CANTON – A rousing applause emanated from the village park Friday afternoon as a large crowd witnessed the official reopening of the fountain.

The fountain faithful cheered when Rev. Michael Catanzaro, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Canton gave the green light to activate the fountain water system.

“I am humbled by the generosity of this community and the trust placed in the Church and in Paul (Mitchell)) and me to undertake this endeavor. My hope today is that the reopening of the fountain will be both a first step and a catalyst to the changes we as a village and town of Canton can and must undertake to forge our future and keep our promises to the generations that will follow,” Rev. Catanzaro stated. “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

Friday’s ceremony included remarks from Town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley and Mayor Michael Dalton.

“What an historic day. On behalf of the Town of Canton, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in making this fountain restoration project happen. To think of the history of the park and fountain, we are reminded of the possible symbolism of the entire structure,” said Ashley. “The paths that bring you to the fountain as a focal point is who we are as a community.”

Mayor Dalton praised the effort put forth to make the fountain project a reality.

“We are here today to again recognize the reconstruction of a fountain that has captured the imagination of so many for so long. Through a joint effort with the Presbyterian Church, the village, the town and our community, a fundraising effort to repair the badly eroded part of the fountain was successful.”

Paul Mitchell, a member of the Park & Fountain Fund committee, expressed his gratitude to everyone involved over the five-plus years of fundraising and renovation.

“They say you don’t truly miss something until it’s gone. Well today we could easily be looking at a fountain-less village park. But as usual, the community rallied and opened their pocketbooks to save this magnificent piece of Canton history,” said Mitchell. “We are fortunate and blessed to live in a community that truly cares and the fountain project is a true testament.”

“I thank everyone who supported the project and Rev. Mike for his perseverance and patience,” Mitchell stated. Locke Design & Build, Canton, handled the renovation work. Earlier this year, the fountain took a trip to Alabama for a complete refurbishing and was reinstalled on April 29.

The ceremony was enhanced by the presence of the Edward C. Seymour Canton VFW Post 1231 color guard and renditions by the Goldennaires barber shoppers. The park project will continue with the installation of new benches, picnic tables and trash cans slated for August, and tree work and plantings this fall.

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