Shoe Column: The bubblers of Stevens Point

By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan

Today’s topic will be bubblers. Water bubblers. Stevens Point water bubblers. You know, like water fountains.

Some say bubblers, and others say water fountains.

Those things, sometimes ceramic and sometimes metal, that squirt cold water for you to drink.

There used to be many bubblers sprinkled around Stevens Point. If a guy wanted a nice cold drink of water on a hot summer day, he would head on over to the nearest water bubbler.

And over the years, they were easy to find.

Let’s go back to the thrilling days of yesteryear and take a look at the bubblers.

Do you remember:

• The bubbler on Point’s Southside? It was in the Southside Park with the cannon right across from the Dewey Bar. Tom Smrz said: “That bubbler’s water was always ice cold.”
• There was a bubbler on the top of the hill at Morton Park. It got a lot of use.
• Mead Park had at least three bubblers. One was right at the west end of the Clark Street Bridge as you entered the park. Another was down the right-field foul line at the Little League baseball field. And a third could be found at the swimming beach area north of the ball diamond.
• Bukolt Park had two bubblers for sure. The first was by the baseball field entrance, and the second bubbler was located around the swimming area.
• Water fountains were a “must” in all of the local parks. There was one at the Iverson softball field, and another one at the swimming area.
• I’m told there was also a bubbler at Atwell Park.
• Terri Gellerman said: “Point’s bubblers had the best-tasting cold water ever.”
• The old Fox Theatre had several wonderful things to offer: the aroma of fresh buttered popcorn, a snazzy carpet, ushers in uniform—and right there on the carpeted steps leading up to the balcony, a nifty bubbler! Someone was always taking a sip out of it.
• There used to be a bubbler next to the Municipal Pool close to Goerke Field. And that pool had lifeguards, as did the swimming areas at Bukolt, Mead, and Iverson.

Many people today didn’t even know that there were swimming beaches at those places.

• There was a dandy bubbler in the lobby of the Rec. Center.
• Paul Piotrowski says there was a bubbler on the corner of Franklin and Prentice by the Pacelli baseball field.
• The old-timers remember when a water bubbler was stationed in front of the old Post Office. By the way, when they took down the old post office, they dumped the beautiful marble pillars along the Wisconsin River. The pillars are still there.

I must pause now to add something that has nothing to do with Point’s bubblers. It’s time for my John Wayne impersonation:

“Well hello there, Pilgrim.”

So you, the reader, can plainly see that Stevens Point was known for its great water bubblers and water fountains.

The City of Wonderful Water.

The bubblers were everywhere.

And then they began vanishing.

Some got too old and weren’t worth fixing. COVID might’ve doomed some more of the bubblers.

But all of a sudden, you looked and the bubblers were gone.

Just like John Wayne.