur," based on Bob Tudor's uncle, who played the same songs via tuba that can now be heard at the fountain that bears his name. Though they retain creative control of the Fountain, the Tubors donated "Uncle Wilbur" to the city of Colorado Springs in 2001 and oversaw its installation into Acacia Park. Every summer since, Uncle Wilbur has performed concerts every half hour for almost twelve hours every day.

However, recent budget cuts within the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department threatened the daily activity of Uncle Wilbur. The fountain cost the city anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 to operate, and Uncle Wilbur's concerts were going to be diminished because the city couldn't afford to run the fountain at the same rate as in past summers.

Lynda Hill, a member of the Colorado Springs community, donated $25,000 to the Parks, Recreation and Services department for the fountain's operating costs. Thanks to her generous contribution, the Uncle Wilbur Fountain will be running on schedule this summer, performing from its repertoire every thirty minutes from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The fountain's jets operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day – and for those willing to risk getting wet, there is a riddle on the underside of Wilbur's half-dome, which rises with the jets.