Send Your Love a Special Message Through The Loveland CO Valentine Remailing Program.
Better Yet, Stay In Loveland and Enjoy Reimagined Sweetheart Festivities.
For over 75 years the Loveland Commerce & Loveland Postal Service has partnered to re-stamp the valentines of friends, family, and lovers from around the world.
The program was initiated by Harold Dunning, Rome Dietrich, and others back in the 1940's and 1950's, as a stamp collection program rather than from a sweetheart angle. After years of trying to get the idea off the ground, they realized they needed a boost. Ted Thompson who managed the Rialto Theater at the time and served as president of the Loveland Chamber was asked to help. Ted realized the unique opportunity to share a little love and friendship of Loveland with the people of the USA and the world through a Valentine Re-mailing program.
The program gained nationwide exposure when Guy Lombardo was designated as Honorary mayor of Loveland on February 14, 1950. The Royal Canadians had recorded the song “There’s a Lovely Lake In Loveland” which was featured during the celebration.
Now 75 years later this sweet program is the largest in the nation and still growing!
Valentine Re-Mailing Program
Loveland, Colo., also known as the ‘Sweetheart City,’ has been doing the Valentine Re-Mailing Program for 75 years. Each year, the city and its volunteers lovingly hand stamp and re-mail valentines from all 50 states and more than 110 countries. Many of the ‘Sweetheart City’s’ residents are thrilled about the program, so much so that there is a waiting list of volunteers to stamp and re-mail valentines. Loveland’s Re-Mailing Program has grown to be the largest program of its kind in the United States.
Make your cards even more special by using a Commemorative Love Forever stamp designed especially for the Loveland Remailing program in the Love/Wedding section of the United Postal Service website. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Loveland program, the U.S. Postal Service partnered with the chamber to announce their 2021 love stamp in the nation’s Sweetheart City. The first stamp in the series was issued in 1973. The postal service continues its popular Love series with a new 55 cent forever stamp in 2021 that features a colorful and light-hearted digital illustration created by artist Bailey Sullivan under the direction of the U.S. Postal Service Art Director Greg Breeding, also CEO of Journey Group. The stamp will be available on Jan. 14, 2021.
You can send your own card to the re-stamp program or buy the 2021 card.
The 2021 collector’s envelope artwork was designed by Corry McDowell. It includes the following verse written by Judy Rethmeier: “Let’s unite our hearts this Valentine’s Day. Our Sweetheart City will lead the way.” McDowell also crafted the commemorative 75th-anniversary postmark.
The valentine card verse is:
“For seventy-five years the Sweetheart City, USA has been mailing out valentines with verses to say that you are liked, loved, thought of, or missed, when you can’t be hugged, held, cuddled or kissed.
I may not be able to come see you tomorrow, but Cupid will be there with his bow and arrow to remind you that love is so very grand and that wishes of love are sent from Loveland.”
To send your valentine through the Sweetheart Valentine Re-stamping program follow these instructions:
- Address the Valentine with the recipient’s address
- Stamp the Valentine (with the appropriate postage)
- Place the Valeting in a larger, first-class envelope (be sure you have enough postage as the letter will be returned to you if you don't)
- Stamp the larger envelope and address it as follows:
Postmaster – Attention Valentines
446 E 29th St
Loveland, CO 80538-9998
Deadlines to get your Valentine card stamped with the Cache and delivered by Valentine’s day:
- February 1,2021 for International Mail deadline
- February 7, 2021 Continental U.S deadline
- February 10, 2021 Colorado deadline (within the state)
* Mail for these destinations may be sent after the deadline, but it will not reach the recipient before Valentine's Day.
The Post Office and the Loveland Chamber will not guarantee Valentine delivery on-time after February 10th.
*Note: You are more than welcome to drop off Loveland Valentine's at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, 5400 Stone Creek Circle Suite 200 Loveland, CO
If you would like to see these volunteers in action you are welcome to visit the Loveland Chamber during the first two weeks of February. You can visit and see the volunteers stamp the cache’s and cancellation with love and care.
The volunteers do this with love and care and are entertained by local artists that stop by and sing songs. They also get some stretch breaks where they get up and dance! That's why there is a waiting list of over 100 volunteers hoping to help stamp.
If you participate in the program by sending a card to be stamped, know that the card will be stamped not only with the Sweetheart City cache and cancellation, but it will be done with love from the volunteers in Loveland.
Re-Imagined Sweetheart City Experiences
For 2021, The Loveland Sweetheart Festival has been reimagined into several socially-distanced experiences across the city.
