TYLER, Texas — You know, you love her and she's here to stay!
"Splasher the Dolphin" has made quite a splash in the City of Tyler and will continue to do so for many years to come thanks to generous donations made by people in the community.
"This project is 100% privately funded and so, what that tells you is the citizens of Tyler, the people that live in the neighborhood, they love Splasher, they wanted to preserve Splasher," says Tyler City Councilman, Don Warren.
The iconic dolphin has been around for more than 50 years and was even named by kids in the community.
“We recently found an article at the Tyler Public Library dated back to 1968," Warren says, "there was actually a contest, 333 elementary kids participated in this project to come up with a name. Two girls that actually tied for first place, both wanted to use the name Splasher."
Over time Splasher has seen some wear and tear, which is why renovations were necessary.
"Splasher being 50 years old, like some of us, start to age and we need to get her out of the water, so we put her to the side," said Warren.
In addition, Splasher was moved a little further south away from Broadway for safety reasons, according to Warren.
On Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. the City of Tyler will celebrate "Splasher" with a grand opening at Bergfeld Park.