With its really big shoe - actually, 14 of them - Haverhill hopes to step up

In 1999, 300 life-sized, fiberglass, painted cows were displayed outdoors around Chicago, launching a public art phenomenon that spread to 50 cities worldwide, including a Cow Parade in Boston in 2006.

Other communities began taking their own approach, such as Moosefest in Bennington, Vt., and the Big Pig Gig in Cincinnati.

In Haverhill this summer, it’s shoes.

Drawing inspiration from the city’s shoe manufacturing history, the Soles of Haverhill project is presenting Shoe-la-bration, a community arts event that includes the installation of 14 5-foot, fiberglass, painted shoes around the city.

An auction of the shoes in October will benefit local nonprofit groups, artists, and cultural programs.

Organizers also hope the art will boost community spirit, rekindle an interest in the city’s history, increase tourism, and bolster the local economy.

“Everyone has been waiting to do this kind of community event, and it’s been great,’’ said Leota Sarrette, cochairwoman of the Soles of Haverhill Committee.

The idea, inspired by the Cow Parade, surfaced in 2002. Team Haverhill, a civic group, developed the premise based on the city’s role as a leading manufacturer of shoes during the 1900s, and got the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce involved.

Grants from a community foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, sponsors for each shoe, and donations raised about $30,000 for the project, said Sarrette.

Using the women’s high-buttoned shoe Haverhill was famous for producing in the early 20th century as a reference, a shoe mold was made by Raymond Paulin of Berlin, N.H.

Local artists teamed with sponsors in choosing a theme and design, then painted the shoes in acrylics. Local auto dealers clear-coated them for shine and sun protection.

The results are vividly colored shoes with themes such as “Shoetown,’’ “Haverhill’s Music History,’’ “Pentucket, Place by the Winding River,’’ and “Sole Sisters.’’

“I think in the economy we have now, it is a really positive step,’’ said Marie Fontaine, a visual arts teacher at Haverhill High School who created one of the shoes with her sister, artist Elissa Dawson. “It shows with a little bit of money and a lot of time and energy, people can do something positive.’’

The design of their shoe, which is sponsored by Lowell Bank and benefits the Haverhill Boys and Girls Club, is “The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe.’’

“I had never done anything like this, anything on this scale,’’ said Fontaine. “And the medium was challenging.’’

She said although they worked 12-hour days for a week to paint the shoe, “it was fun.’’

And, Fontaine said, “Haverhill is kind of an interesting place because it’s like a city, we have somewhat of an urban population, but people here still think like it’s a town. There is a strong community spirit, and I think this really shows it.’’

Elizabeth Persing, an Andover native who now lives in Haverhill’s Bradford section and has created murals displayed throughout the city, painted three of the shoes.

“Before I got involved in the mural project, honestly, I didn’t care about Haverhill history; I just lived here,’’ she said. “But once I started doing research for the murals, it was, ‘Wow, this is really interesting.’ It got me excited about learning more.’’

Persing created one of the shoes, “Merry Mac, Haverhill’s Rollicking River Monster,’’ with fifth-graders in the Discovery Club afterschool program. Teenagers from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Haverhill are interviewing older residents of the city for an oral history project that will be presented at the Buttonwoods Museum.

“They are getting a whole different perspective on the city in which they are living,’’ said Sarrette.

Eric Karlstad, cochairman of the Soles of Haverhill Committee, said the Shoe-la-bration is also being aggressively marketed to people outside the city, with a mailing of almost 5,000 postcards and posters distributed along the commuter rail line down to Boston and north to Portland.

“We thought this would be a nice kick-start to get people to come visit Haverhill,’’ he said, adding that visitors will find a city in resurgence.

“We are not what we were 20 or 30 years ago,’’ he said.

About half the shoes are installed at their sponsor’s location, and half are downtown. They all will be moved downtown in September.

In October, they’ll be taken to the Buttonwoods Museum, where they’ll be on display with an exhibit about the city’s shoe history until the auction Oct. 24.

For each shoe sold, 60 percent of the proceeds go to the corresponding nonprofit, 10 percent to the artist, and 30 percent to community arts and cultural programs.

“I am just encouraged by it,’’ Jim Corcoran of Haverhill said of the project. “My grandparents live in the city and were part of the shoe community. It’s eye-catching and will create some stir and buzz. It’s something to make people take notice of Haverhill again.’’

For more on the Shoe-la-bration, visit www.solesofhaverhill.com.