Your Sweet Time: Find the Valentine’s Day Vibe in Loveland

Still thinking about plans for you and your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day? No worries. You’ll find plenty of options in Loveland. In addition to Loveland’s internationally known Valentine’s remailing program (stay tuned, more on that later), there’s a whole holiday atmosphere in “The Sweetheart City” whenever February 14 gets near.

First, there’s the free Loveland Sweetheart Festival
the weekend before Valentine’s Day, Feb. 11-12, 2022. You’ll find activities for lovers of all kinds – beer lovers, chocolate lovers, music lovers, running lovers, art lovers, and more (including a special effects light show) The festival runs on Friday, Feb. 11, from 5 p.m.-9 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 12, from 1 p.m.-9 p.m.

If you’re a runner, sign up for the annual Sweetheart Classic
four-mile race, which starts downtown at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. There’s a special rate for couples, and a newly designed racecourse will take participants along the River’s Edge Natural Area.

Another featured attraction is the Valentine’s Day Wedding & Vow Renewal Ceremony, in which couples can get married or renew their vows. Fittingly, the event is held next to the giant LOVE sculpture at the Loveland Visitors Center. The ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14. Couples need to register in advance

If you’re in town for the Festival, you won’t miss the hundreds of wooden hearts that are decorating Loveland light poles as part of the Sweetheart City Hearts Program. For more than 40 years, the Loveland Thompson Valley Rotary Club has been arranging for the hearts, each bearing personalized Valentine’s Day messages, to show the love. The hearts are stenciled by local students, and proceeds from the heart sales help children locally and abroad through the Thompson Valley Rotary Club. If you want to buy a heart for 2023, you can make an order starting on Dec. 1, 2022.

In addition to events around town, you can also purchase official Sweetheart City products for the big day. Our friends at Visit Loveland compiled a list of all the festivities, lodging specials, and unique gift ideas – including an official wine, beer and coffee – to add to your Valentine’s vibe.

Now, more about that Valentine’s re-mailing program. According to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, locals have been re-mailing Valentine’s cards and letters with a Loveland postmark all around the world since 1947. So far, the postings have gone to all 50 states and 110 different countries. And this year, more than 100,000 envelopes will be sent with Loveland’s specially designed Valentine’s cancellation stamp. The program was started by the Loveland stamp club and is now operated by the Loveland Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Postal Service.

There’s still time to take part this year. So, after work or on your lunch break, find your way to either Loveland Post Office – 446 E. 29th St. or 601 Cleveland Ave. You have until February 10 to drop off a card or letter in the red mailbox in the lobby.