With Frontier Fiesta in full swing last Friday, Cougars expected fun and games, but few could have anticipated the sight they encountered when they strolled through Cullen Family Plaza — the campus’ signature fountain was overflowing with bubbles.

“Friday morning, around 5 a.m., custodial supervisors Arthur Texada and Nick Lara, who were working the night shift, saw a couple of people pouring laundry detergent  into the fountain,” said Alex Alexander, director of custodial services/grounds in Plant Operations.

The individuals, whom the supervisors thought were students, ran away after they were spotted, Alexander said. Later, bubbles filled the fountain and pool, which spans 17 feet across and holds 350,000 gallons of water.

“Other students began to show up saying their friends had texted them to come look at the fountain,” Alexander said. “Several kids starting jumping in the pool and playing in the water and taking pictures. A few of our staff members remember a few people with kayaks in the water.”
           
The bubbles lasted throughout the day before the detergent wore off.

The incident was not the first time students have played in the fountain. During the 1985 Spring Fling, participants competed in UH’s Inner Tube Race, paddling across the fountain until reaching the finish line.

Staff reports