New water fountains installed in downtown Marion, Ill. to attract more visitors, help businesses

MARION, Ill. (KFVS) - New water features in downtown Marion, Illinois are aimed at attracting more people to the square and area businesses.

City leaders say the features are already a hit.

Three new water features were built on the square. There are two fountains, one on the east side and one on the west side, and a third feature they are calling a water wall.

The fountains will be active from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. In the evening hours, they will be illuminated with lights.

There will also be more than seven different programmed shows, and shortly, they will be timed with music so you can see the programmed show soaring into the downtown skies.

City leaders say this will also help attract people into the surrounding businesses.

“With the improvements that are coming, we want to tell people slow down as you’re driving around the square--you’re going to see more people walking and those people are important to the viability of every business down here,” said City of Marion Chief of Staff Cody Moake. “So we need pedestrians, we need motorist to slow down in the process--and putting all those ingredients together we feel that downtown is back.”

The city will also be adding picnic tables around the square and hosting multiple events such as a music series and the third Thursday of the month, where downtown businesses offer discounts.

Copyright 2023 KFVS. All rights reserved.