Winnebago mayor Jean Anderson (left) and Merodee Grannis (right) pose beneath the arches of the first heart of the Winnebago Hearts Project, which stands outside of the Winnebago Municipal Center. The heart is not yet complete, and will eventually have the town motto “Small Town with a Big Heart” written on it.

Even when the Love Winnebago project was first started back in 2021, Merodee Grannis knew she wanted there to be hearts in Winnebago.

“My husband Jim and I started the volunteer program Love Winnebago as a way of reconnecting with our community after the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Grannis recalls. “It started small as a way of helping people out around town, and really was our way of trying to encompass the town’s motto of “Small Town with a Big Heart” and emphasize our pride for this community.”

Five years later, that civic pride has led to the creation of the Winnebago Hearts Project, an entirely donation-based campaign to decorate the city of Winnebago with a series of heart-shaped sculptures created by local artists. The first heart of this series, an eight-foot tall blue heart, now stands proudly outside of the Winnebago Municipal Center.

“Blue Earth has the Little Sprouts, Fairmont has their pigs, and Amboy has cows,” Winnebago mayor Jean Anderson shares. “We always knew that we wanted to have hearts somewhere in Winnebago, and we wanted the community to be able to get involved with their creation.”

Anderson was quick to note that the creation and installation of the first heart, and every other heart created for the project, will be entirely donor-funded, and that the city will not pay for any part of the project.

“The intent behind this project is really to get our local artists involved in the community, and show off their talents in a way that everyone can see and appreciate,” Anderson explains. “We want every single heart that goes up to be unique; different styles and shapes and materials, not all the same like the Little Sprouts or other similar things.”

Anderson and Grannis have already started to plan potential locations for future hearts, including at both the south and north ends of the town, the Muir Library, the swimming pool, the Winnebago Area Museum, and several other spots. The most prominent area these hearts will be on display, however, will be at the Heart Park.

“We already have a location planned out for it – we want this park to go in the empty lot across the road from the library, right there on Main Street,” Grannis reveals. “There will be multiple different hearts located throughout the park, murals painted on the sides of the nearby buildings, maybe a path of heart-shaped stones that leads throughout the area. It’s not meant to be a playground so much as a memorial park, where people can take some time to appreciate the members of their community who put in the work to make this dream a reality.”

While the Winnebago Hearts Project is still in its early stages, Anderson says it’s much more than just away to get the community involved. Rather, it’s an investment in the town’s future; a way to draw new people to Winnebago and help revitalize a once-vibrant town which has stagnated over the years.

“I really want to help recover Winnebago’s lost potential, and help draw more people to stop and check us out,” Anderson shares. “People tend to concentrate on what a town like ours lacks rather than the things we do have, and we have a lot of things here to be proud of. We have a school, a grocery store, a pool, a library, a museum, a bowling alley. I want us to be able to take pride in our community, and celebrate everything that we have to offer.”

Volunteering is a topic which is very close to Grannis’ own heart, as her success with the Love Winnebago program over the years was the direct inspiration for the Winnebago Hearts Project. For her, the emphasis is not only on uplifting the Winnebago community, but showing appreciation for the countless volunteers who donate their time and effort to make projects like this possible.

“The artists for our first heart were Johnathon Hynes and Matt Johnson, and they put a bunch of volunteer time and effort into creating this heart for us,” Grannis explains. “Community participation is an important part of this project because it’s how we spread new ideas and uplift local voices. Volunteering is a gratifying experience – it feels good to help somebody out, and we’re trying to spread that feeling as far as we can.”

Along with her work on the Winnebago Hearts Project, Grannis is also working on revitalizing the Love Winnebago volunteer program, and plans to reopen sign-ups in the very near future. Love Winnebago will also be hosting a spaghetti lunch fundraiser for the Hearts Project on Sunday, March 8 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., with free will donations going towards the construction and installation of more hearts around town.

Anderson and Grannis also noted that this project was very personal for both of them, as they had both grown up in Winnebago, moved away, and returned to their hometown later in life. Between the nostalgia for the Winnebago of their past and their hopes for the future, both are determined to save the town they call home and continue its legacy for years to come.

“Once you live in Winnebago, it’s your hometown forever,” Anderson remarks. “We’ve been getting a lot of donations from people who used to live here and have since moved away, which just goes to show how much people still love this little town and don’t want it to be forgotten.”

“I’ve always said that I didn’t move back to Winnebago just to watch it die,” Grannis adds. “This town has given a lot to us over the years. Now it’s our time to give back.”