Detergent prank foams Old Town fountain, crews clean it four times
Laundry detergent turned Old Town’s fountain into a foamy cleanup job, and crews had to return four times to clear the suds.
Crews in Old Town Albuquerque had to keep coming back after a prank with laundry detergent turned the fountain into a foamy mess, forcing four rounds of cleanup and adding more labor to the upkeep of one of the city’s busiest public spaces. The episode landed squarely in the middle of a district that depends on being clean, walkable and ready for visitors, merchants and families every day.
The fountain trouble came as another reminder that even a small act of vandalism can create a real burden for the people responsible for keeping Old Town presentable. The district has been a center of Albuquerque life since 1706, when Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés founded it. About 10 blocks of historic adobe buildings ring Old Town Plaza, where the San Felipe de Neri Church, built in 1793, sits on the north side and the gazebo remains one of the plaza’s focal points.
This was not the first time soap turned an Old Town water feature into a spectacle. A similar incident unfolded July 19, 2024, when someone used Dawn dish soap to make suds around the Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes statue at the corner of Mountain Road and Rio Grande Boulevard. At the time, Old Town worker Wayne Presser described the scene as “snowing in July,” and nearby restaurant owner Ben Michael Barreras called it “a bubble bath.”
The statue is part of a larger public art landmark: the Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes equestrian bronze by Buck McCain was commissioned through the City of Albuquerque 1% for Art Program, dedicated in April 1988 and installed at the entrance to Old Town. That makes the fountain area more than a backdrop for jokes. It is part of a visible civic space that draws locals and tourists and requires steady maintenance to stay welcoming.
The city says residents can report non-emergency problems through 311, and the Municipal Development Department is responsible for maintaining public facilities. In a place as heavily used as Old Town Plaza, repeated cleanup calls like this one add up fast, even when the damage is temporary.
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