November 23, 2024 | Fountain Gets Its Holiday Finery

Friends and neighbors:

On Saturday, November 23, braving the rain and wind of the atmospheric river and bomb cyclone, the valiant volunteers of Friends of the Fountain and Walk added seasonal decorations to the Fountain at The Circle. From now through the first week of January, the fountain island will be ringed with lighted garlands of greenery and the grizzly bear cubs will wear wreaths and kippahs to mark the season.

It is FOFW’s annual gift to the community to say thank you for your support of our small, all-volunteer neighborhood nonprofit, which for more than 30 years has partnered with the City of Berkeley to maintain and preserve the fountain and Fountain Walk. These historic treasures have their origins at the beginning of the 20th century; the original fountain (re-created in 1996) was Berkeley’s first work of public art.

We want to thank the city for quickly making repairs following a serious car crash that damaged the fountain island in October so that the decorations could be done in time for the holiday season. And we hope you enjoy them during these dark winter days as you walk or drive (carefully!) by.

If you’d like to make a gift during this season to support FOFW, you can find out how on our donation page.

Happy holidays!

— Board of Directors, Friends of the Fountain and Walk