Herky on Parade sculptures coming down next week

The 101 Herky on Parade statues placed throughout Johnson County will be removed next week.

All of the statues will be brought together in a final display Aug. 30 during FRYfest in Coralville inside the Coralville Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center.

The statues have been on sale for $5,000 each throughout the summer. The remaining 20 Herky statues will be sold during a silent auction, available at https://tinyurl.com/4jmkedrv. Online bidding begins 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 23, and ends 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6.

Proceeds from the auction will go to art education programs in the Iowa City Community and Clear Creek Amana school districts.

“Herky On Parade is the largest participatory public art event in the state of Iowa. It is only fitting that our local art programs will benefit from the strength and popularity of Herky the Hawk,” Josh Schamberger, president of Think Iowa City and organizer of Herky On Parade, stated in a news release.

The public art project was a collaborative effort between Iowa City, Coralville, Tiffin, Solon, North Liberty, Think Iowa City, Iowa City Area Sports Commission and University of Iowa Athletics

This was the third installment for the 6-foot-tall Herkys on Parade. The first one was in 2004, the second in 2014, and the third this year.

One of this year’s statues was “From the Logo Herky,” referencing the unparalleled three-point shots that cemented Caitlin Clark’s GOAT status. Clad in a “22” jersey and yellow Nike shoes, the statue is not for sale. It’s going to Clark one of these days.

The statues were painted by local and regional artists in a variety of designs, ranging from “Lunch Lady Herky” to “Tooth Fairy Herky.”

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Herky bobbleheads, posters, trading cards

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, in partnership with the University of Iowa and Think Iowa City, are releasing limited edition Herky on Parade bobbleheads.

The set features 25 replicas of Herky on Parade statues and a “Paint Your Own Herky” bobblehead. Each design is limited to 2,024 bobbleheads.

Individual bobbleheads are $40 each, plus shipping. The whole set costs $1,000.

Also, Panini America and Donruss plan to produce trading cards of each Herky statue. Posters of the Herky statues are available at the Think Iowa City office, 900 First Ave./Hayden Fry Way in Coralville.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com