Our little town of Tonkawa, OK, recently saw the exciting completion of Phase 1 of a project called Heart In the Park, or HIP, for short. Tonkawa, is known as the Wheatheart of Oklahoma, as wheat is a major crop in this part of the state. In February, 2006, my other half, Audrey, concieved the idea of a heart shaped labyrinth which would be surrounded by an historical timline of the city of Tonkawa. Long story short, we recently saw the completion of this idea, which is Phase 1, of a larger project.

After researching the construction of labyrinths, our committee of 15 dedicated and hard working volunteers, decided to hire Marty Kermeen to develop and design the labyrinth. Marty is one of the best, if not the best, labyrinth builders in the world. He and his wife Debi own and operate the company Labyrinths In Stone, a division of their parent company, Artistic Pavers.

We found out that it is one thing to talk about a heart shaped labyrinth, and another thing to design one that is actually capable of being built, and retaining the inherent heart shape. Marty made many drawings and they were narrowed down to one. With the assistance of labyrinth historian and author, Jeff Saward, of the UK, Marty presented us with a beautiful design that could actually be built.

Marty and his assistant Jorge Puga, recently arrived in Tonkawa, and 18 days later, the labyrinth was completed. Marty and Jorge are truly amazing to watch. They don't know the meaning of a day off once they start the construction of a project. After seeing them produce this beautiful labyrinth, in only 18 days, and with such care and meticulous perfection, everyone who comes to see the project, during its construction and since its completion, have come away with respect and admiration for what Marty and Jorge have done.

The following images are my attempt to document the actual construction of the labyrinth.

This gallery is under construction, so please be patient with me while I work images and edit and refine. Please enjoy! Your comments and observations are welcomed! Ken