In fiction, the coolest water tower might just be the one that asked town members to “Save Ferris” in the John Hughes film Ferris Buellar’s Day Off. It even inspired a band to name themselves Save Ferris. Since life isn’t a movie, however, the best water towers might be the yellow ones that are painted to look like smiley faces.
These water towers appear in towns like Adair, Iowa; Calumet, Illinois; and Millington, Michigan. In fact, these water towers are all over the country. Calumet claims to be the first town to start the trend, painting a smile on the structure in 1973 at the suggestion of an 8-year-old girl, Kim Fornero. In fact, the city has two smiley faced structures, which they have named Mr. and Mrs. Smiley. The iconic water tower in Iowa also has a name. He’s Smiley, the Friendly Greeter, and he was once awarded the honor of being the town’s civic hero.
Not all smiley faces are alike, remember. Towns are giving the structures their own personalities by using different colors and details. Optimistic water towers in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Indiana, for example, are blue.
Another stand-out was the water tower in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This happy structure was unique for his bow-tie and grins that appear on both sides. The two sides were different, though, because on one side the face was winking and on the other, both eyes were open. This caused a controversy at the time. Some members of the city council didn’t want to pay Oscar Osmundson, the man who created the face, because they thought it was unfinished. They voted, and the majority wanted to keep the wink,so that’s how it stayed, until it was demolished in December 2006.
Hopefully seeing these cheerful water towers brings a smile to your face.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
