After “planting” thousands of large red hearts during the past three Valentine’s Days at his nonprofit Garden of Cedar in South Scranton, Frank Dubas will do the spectacle again this year but at a different location – next to the Everhart Museum in Nay Aug Park.
The display this year will go on a lawn area next to the Everhart, across from the small pond, he said.
Founder of the community Garden of Cedar lot at 715 Cedar Ave., Dubas said he decided to change the location of the large display of hearts for several reasons. Those include: to just have a change of venue and scenery by making it a pop-up event at the museum; the potential to spur visitors to the array of hearts to also venture inside the museum; and because the park and museum have more parking and winter grounds maintenance that would give the public more ability to access the display than at the smaller Garden of Cedar lot.
“The Garden of Center (Valentines display) is entering its fourth year and has become part of the fabric of Scranton at this point. Maybe it’s time for a pop-up” elsewhere, Dubas said. “I love the Everhart Museum and thought maybe there’s a benefit to both — and they have shoveled sidewalks, parking and public access. So I thought we’d just try a venue where it might be more accessible.”
Dubas founded the nonprofit organization in 2018, began construction of the garden in 2022 and opened it in 2023. The garden features winding, raised planting beds and a planting wall that local residents use to grow their own vegetables. With beds in place in 2023 before growing season, Dubas turned the lot into a sea of red hearts for that Valentine’s Day. That first edition, which had themes of “Scranton is Romantic” and “Scranton has Heart,” was a huge hit in the community and the garden teemed with 1,200 hearts. Dubas and the public so clearly enjoyed livening up the winter landscape with a visual splash that he continued the street-art attraction with larger displays in 2024 and 2025.
Scranton has heart. The nonprofit Garden of Cedar community lot in South Side makes a colorful streetscape splash with its third annual Valentine’s Day display.The property at 715 Cedar Ave. in South Scranton, a project of city resident Frank Dubas, is bedecked with large red hearts on Thursday. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Frank Dubas shows his valentine heart on Jan. 24, 2023. His nonprofit Garden of Cedar community lot at 715 Cedar Ave. in Scranton will again “plant” red hearts in raised beds for Valentine’s Day, after doing the display in 2023 and 2024. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
As he did last year, Dubas will replant some prior hearts saved from years past. He tentatively intends to start putting out the display next to the Everhart on Jan. 21. He expects to end up with thousands of hearts on display outside of the museum.
Dubas will soon post updated information on the Garden of Cedar’s website, gardenofcedar.org and its Facebook page, on how to get a free valentine heart inscribed with names or messages for display.
Everhart Museum CEO Tim Holmes and his family members have participated in prior Garden of Cedar displays by getting hearts inscribed for display there. Holmes, who knows Dubas well, readily embraced Dubas’ idea of moving the display to the museum this year.
“It just kind of struck him that it (the Everhart) would be a cool place to bring it,” Holmes said. “It’s obviously a very easy place to park and see it. And if visitors want to see all the awesome stuff in the Everhart Museum, it’s a win-win. Bring it on over. We love it.”
Sunny skies warmed up Scranton today, as school of Koi swim in the Reflecting Pool at the Everhart Museum.Byline: (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)