The Tamaqua Has Heart project has reached the point where it is no longer a concept. It is now in full-blown production after sponsors, artists and organizers met on Jan. 24. The sponsors chose from several sample designs submitted by the artists. It was also a chance to see the actual 39-inch fiberglass hearts and envision what they will look like once completed.

Some artists submitted two selections to choose from, while others had three design concepts. Sponsors were asked to voice their thoughts on why they selected a particular design, while the artists had the opportunity to explain the thoughts behind the designs.From the days of coal and steam trains, to the area’s patriotism, to Tamaqua’s past, present and future, the designs all had a story to tell, including one created by Suzanne Dalton, which depicted the area’s fight against heroin addiction. Micah Gursky, St. Luke’s Miners Campus Rural Health Clinics administrator, said the hospital chose that design as it deals with the health of the community, a prime concern of St. Luke’s.“Drug addiction is a health problem. It makes sense for the hospital to choose a health-related design,” Gursky said.The area’s history was depicted in designs by Joe Evanousky, also known as the “Coal Region Artist.”Evanousky’s design was selected by Mike and April DelBorrello of Cyan Sky Copier Technologies of Schnecksville.Mike DelBorrello said the “design brings back a lot of memories.”Missy Amershek, Dan Odorizzi and Lori Hudak, representing the Tamaqua Area Class of 1992, couldn’t resist the collage of local landmarks designed by Susan Sidoriak.“We can recognize each and every one of those places. That really showcases Tamaqua,” Amershek said.Artist Lori Remmel, a teacher at Tamaqua Area High School, explained her design as a merging of the old and new Tamaqua. She will start with old photos of Tamaqua landmarks, then merge them with current photos of those same place.“It’s a type of reinventing landscapes,” she said.The artists now have several months to transfer their designs to a fiberglass heart. The hearts will be strategically placed in the downtown area, creating a walking tour from the Tamaqua ABC Hi Rise in the 200 block of East Broad Street to the Tamaqua Elks Building in the 300 block of West Broad Street.Organizers Kyle Whitley and Wandie Zammer-Little plan to have the hearts in place in time for the Memorial Day weekend.A gala event will be held on Sept. 28, when the hearts will be auctioned as a fundraiser for the Tamaqua Community Art Center. One heart, “the Heart of the Community,” which is covered with handprints from residents and visitors, will remain in Tamaqua. It will be permanently displayed in the area of the Tamaqua Train Station, sponsored by the Tamaqua Station Restaurant.A last-minute addition to the project came when Lehigh Carbon Community College agreed to sponsor a heart with a design still to be created by Karen Clark, an assistant professor for LCCC’s School of Health Care Science, and Kimberly Burkette, a teacher at Panther Valley High School.Larissa Verta, dean of Science, Engineering and Math at LCCC, says the two women are creating a design based on an educational theme.“It will show the community that art is not just for artists. it’s for everyone.”Maureen Donovan, associate director of LCCC’s workforce Development Program, said, “LCCC has been around for 50 years, in Schuylkill County since 2002. We look for community partnerships to represent what education means to a community. You don’t have to leave Tamaqua to get a quality education or fulfill a dream of having a career in the arts.”Additional funding for the project comes from sponsor Sank Griffiths and Rural LISC.More information is available on the Tamaqua Has Heart Facebook page.