Burlington Sculpture Park Plans Welcome Home Party for Follow Your Heart
Free refreshments supplied by Wegman's of Burlington
The Sculpture Park Committee is hosting a Welcome Home Party for Follow Your Heart on Saturday, July 22, 2023, on the Common near Havoc the Dog (Rain Date: Sunday, July 23).
Follow Your Heart is a favorite of Sculpture Park visitors and he has been missed since the sculpture sustained damage over the winter. Sculptor Mark Wholey retrieved his work and has spent the last couple of months restoring and strengthening the piece so it is now sturdier, but just as cheerful and hopeful as ever.
The Sculpture Park Committee has planned a Welcome Home event worthy of this symbol of hope and optimism. The Committee is asking children and adults alike to bring their instruments - real, toy or homemade - to help us make a joyful noise as Follow Your Heart returns to his place of honor on the Common. If you don’t have an instrument, a pot or pan with a spoon will work too!
Please print and complete the form linked at the bottom of this story to tell us what Follow Your Heart means to you. Many entries will be read aloud at the party, and others will be shared online after the event.
The schedule of events is as follows:
- 10:00 Meet in front of the police station
- 10:10 Join in a kids band to escort our merry friend back to his home on the Common
- 10:15 Watch as Follow Your Heart is re-installed by park founder Jon Sachs.
- 10:20 Join Jon in a sing-a-long to welcome Follow Your Heart back to Burlington
- 10:30 Hear what Follow Your Heart means to your neighbors and friends
- 10:35 Enjoy a Kids’ treasure hunt on the Common!
- 10:45 Wrap up the party with FREE treats from Wegmans!
Follow Your Heart was installed in the Sculpture Park in July of 2020 and quickly became a symbol of hope and love! In May of 2022, Town Meeting allocated funds to allow the Town to purchase Follow Your Heart, and the sculpture was moved to its permanent location on the Common. In March 2023, Follow Your Heart sustained damage. The cause of the injury is unknown, but it may have been caused by extreme weather the night before. Sculptor Mark Wholey restored the sculpture to its original splendor and also added a stronger steel core to prevent future harm to the piece.
The Sculpture Park Committee is grateful to Town Administration which helped secure the insurance funds to repair Follow Your Heart.
The Burlington Sculpture Park is an arts project of the Town of Burlington, Massachusetts. The park is located on Center Street between the Grandview Farm and the Burlington Police Station. Visit www.burlingtonsculpturepark.org for more information.
