Grand Haven Musical Fountain
Encyclopedia
The Grand Haven Musical Fountain
is a synchronized display of water and lights in Grand Haven, Michigan
located on Dewey Hill on the north shore of the Grand River
, not far from the Grand's mouth at Lake Michigan
and Grand Haven State Park
. Shows run nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend shows run during the months of May and September. Shows begin at dusk and run 25 to 30 minutes
Many themes are used in the fountain's performances. The fountain's narration takes on personas ranging from a 12-year-old girl to a grown man. A Patriotic themed program runs each July 4 along with fireworks and a program saluting the United States Coast Guard
runs yearly during the Coast Guard Festival
; in 2011 a special introduction and closing song were introduced honoring the men and women of the United States Coast Guard. The special introduction and closing featured music performed by the USCG Band. Fountain viewing, not including July 4 or the festival, is estimated at around 10,000 annually.
show seen in Germany and was the largest musical fountain in the world when it was built. The display comprises a small number of water formations grouped in odd and even segments, with the same formations on each. Augmented by curtains of water at the back and front, a large fanlike array called the Peacock, and three fire hose nozzles - one placed vertically in the center, and the others aimed at an angle from each end - the show produces a simple Dancing Waters style display. Colored lights are arrayed along the front of the fountain in individually controllable groups in red, blue, amber and white, and the back curtain and Peacock sprays have their own lights - green and yellow for the back curtain, and two sets each red, blue and amber for the Peacock. In addition, nozzles called "sweeps" provide the moving effects, swaying side-to-side. A patented drive mechanism allows each pair of sweeps to follow or oppose each other in direction of movement, to move along long or short paths, and to move at any of three speeds, allowing the moving water to follow nearly any kind of music. The original show used punched paper cards, though computers control the new system. The nozzles and pumps have never been changed, only cleaned and cared-for; and shows must still be programmed by hand. Even with the simplest of the many programs used to create shows for this fountain, choreographing one three-minute song can take anywhere from two to ten hours.
Each minute of show performance requires approximately two hours of computer programming. New shows can feature over 5000 lighting and or water commands in a 20 min. performance. Older shows averaged about 400 commands. In September 2006, the Grand Haven Musical Fountain Animated Choreographer was released to the public to encourage the development of new shows. The free software can be downloaded at www.ghmfsoftware.com.
Musical fountain
A musical fountain is a type of animated fountain for entertainment purposes that creates an aesthetic design . This is achieved by employing the effects of timed sound waves and timed light against water particles...
is a synchronized display of water and lights in Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
located on Dewey Hill on the north shore of the Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
, not far from the Grand's mouth at Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and Grand Haven State Park
Grand Haven State Park
Grand Haven State Park is a state park in Michigan. The park is located in Grand Haven, Michigan on the coast of Lake Michigan on the south side of the mouth of the Grand River and harbor....
. Shows run nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend shows run during the months of May and September. Shows begin at dusk and run 25 to 30 minutes
Many themes are used in the fountain's performances. The fountain's narration takes on personas ranging from a 12-year-old girl to a grown man. A Patriotic themed program runs each July 4 along with fireworks and a program saluting the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
runs yearly during the Coast Guard Festival
Coast Guard Festival
Coast Guard Festival is a festival in Grand Haven, Michigan. Founded in 1924, the festival is a ten-day event that starts in the last weekend in July, and ends in early August. Over 350,000 people attend the festival, including the nation's highest-ranking United States Coast Guard dignitaries from...
; in 2011 a special introduction and closing song were introduced honoring the men and women of the United States Coast Guard. The special introduction and closing featured music performed by the USCG Band. Fountain viewing, not including July 4 or the festival, is estimated at around 10,000 annually.
How it works
Designed by a local engineer, William Morris Booth II (who is also the patent holder), and built in 1962 by volunteers at an estimated cost of $250,000, this fountain was based on a Przystawic musical fountainMusical fountain
A musical fountain is a type of animated fountain for entertainment purposes that creates an aesthetic design . This is achieved by employing the effects of timed sound waves and timed light against water particles...
show seen in Germany and was the largest musical fountain in the world when it was built. The display comprises a small number of water formations grouped in odd and even segments, with the same formations on each. Augmented by curtains of water at the back and front, a large fanlike array called the Peacock, and three fire hose nozzles - one placed vertically in the center, and the others aimed at an angle from each end - the show produces a simple Dancing Waters style display. Colored lights are arrayed along the front of the fountain in individually controllable groups in red, blue, amber and white, and the back curtain and Peacock sprays have their own lights - green and yellow for the back curtain, and two sets each red, blue and amber for the Peacock. In addition, nozzles called "sweeps" provide the moving effects, swaying side-to-side. A patented drive mechanism allows each pair of sweeps to follow or oppose each other in direction of movement, to move along long or short paths, and to move at any of three speeds, allowing the moving water to follow nearly any kind of music. The original show used punched paper cards, though computers control the new system. The nozzles and pumps have never been changed, only cleaned and cared-for; and shows must still be programmed by hand. Even with the simplest of the many programs used to create shows for this fountain, choreographing one three-minute song can take anywhere from two to ten hours.
Each minute of show performance requires approximately two hours of computer programming. New shows can feature over 5000 lighting and or water commands in a 20 min. performance. Older shows averaged about 400 commands. In September 2006, the Grand Haven Musical Fountain Animated Choreographer was released to the public to encourage the development of new shows. The free software can be downloaded at www.ghmfsoftware.com.
Plumbing
- Width: 240 feet
- Water basin capacity: 40,000 gallons
- Pipe: 8,000 feet long ranging in size from ¼ inch to 16 inches
- Nozzles: 1,300 ranging from 3/16" to 1" in diameter, located in the basin
- Capacity: 40,000 gallon basin
- Water consumption: 4,000 gallons per minute
- Maximum height of spray: 125 feet
Lighting
- 200 lights with a combined power consumption of 150,000 watts
- Five colors of lights are used and blended for patterns
- New DMX controlled LED lighting in the works for the fountain's 50th anniversary in 2012
Sound System Specifications
- (32) 18", 600 watt JBL subwoofers
- (12) High-frequency JBL horns (30"x 30"x 6' deep)
- (14) Power amplifiers (35,000 watts total)
- (4) Independent zones of control:
- Equalization
- Electronic signal distribution
- Audio and GPI control supplied by an ENCO DAD professional broadcast audio playout system
- Frequency dividing
- Power level attenuation
- About a mile and a half of cable
- Total system output (at the shoreline) in excess of 130dB
- Watts per channel: 12,000