Plaque to be unveiled on Trotter Fountain Day

[May 22, 2013]  BLOOMINGTON -- The first Trotter Fountain Day, celebrating the 102nd anniversary of the dedication of Bloomington's extraordinary landmark, will be observed with activities from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on June 1 in Withers Park, on the northwest corner of Washington and East streets in downtown Bloomington. A new plaque at the base of the statute will be unveiled at 1:30 p.m.

The ever-popular Two Blokes and a Bus will be there serving gourmet "street food" from their bright red double-decker bus, and Funbelievable Balloons will be on hand to make fantastic balloon animals and objects.

Characters in period costumes will include a portrayer of Georgina Trotter, who will make an appearance from "beyond the grave," and her arrival will be unique and unexpected, something both children and adults will enjoy. And a portrayer of Lorado Taft, who designed and implemented the fountain, will join the festivities and make the same remarks that the sculptor did back in 1911.

Bob Moews, superintendent of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, will describe how the Trotter Fountain will be repaired, restored and preserved. Bill Kemp, writer and historian, will tell what it was like to live in Bloomington back in 1911, when the fountain was dedicated. And Mel Theobald, an American artist and expert on Taft, will explain "The Significance of Lorado Taft."

Funds for the piece were willed to the city by James Trotter, the last of the prominent Bloomington family, at his death 1908. The Trotter Fountain, designed by world-famous sculptor, author and educator Lorado Taft, was dedicated on May 30, 1911, following a grand parade, while 20,000 onlookers crowded along East Street and Washington Street, both of which had been closed for the event.

At the original dedication of the fountain, representatives of the city of Bloomington and the Trotter family as well as the sculptor himself took part in the ceremonies. Honoring that same concept, Judy Sterns will be one of the aldermen acting on behalf of Mayor Tari Renner and the city of Bloomington; Barb Lancaster, a Trotter ancestor, will represent the family; and Mel Theobald will represent the sculptor at the unveiling of the plaque.

For more information, contact Georgie Borchardt at 217-819-6801 or [e-mail].

___

Online:

Trotter Fountain website:
http://trotterfountain.wix.com/
trotter-fountain-bloomington

Trotter Fountain Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TrotterFountainProject 

[Text from news release received from the Trotter Fountain Project]