Hand painted shells form a heart near the Ventnor Fishing Pier.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The beach is a great place to stroll with your loved one any time of the year. But on Valentine’s Day this year, the beach near the Ventnor Fishing Pier will be the place for lovers.
Loosely organized by resident Jackie Phy and modeled after a similar project organized last year by Peggy McGann, the beach heart project is gradually getting more and more attention this week.
“It’s not a regimented thing,” Phy said. “Peggy and I are just two local folks that wanted to spread the word about people coming together to make the heart this weekend.”
Phy, who in December 2020 moved to the North Beach section of Ventnor from Philadelphia, called it a “free-form, eco-friendly community art project to evoke good vibes and bring a smile to people’s faces.”
The project is one way she can use her marketing skills to promote the city she has fallen in love with.
“I’m in deep smit with Ventnor,” she said. “I love it here.”
Over the Christmas holiday, a similar project organized by the Little Rock Elves, put up a community evergreen tree on the beach at Little Rock Avenue with decorations gleened from nature.
Phy posted flyers around town asking residents to contribute to the Ventnor seashell heart over Feb. 5-6 weekend, but the seashell heart located at the base of the dune just south of the pier is still growing day by day.
The site was selected because it is easily accessible from the pier and away from the ocean waves at high tide. In past years, the site hosted a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day and a peace sign, she said.
On Wednesday, Linda Ferri stopped to check out the carefully painted seashells, some painted by Ventnor City Firefighters, children, and others in memory of loved ones.
Ferri said she would have her granddaughter, who recently arrived with her parents from Ukraine, paint a heart to place on the display.
“I’ll have her write ‘let there be peace in Ukraine,’” she said.
A Margate woman on a beach walk noticed the heart and wrote the name of a friend who passed away just that day – Tom Dugan, also of Margate.
Phy said she painted eight of the shells that simply spell out the city’s name in pink and purple. PJ Buckets seafood restaurant on Dorset Avenue also painted some shells for the project.
Each of the shells is as unique as their natural form, with some carrying messages of hope, love and peace.
Phy said she is excited to see how big the heart will gro over the Valentine’s Day weekend and encourages residents or those just strolling along the beach to contribute to the project, either with a hand-painted or decorated shell or something they picked up from nature.
“Maybe next year, we can select a non-profit to support, either by buying shells or making a donation,” she said. “We can make it a “grow your love” theme.
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