In this Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, photo, visitors to Chicago's Buckingham Fountain are silhouetted by the light display in Grant Park. The final display each night shoots water 150 feet into the air as part of a light and musical crescendo that lasts 20 minutes. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - A bit after dawn Eric Kelmar and his team of engineers arrive for their routine check of Chicago's Buckingham Fountain for the day.
"It takes a lot of love and maintenance to keep it running," said Kelmar, assistant chief engineer for the Chicago Park District. "It is a privilege to have Buckingham Fountain as my office."
It's Kelmar and his team's job is to make sure that the fountain in Grant Park along Lake Michigan runs smoothly so that visitors can enjoy the shows. During the day, displays include water jets shooting 150 feet (45 meters) in the air. At dusk, the displays add 820 lights and classical music.
Among the team's jobs? They clean bird feathers stuck to grates that line the fountain bottom, put on waders to check for broken lights and monitor the pumps under the fountain.
Whether it's as a background for selfies or a view for morning runners, Buckingham Fountain with its sea horse sculptures is an iconic landmark in Chicago. Construction on the fountain finished in 1927 and most of the original parts have withstood the test of time. It's still one of the largest fountains in the world.
Chicago art patron and philanthropist Kate Buckingham donated money in the mid-1920s to build the fountain in her brother Clarence Buckingham's memory. An early Chicago Park District brochure says Kate Buckingham "worked night after night with technicians, trying out various colors of glass and adjusting the control of electric current" to produce the fountain lighting she wanted.
The final display each night begins promptly at 10:35 p.m. Water shoots up as part of a light and musical display that lasts 20 minutes. When the show is finished, the fountain water settles down calmly, until 8 a.m. the next morning when Kelmar and his team arrive to starts the pump again.
"We are pretty much just shooting 20,000 gallons of water into the air a minute and have been doing for 90 years," Kelmar said. "People from all over the world come to see it and it draws attention (from) kids' eyes today."
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If You Go...
BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN: Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway in Chicago's Grant Park. Water displays run daily from early May through mid-October depending on weather, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Major displays begin daily at 9 a.m. and continue every hour on the hour, with lights and music added at dusk, http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/clarence-f-buckingham-memorial-fountain/ .
In this Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, photo, a sea horse sculpture sprays water during an evening light display at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. The final display each night shoots water 150 feet into the air as part of a light and musical crescendo that lasts 20 minutes. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, photo, visitors to Chicago's Buckingham Fountain are silhouetted by the light display in Chicago's Grant Park. The final display each night shoots water 150 feet into the air as part of a light and musical crescendo that lasts 20 minutes. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
The Associated Press
In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, photo, Eric Kelmar dangles his feet over the roof of the control center as he watches for possible water pressure issues at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, photo, Tony Logiudice, electrical engineer, steps into the top basin of Buckingham Fountain to make routine light repairs in Chicago's Grant Park. Logiudice's work enables visitors to watch a nightly light show that combines 820 lights and classical music. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, photo, a gull is silhouetted on Buckingham Fountain's top basin during the early morning hours in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, Eric Kelmar is silhouetted as he watches from the control room as the morning water show begins at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, Eric Kelmar does a daily skim for debris in Buckingham Fountain's inner basin in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, Eric Kelmar monitors the performance of Buckingham Fountain's pumps in Chicago's Grant Park. "We are pretty much just shooting 20,000 gallons of water into the air a minute and have been doing it for 90 years," says Kelmar. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, Chicago's skyline is reflected on the still water of Buckingham Fountain before the water display starts in Grant Park. Chicago art patron and philanthropist Kate Buckingham donated money in the mid-1920s to build the fountain in her brother Clarence Buckingham's memory. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, Eric Kelmar, assistant chief engineer for the Chicago Park District, returns to the control room after inspecting Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, photo, Chicago Park District employees Brian Scannell, left, and Tony Logiudice, make routine light repairs at Buckingham Fountain's top basin in Chicago's Grant Park. Scannell and Logiudice's work enables visitors to watch a nightly light show that combines 820 lights and classical music. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, photo, a gauge in the pump house of Chicago's Buckingham Fountain gives engineers an indication of the water pressure produced by the pumps. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, photo, plastic, gull feathers, algae, and other debris are captured in the filter grates of Buckingham Fountain, which are cleaned on a weekly basis in Chicago's Grant Park. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
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