City of Hastings Offices (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
HASTINGS — Most City of Hastings offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1 in observance of Labor Day.
Front desk services will be unavailable at the Administration, Development Services, Finance, Police, Hastings Fire & Rescue, Hastings Public Library, Hastings Utilities, Hastings Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste Landfill departments.
While most city offices will close for the holiday, the Hastings Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the final Monday the Hastings Museum is open to the public for the summer season.
911 and utility emergency services will remain available.
Normal hours of operation will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Labor Day also marks the last night of operation for Jacob Fisher Rainbow Fountain for the summer season.
The fountain, located in front of Hastings Utilities headquarters at 1228 N. Denver Ave., will continue to run its water and light show through Sept. 1 before getting cleaned and winterized.
Fisher Fountain is a local and regional landmark that draws numerous crowds to its location throughout the summer months. Originally meant to be a temporary exhibit at the 1932 Adams County Fair, it was relocated to Highland Park, the municipal park located in front of Hastings Utilities’ main offices, in 1933. It was a “sign of hope” for local and area citizens during the Depression and dust bowl days of the 1930’s.
Fisher Fountain, the largest of its kind between Denver and Chicago, remains a source of great community pride today. Its name was derived from two winning essays written by young school children to name the structure. Jacob Fisher was the mayor of Hastings when the park was first developed. The “Rainbow Fountain” describes the many changing colors of lights that accompany the varying arrays of water sprays.
