Love is in the Air – and the Mail – This Valentine’s Day as Loveland, Colorado Launches 74th Valentine Season

Send your valentines from Loveland or head to the city for the Sweetheart Festival, to get married, lock your love, enjoy wine, beer and more

In Loveland, the nation’s Sweetheart City, valentine season starts now.  The Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Visit Loveland and partners have unveiled details and plans for the 74th year of the valentine program including the Valentine Re-Mailing Program, Sweetheart Festival, group wedding, valentine beer and coffee, love locks and the new valentine wine by Sweetheart Winery. All activities and events happen the first two weeks of February. 

Loveland’s Valentine Re-Mailing Program

The chamber recently unveiled the 2020 official Loveland valentine card and collector’s stamp. Loveland receives more than 120,000 valentines from all 50 states and 110 countries across the world through its Valentine Re-mailing Program, the largest program of its kind. A group of 50 volunteers handstamps the collector’s stamp and postmark onto each individual valentine that comes through the city. 

2020 collector’s envelope artwork, remailing program deadlines announced

The 2020 collector’s envelope artwork was designed by Corry McDowell. It includes the following verse written by Teresa Boynton: “Dan Cupid continues to play his part. Though he doesn’t text or tweet, he knows a Loveland Valentine is a sweeter treat.”

To get this special collector’s envelope artwork and the special 2020 postmark, send your pre-addressed, pre-stamped valentines in an enclosed, larger 1st Class envelope. Then send this envelope to Postmaster – Attention Valentines, 446 E. 29th St., Loveland, CO 80538-9998. Once received, valentines will be removed from the larger envelope and stamped before being re-mailed to its intended recipient. 

All international mail must be received in Loveland by Feb. 1, all U.S. mail must be received by Feb. 7, and all Colorado mail must be received by Feb. 10 to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day. Colorado residents can drop off their valentines at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, 5400 Stone Creek Circle, Loveland, CO 80538 or at either Loveland post office by Feb. 8. Participants are encouraged to send their valentines to Loveland as soon as possible.

2020 valentine card on sale

The Loveland Chamber of Commerce also produces an annual Valentine’s Day card from the works of local artists. The 2020 card was designed by Corry McDowell and honors Colorado’s largest love lock sculpture, unveiled in 2019. The valentine card verse, written by Jeani Bork, is: “The City of Loveland sends a message every day. From a beautiful sculpture, we proudly display. It’s comprised of four letters L, O, V, and E. A welcome to our city, for all to see. Embrace those letters and what they say For ‘Love’ is the reason we have Valentine’s Day.”

Valentine cards can be purchased online at loveland.org for $5 and at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Loveland Visitors Center and other local retailers such as King Soopers, Safeway, Wal-Mart and Walgreens. For a more complete list of retailers and for more information, visit Loveland.org.

Loveland’s Second Love Lock Sculpture

Loveland has unveiled its second love lock sculpture which will sit in the Foundry Plaza downtown for six weeks, through the Sweetheart Festival, before moving to its permanent location along the south shore of Lake Loveland near the American flag and Statue of Liberty sculpture. The 12-foot-3-inch-tall, 14-foot-3-inch-wide steel sculpture is a simple, heart design created and constructed right in Loveland by Doug Rutledge, Beatty Construction Services and Loveland Ready Mix Concrete. 

Love locks sell for $20 at the Loveland Visitors Center, or visitors can bring their own. Locks will also be for purchase during the Sweetheart Festival in the 4th Street Gallery. The love locks can be customized with a paint pen or hand carving to include names and dates of those locking their love. 

Love locks are a symbol of love and commitment that has been inspired by an ancient custom, which is believed to have originated in China – where lovers lock a padlock on a chain or gate and then throw away the key, symbolically locking their love forever. 

