Water feature adds sparkle at fair park
An attraction to fall for
Waterfall sparkles at fair park

By Jeff Raymond

Published: January 16, 2008

The Oklahoma Centennial Commission and sponsors dedicated on Tuesday an 11-foot-tall, 24-foot-wide lighted waterfall between the Centennial Building and the Cox Pavilion at State Fair Park.

"I think this place will be a place of destination,” said Lee Allan Smith, chairman of centennial projects and events. "I think this will end up being a good-luck pond here,” he said.

Chesapeake Energy Corp., the Freede Family, the Meinders Foundation and Jeannette and Richard Sias sponsored the project.

Tim O'Toole, president and general manager of the Oklahoma State Fair and Centennial Expo, called the waterfall "a wonderful addition” to the fair park.

"The Oklahoma Centennial Waterfall is a wonderful complement to the many new developments at the State Fair Park,” said Clayton I. Bennett, chairman of the state fair board.

At the conclusion of remarks, participants tossed silver dollars and $100 in quarters into the pool.

The lights, which are the same as those at the Wynn Las Vegas casino, are programmed for three "shows” but can be programmed for many more. The Color Kinetics Digital Lighting System is capable of producing millions of colors.

"Any color you can think of, we can create,” said Kelly Caviness, president of Caviness Landscape & Design, who created the waterfall. He was asked to provide a park-like atmosphere for fairgoers and others.

"It's southeastern Oklahoma — that's what it is,” Caviness said of the 70 tons of moss-covered boulders used to construct the waterfall. The familiar-looking stones were taken from near McAlester.

Trees flank the sides and back. Centennial benches will be placed around the pool.

Speakers noted the centennial didn't end in November. The commission will continue to unveil projects through June, at the end of which it will wrap up business.

Money recovered from the pool will be donated to the Children's Medical Research Institute.

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