Herky on Parade 3.0 comes to an end during next week's FRYFest celebration

Herky is on the move.

The 101 Herky statues scattered across the area will say goodbye next week as the third edition of Herky on Parade comes to a close.

Each statue will be gathered and cleaned throughout the week in preparation for a public showcase during FRYFest on Friday, Aug. 30 in the Iowa River Landing .

“The memories that families make while visiting all of the Herkys will last a lifetime,” Think Iowa City President Josh Schamberger said. “We are so proud of the collaboration our cities, schools, county, sponsors, and the University of Iowa have with our artists to make this as great as it can be.”

The statues were unveiled and placed throughout Johnson County on May 1. Different variations include the Ninja Turtles, Caitlin Clark, Transformers, Willy Wonka and Homer Simpson.

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20 statues to be auctioned off

Eighty-one Herky Statues will be given to their respective sponsors and artists. The other 20 will be available in a silent online auction that starts Friday and ends Sept. 6.

All proceeds will go toward the art programs in the local Iowa City and Clear Creek Amana school districts. A few of the 2024 Herky on Parade statues were designed by local art students.

"Herky On Parade is the largest participatory public art event in the state of Iowa," Schamberger said.

'It is only fitting that our local art programs will benefit from the strength and popularity of Herky the Hawk."

Think Iowa City, which conducted the design contest and hosted various Herky on Parade events, previously announced a bobblehead series collaboration with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Herky on Parade 3.0 comes to an end during next week's FRYFest celebration