As one of the City’s most visible parks for its location on Springfield Pike near the entrance to the Wyoming business district, Centennial Park and its three-tiered fountain provide a warm welcome to all who enter Wyoming.
Centennial Park was created and designed to celebrate the City’s 100th anniversary in 1974. The fountain was added in 1999 at the time of the 125th anniversary and was purchased entirely through fundraising efforts by the Trowel & Error Garden Club. The club still cares for the park every year, providing creative energy for the landscaping and seasonal transitions to ensure the park reflects Wyoming’s civic pride and commitment to welcoming community spaces. The City maintains the fountain.
In recognition of their service, the club was awarded the Community Spirit Award in 2016 as part of the Wyoming Urban Forestry & Beautification Commission annual Beautification Awards.
Take a moment to visit the park this summer and enjoy the three-tiered fountain, which was built in Connecticut by the same company that worked on restoring the Statue of Liberty, Kenneth Lynch & Sons. The design was selected by members of the Trowel & Error Garden Club, says Kathy Wilson, who was instrumental in the project then and is still a member of the club today.
While you’re at the park, take a moment to notice the plantings of annuals and perennials maintained by the club and the memorials near the flagpole to the 21 WWI veterans killed in action. Also be sure to read the plaque at the base of the fountain written by a former garden club member, Collyne Purdy, who elegantly summed up the park’s legacy: “May those who gather here take comfort in nature’s beauty, and joy in the love of family, friends and community.”
