Tamaqua's hearts are on display in the windows of the former Scheid's Building in Downtown Tamaqua, all dressed up and ready for their big gala on Sept. 28.

The gala will be the finale of an almost two-year-long public art initiative, the "Tamaqua Has Heart" project.

It was the successful "Dear Tamaqua" project in 2015 that provided the first beat for the heart project.

Volunteers and staff members of the Tamaqua Community Art Center put a lot of time, thought and effort into the Dear Tamaqua project and wanted to keep the momentum going.

Volunteers Kyle Whitley and Wandie Zammer Little remembered similar public art initiatives and began plotting ways to bring the project to life. With the full support of the art center, the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership and Rural LISC, the heart beat strengthened.

Local artists picked up the tempo, submitting designs to change the white fiberglass hearts into individual "canvases." The heartbeat faltered a bit when it appeared there wouldn't be enough sponsors to make the project worthwhile, seemingly placing the initiative on life support.

That's when 92-year-old Flossie Fegley and her daughter, Lynn Fegley Meadows, provided their own brand of CPR.

The women were attending a candy making class at the art center when Fegley caught a glimpse of the display heart. She immediately agreed to become a sponsor.

Her excitement and enthusiasm inspired her daughter. Lynn looked for ways to breathe more life into the project, then challenged her former high school classmates to pool resources for another sponsorship. The Tamaqua Area High School Class of 1978 took up that challenge, then expanded on it.

Their enthusiasm created an almost electric atmosphere around the hearts, attracting more and more sponsors who provided the needed jump-start. The heart project continued to gain strength and made a full recovery.

Artists and sponsors met this past February and the designs were selected. It was then up to the artists to have the hearts completed in time for Memorial Day.

Tamaqua Borough workers installed the completed hearts at various downtown locations and a "tour" was held in June.

The structures remained on display until Labor Day, when they were carefully transferred to the windows of the Scheid's building, 24 W. Broad St. There they sit, all dressed up, waiting to see where they go next.

Their individual fates will be determined at the gala. Registration will begin at 6 p.m., while the auction is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tickets are required. For more information, call 570-668-1192.

All but one heart will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

That lone heart, which is covered in the handprints of people from throughout the greater Tamaqua area, is known as "The Heart of the Community." It will remain in Tamaqua, to be placed near the Tamaqua Train Station, as a permanent reminder that "Tamaqua is the small town with a big heart."