Gather 'round children, and let me tell you the story of Royals Fountain Lady. It starts with pregame drinking in the Kauffman Stadium parking lot, and ends with a teary mug shot and a night in jail.
We may never know what possessed the woman—25 years old, from Des Moines, dubbed "Fountain Mom" by the Royals community, even though there doesn't appear to be evidence she has a child—to climb into the fountains in the Kauffman Stadium outfield last night, blue drink in hand. She was eventually coaxed out, arrested (after a brief chase), and led away. But we do know what she was up to before the game, and it'll shock you to your very core: She was drinking.
Rob Zerwekh, a producer for Fox4 in KC, went over some of the footage he shot for the Royals pregame, and discovered a woman who looks suspiciously like Fountain Lady knocking back some beers at the tailgate.
There has been some debate in the Royals community about the identification, mostly owing to the tattoo on her right arm in later photos. But the tattoo appears to be a temporary one, and the sunglasses, pendant, and shirt are identical. It's Fountain Lady before the fountain.
By the seventh inning of KC's 13-0 win over the Twins (the Royals are on fire, by the way), Fountain Lady had switched from beer to a mixed drink. She climbed over a low barrier separating the fountains from the seats in left. It was time to get wet.
(Please watch the 1:57 mark of the first video, when Fountain Lady decides to make a break for it.)
One fan at the game has compiled a gallery of close-up photos of Fountain Lady's escapades, including two sad ones of her being led away in handcuffs.
According to KMBZ, after being arrested the woman originally told police she had been pushed into the water.
KC radio station 96.5 the Buzz has been following up all morning on the woman's fate, and discovered that she was charged with trespassing (OK), resisting arrest (sure), and soliciting an officer(!!).
To complete a perfect evening, the Kansas City Police Department tweeted out her mug shot:
A Royals spokesperson today urges fans to not even think about hopping into the fountains.
"It might look funny on websites, but it's a dangerous thing to do. Not only gets you out of the ball park really fast, it's something we want to encourage fans not to consider because somebody could get seriously hurt if they go into the fountain," said Cook.
Sound advice, unless you're Fountain Lady. If you are, do whatever you want to do: a city's heart is yours.