By Donna Capodelupo
With about a month to go beore the big shoes are unveiled as part of the Soles of Haverhill Shoe-la-bration, the public art project is picking up momentum.
Stuart Weitzman, the son of a Haverhill shoe factory owner, has donated $5,000 as a silver sponsor of the event, said Tim Jordan, a member of the Soles of Haverhill Committee.
Weitzman is known as a celebrity shoe designer whose diamond-encrusted sandals regularly show up on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
His father, Seymour, operated one of the last shoe factories in Haverhill.
The money will help support the Shoe-la-bration public art installation being organized by the Soles of Haverhill Committee in conjunction with the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce.
At least 10 fiberglas shoes, more than 5 feet tall and decorated by various artists, will be unveiled during the city's Independence Day celebration on July 3 at Haverhill Stadium.
Among the shoes will be a design by Liz Persing, Merry Mac, the Rollicking River Monster. Conceived by the Discovery Club's fifth-grade class at Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School, the design is of a mint green, scaly river monster with a not-so-scary countenance.
Another shoe, named "Ya Gotta," is decorated by artist Rob Sardella and sponsored by Dr. Alan Gonick, a local dentist.
Sardella's design focuses on the city's history. He has been decorating the shoe at the city's Buttonwoods Museum.
The Shoe-la-bration will continue throughout the summer, with the shoes displayed downtown through October.
At the end of the installation, the shoes will be raffled, with proceeds benefiting local charities and future art projects.
