Take a splash into some Kansas City fountain trivia

Some of these fountains are maintained by the city, some are not, but they all add to the charm of living in Kansas City.

J.C. NICHOLS MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN: Perhaps the city’s iconic fountain. Each of the equestrian figures supposedly represents one of the world’s great rivers: the Mississippi, the Seine, the Rhine and the Volga. (Sorry, Kansas City; the Missouri River isn’t represented.) Of the four, the Mississippi River is said to be linked to the figure of the Indian riding a horse and fending off an alligator; the Volga River is depicted through mortal combat with a bear. (Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and J.C. Nichols Parkway)

WILLIAM VOLKER MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN: Incorporates an unusual timekeeping element…a wristwatch worn by an angel figure. The seated angel figure wears a watch and scratches his leg. The watch remains inexplicable, but the artist offered this explanation about the scratching: “There are so many mosquitoes on earth.” (Another angel figure is shown playing a flute…backwards.) The main figure of the memorial, however, is the statue of St. Martin of Tours on horseback; the saint is pictured sharing his cloak with a beggar. The fountain remembers noted Kansas City philanthropist William Volker. (Volker Boulevard and Oak Street)

CHILDREN’S FOUNTAIN: Sculpted by a very prolific artist, whose works are all over town. Tom Corbin’s work is also represented at the Firefighters Fountain; the Kauffman Memorial Gardens; and the statues of Ewing and Muriel Kauffman out at the K. The Children’s Fountain features six figures, depicted atop columns, representing different aspects of children and childhood: joy; meeting challenges (represented by a boy with crutches); a ballerina; a soccer player; a boy doing a handstand; and a girl wading into the pool. (North Oak Trafficway and Northeast 32nd Avenue)

MUSE OF THE MISSOURI: Depicts a classic muse with a fisherman’s net; the “Missouri” refers to the river, naturally. The fish were intended to depict fish native to the Missouri River. But they look …well, fishy. The artist reportedly thought that catfish were too ugly, and carp didn’t have a big enough mouth to spout a jet of water. So the fish depicted are a hybrid of sorts, having a carp’s body and a bluegill’s mouth. It was dedicated as a memorial to Lt. David W. Kemper, killed in action in World War II. (Main Street between Eighth and Ninth streets)

BACCHUS FOUNTAIN: In Chandler Court on the Plaza, this massive work required special footings to be installed to support its considerable weight of 10,000 pounds. (Bacchus was the ancient god of wine, but given his location near so many drinking spots, perhaps he’s the god of cocktails, too.) (47th and Wyandotte streets.)

KAUFFMAN STADIUM WATER SPECTACULAR: The ballpark fountains are said to be seen on TV more often and in more American cities than any other fountains in our town. Viewers of visiting teams get to see them during telecasts of games from the K. Royals founding owner Ewing Kauffman paid $1.5 million for the fountain show.

HAFF CIRCLE FOUNTAIN: Perhaps the city’s most-misspelled fountain, Haff Circle Fountain (not “Half Circle”) remembers Delbert J. Haff, an early parks commissioner. The bust of Delbert Haff wasn’t added until 1967. It’s one of just a handful of the city’s fountains that the parks department keeps on year-round. (Meyer Boulevard and Swope Parkway)

MEYER CIRCLE FOUNTAIN: The sprightly cherub atop the fountain was restored after being decapitated by vandals in 2000; along the way, he got a bit of cosmetic surgery, too. The fountain is also called Sea Horse Fountain because of the three sea horse figures atop the stone pyramid; note their wings and fishy tails. (Meyer Boulevard and Ward Parkway)

EAGLE SCOUT FOUNTAIN: In the 1960s, Kansas City boasted that more of its boys became Eagle Scouts than any other region in the country, so the fountain honors those Scouts. The sculptures came from a now-demolished railway terminal in New York. (Gillham Road and 39th Street)

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Take a splash into some Kansas City fountain trivia."