Fountain Park to light up for the holidays

VW independent/submitted information

Fountain Park in downtown Van Wert will light up for the holiday season the night before Thanksgiving.

The Van Wert Service Club, Optimist Club of Van Wert, Main Street Van Wert and the Van Wert Parks Department are bringing the holiday spirit again this year with Christmas at Fountain Park opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 24.

Mayor Ken Markward will light the park and Santa will be on-site to see if the children have been naughty or nice. There will be plenty of photo opportunities and the Girl Scouts will provide hot chocolate and cookies, and the YMCA will offer coffee and donuts.

The Van Wert High School Select Choir will sing Christmas songs, and Ice Creations will do a live demo of their ice sculpting.

After opening night, park goers will be able to enjoy the seasonal display November 25-January 1, from 6-10 p.m. nightly, weather permitting. The Girl Scouts will be there every Friday and Saturday through December 17 with hot chocolate/cookies from opening until 9 p.m. Candy canes will be available all season, thanks to a large donation from Spangler Candy in Bryan.

The Van Wert Service Club, Optimist Club of Van Wert, Main Street Van Wert and The Van Wert Parks Department would like to thank the following sponsors and volunteers for their support.

Silver Donors: Cooper Farms – Cooked Meats; Straightline Body & Paint; Elmco Engineering OH; James and Shawn Germann; Wilkinson Printing; Brookside Convenience Store-N-More; Van Wert Manor; Putman Law Offices. Carey and Marsha Mathew; Delphos Granite Works – Van Wert Showroom; Robert and Beverly Wolke; Michael and Lu Ann McDonough; Rauch Law Office; Cowan Funeral Home; Kevin and Diane Bair; First Bank of Berne; Van Wert Bedrooms; Brewed Expressions; Terri Stevens; Richard and Debra McKanna; The Curvy Closet, and Bev and Dewey Fuerst.

Gold Donors: Trevor and Whitney Webster; Rocky Top; Straley Realty & Auctioneers; Alspach-Gearhart Funeral Home & Crematory; Thatcher Insurance; Klausing Lawn Care; Laudick’s Jewelry; Unverferth Family Dentistry; Fortmans Crescent Linen Service; The Ryan Family; Tisha Fast Insurance Agency; Van Wert Family Physicians; 1st Federal Van Wert; Michael and Beth Conn; Bee Gee Realty & Auction; H&R Block; Sonit Systems; Ayers Service Group; Jimmie and Becky Calger; Valam Hospitality – Comfort Inn; Van Wert Federal Savings Bank; Citizens National Bank; Citizens National Bank; Bonnie Kreischer Thatcher, and Heritage Farm Equipment Store.

Platinum Donors: Van Wert Health; Flagship Tax Center & Senior Insurance Center; Eastside Auto Repair and Sales; Red Oak Realty; Wallace Plumbing; Van Wert Propane; Spangler Candy and Lee’s Ace Hardware.

Special thanks: Van Wert Parks Department and Van Wert Police Department; Van Wert High School Select Choir; Girl Scouts; YMCA; Student Volunteers from organizations at Van Wert High School and Vantage Career Center; Volunteers from the Van Wert Service Club; Optimist Club of Van Wert; Main Street Van Wert; Collin Leaser; Ray Sudduth; other club family members and other community individual volunteers.