Nearly a half-dozen birds, along with dozens of butterflies, bees and various other insects have been found dead in the Kennedy Park fountain. On Aug. 14, the fountain had to be turned off, emptied, cleaned out and refilled, marking the third time in as many weeks that pranksters had poured dish detergent and bubble bath in it.

Larry Krummenacker, who spends a great deal of time beautifying Kennedy Park along with Bill Foley, said his daughter Laura called him after noticing a mountain of suds in the fountain one Friday night after midnight. "I went to the park at midnight to shut down the pump in an attempt to prevent the suds from increasing," Krummenacker said.

A former landscaper, Kummenacker then spent the following afternoon and evening pumping and cleaning out the fountain in order to get it running again. But his efforts were for nil after soap was dumped in again last Wednesday. Once again, Krummenacker cleaned out the fountain but this time his efforts lasted less than a week. On Tuesday afternoon, the fountain was once again filled with soapy water. The Nassau County Police Department has been notified of each occasion.

"It's really discouraging. A lot of time and effort is spent keeping the fountain running and the park nice for all to enjoy," said Krummenacker. "I like taking care of it and hate to see someone disrespect it."

Aside from creating a great deal of cleanup work, the soap is extremely dangerous for the birds and insects. According to Krummenacker, the heavy soap gets on the wings and feathers of the birds, bees and other insects and they can't fly. "They are unable to get out of the soap suds and drown," he said, adding, "People do not realize but it is the wildlife of Hicksville that rely on the fountain. The birds and insects drink the water."

"The culprits may think it's a funny joke but no matter how often they do it I'll keep bringing it back. Too many people in Hicksville and those that pass through our town appreciate the fountain and how it and the park area looks," said Krummenacker.

The fountain at Kennedy Park is open from April to November.