Festivals and Events

The Loveland Sweetheart Festival
February 14-15, 2020

Spend Valentine’s Day at the free Loveland Sweetheart Festival Feb. 14-15, 2020. Bring the family or your sweetheart for free fun including a Special Effects Laser Light Show, LIVE entertainment, Palace of Sweets, Kids Street with games and activities, Tunnel of Love, interactive art projects, Sweetheart Classic 4-miler and Little Miss Valentine and Little Mr. Cupid contest. The festival is an extension of Loveland’s 74+ year history in the nation’s Sweetheart City. The festival features something for everyone – families, couples, beer, wine and chocolate lovers, running lovers, art lovers and forever loves. Open 5-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 and 2-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. Lovelandsweetheartfestival.com

Loveland’s Valentine’s Day Group Wedding
Friday, February 14, 4:30 p.m. in the Foundry Plaza
Say “I Do” in the land of love at Loveland’s Valentine’s Day Group Wedding. The wedding features a romantic, candlelit ceremony with music and readings voted on by wedding couples, a customized ceremony, keepsake photos, a love lock for the new love lock sculpture, gift bags, signature wedding cupcakes, and a chance to win a huge gift basket.  Fun Fact: All marriage licenses that get issued from Loveland have a special “Sweetheart City” designation. Valentinesdayinloveland.com.

Lovely Valentine Libations

NEW: 2020 Loveland Valentine Wine

Sweet Heart Winery in Loveland has produced Loveland’s first official valentine wine – a Valentine’s Day 2020 special edition 2017 malbec. Hand-crafted from grape to barrel, this wine reflects all of the love that Sweet Heart Winery put into it – a wine that makes time spent with your valentine that much sweeter. This medium bodied Malbec is a delight with bright red berry aromas on the nose. This fruit forward wine continues to entice with notes of sugarplum, red cherry and black raspberry. With a hint of baking spice and sweet tobacco on the finish, this wine is a pleasure to drink – perfect for sharing with your valentine.There will be 400 bottles of this Special Edition 2017 Malbec available Feb. 1 at Sweet Heart Winery.

2020 Loveland Valentine Beer

The Loveland Chamber of Commerce partners with Grimm Brothers Brewhouse to produce The Bleeding Heart, the official Loveland valentine beer. The 2020 valentine beer is a delicious Baltic Porter brewed with Blackberry and Tart Cherry. The valentine beer will be released to the public Jan. 22 at the brewery, 623 Denver Ave Loveland, Colo, 80537. A second, tap-room only limited release will be available on Valentine’s Day for a special Valentine’s Day beer dinner at the brewery. 

2020 Loveland Valentine Coffee

The Loveland Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Top of the Lake Coffee Roasters to produce the 2020 official Loveland valentine coffee. The Sweetheart Blend 2020 is a Mint Mocha and will be sold at the Loveland Visitors Center. 

Valentine Hotel Packages

• The Townplace Suites by Marriott – Loveland’s first downtown hotel – has a “Leave the key to your heart in Loveland” hotel package for valentine weekend. In addition to a one night’s stay in a luxurious suite and complimentary breakfast buffet, guests will receive a bottle of Champagne, a sweet treat, discounted movie tickets, and a love lock to place on Loveland’s two love lock sculptures. 
• Sylvan Dale Ranch Romantic Sweetheart Getaway packages include a one- or two-night bunk and breakfast package Feb. 14-16 in a cozy fireplace cabin at the ranch complete with a dinner for two, hearty ranch-style breakfasts and access to 3,000 acres of hiking trails, game courts, game room, and horseshoe pits. Trail rides will also be available by reservation weather depending. 

About the Loveland Chamber of Commerce

Founded in 1902, the Loveland Chamber of Commerce is northern Colorado’s “driving force for business.” Comprised of more than 750 local companies, the chamber offers a vast array of educational and networking programs to help its investors, both large and small, gain the skills and resources necessary to thrive and prosper in today’s economy. As a founding member of the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance (NCLA), the chamber also serves as an advocate for business, working on behalf of entrepreneurs to lead and influence local, state and federal policy on issues affecting the unique interests of business in northern Colorado. For more information on the Loveland Chamber, please call 970-667-6311 or visit loveland.org. 

About Visit Loveland

The mission of Visit Loveland is to enthusiastically promote, market and sell Loveland, Colorado as a destination for meetings, conventions and individual travelers, fostering economic development and benefiting and supporting members and the overall business community. It is Visit Loveland’s goal to promote tourism, conventions and related activities within the city by marketing the city and sponsoring destination and community events. Learn more at VisitLovelandCO.com.