Vote for your favorite fire hydrant
Approximately 65 fire hydrants scattered around Mount Prospect's neighborhoods, downtown and Randhurst Village have been hand-painted and decorated by individuals and groups as part of Mount Prospect's Centennial Celebration.
This public art program, known as "Fired Up!" has been coordinated by the Mount Prospect Centennial Commission and sponsored by Novak & Parker Home Appliance, a local business that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013.
The public has an opportunity to vote for their favorites through Tuesday, Nov. 15, via Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MPCentennial.
The painted hydrants have been photographed and uploaded so Facebook users can "like" their favorite hydrant designs. The number of "likes" will be tallied at the end of the day Nov. 15 and the winner will be notified shortly thereafter.
The Mount Prospect village board will recognize the winner at its televised meeting Tuesday, Dec. 6.
The painted hydrants can also be viewed on the Centennial Commission's website, www.mountprospect100.com, where there is an interactive map showing where the hydrants are located in case anyone would like to take a driving tour.
"Little children are particularly thrilled by the decorated hydrants," said Christy Watychowicz, chairman of the Fired Up! program. "They are right at their eye level and they run right up to them, just fascinated.
"We have also been very pleased to see, in some cases, entire neighborhoods of children, led by a parent or two, pitching in to decorate a hydrant on their block," she added.
Schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals also took on the challenge to create a public art project that everyone can enjoy during Mount Prospect's 100th birthday year.
Mount Prospect officially turns 100 Feb. 3, 2017, and the celebration will run through the end of 2017. Watch for streetlight banners, special holiday lights, purple garden plantings around town and many special events during the remainder of 2016 and all of 2017.
In fact, the hydrant painting has been so popular that the Centennial Commission will offer a second round of painting in 2017. Information on the procedure, cost and timing will be released in late 2016. Details on the celebration can be found at www.mountprospect100.com.