● The Quest for Dan Cupid - A socially-distanced scavenger hunt
What is Valentine’s Day without Dan Cupid? Join our quest during the first two weeks of February to find him and bring him back in time for Valentine’s Day so he can shoot his arrow of love to those across the world from the nation’s Sweetheart City. Start at the LOVE sign and love lock sculpture and unlock clues celebrating the city’s 75 year valentine history on your quest for cupid. The quest is free and open to everyone. Participants will be entered to win the ultimate Loveland experience trip with hotel stay, food, shopping and more. More information available in mid-January at VisitLoveland.com.
● Lights and Art Installations
- Something Red - art installations in downtown Loveland: “Something RED” is an art installation in the Loveland Creative District featuring local artists with their interpretation of the color RED. Something RED challenges participating artists to channel the varied meanings of the color RED. It is the color of action, violence, heat. It is the color of luck, happiness, and passion. RED is more than a color. Patrons can find a map of the installations through the Loveland Downtown District website and visit all the locations. Installations will be in windows and storefronts and will all be visible from the outside- so stroll and view all on your own time throughout the month of February.
- Loveland Lights at Chapungu: Chapungu Sculpture Park in Centerra will be lit up in red and pink lights and sweetheart-themed decor to light up the park from Feb. 1 - Feb. 14 - Loveland’s valentine season. Similar to Loveland Winter Wonderlights, the lighting displays will be free and open to the public from 5-9 p.m. every evening.
- Downtown Mural with Scott Freeman: At the Sweetheart Festival each year, attendees work together to paint and create a community mural that is on display at the corner of 4th Street and Lincoln Ave. The community mural will return with a very special design. Artist Scott Freeman is working with the Loveland Museum to set up a socially-distanced, safe experience for community members to create pieces for the mural. More details about how to participate are to come mid-January.
● Valentine Group Wedding
What could be more romantic than saying "I do" on Valentine's Day in the Sweetheart City? Now more than ever, celebrating love and connection is needed. Loveland, Colorado is known for being the best place in the country to celebrate Valentine's Day. To honor love, My Big Day hosts an annual wedding on Feb. 14 where couples get married or renew their vows with a special custom ceremony and romantic touches, making for a memorable Valentine's Day. Careful accommodations and adjustments are being made for the 2021 wedding which will be held at Chapungu Sculpture Park at Centerra. Tickets go on sale Jan. 1, 2021. Details will be available on the wedding website ValentinesDayInLoveland.com.
● Virtual Valentines Event through Backstage Rialto
The nonprofit arm of the Rialto Theater is sponsoring a Virtual Valentine Event Valentine’s weekend, February 2021. The event will include streaming entertainment from the Historic Rialto Theater and event boxes delivered to ticket buyers. The boxes will contain tasty treats and activities designed to complement the streaming entertainment and create a playful, romantic mood. Proceeds of the event will go to furthering Backstage Rialto’s mission to provide much needed financial support for expanded programming and physical facility improvements at the Rialto Theater. Tickets will go on sale in January. For more information please visit www.backstagerialto.com
● 2021 Sweetheart Classic Race
The 2021 Sweetheart Classic is a staple race in the Loveland community taking place Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Downtown Loveland on 4th Street. Socially-distance start times for waves, no in-person award ceremony, and other safety measures are in place to ensure safe, healthy fun. When on course, participants will enjoy diverse terrain and views, from downtown out to River's Edge Natural Area. Runners can bring a sweetheart and participate together or single runners can be on the lookout for that future running partner. We hope you'll join us for the 2021 Sweetheart Classic.
Lovely Valentine Libations
2021 Loveland Valentine Wine
Sweet Heart Winery in Loveland has produced the Loveland valentine wine - a Valentine’s Day 2021 special edition 2018 malbec. It’s a very romantic image and we’re excited to use it for our 2018 Malbec with a custom-designed, romantic label by local Loveland artist Billie Colson. 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 wine available on Feb. 2 at Sweet Heart Winery.
2021 Loveland Valentine Beer
The Loveland Chamber of Commerce partners with Grimm Brothers Brewhouse to produce The Bleeding Heart, the official Loveland valentine beer. The 2021 valentine beer is a barrel-aged Baltic Porter brewed with vanilla and bourbon.
2021 Loveland Valentine Coffee
The Loveland Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Top of the Lake Coffee Roasters to produce the 2021 official Loveland valentine coffee. The Sweetheart Blend for 2021 is a Gingersnap flavor and will be sold at the Loveland Visitors Center.
Valentines Weekend Hotel Packages and Valentines Dinner to Go Options
Visit Loveland is currently working with lodging partners on sweetheart hotel packages starting at $89 including rooms that include a Love Lock, strawberries, and more. Loveland is also working to compile a Valentine Dining Guide that will include both sit-down and to-go options for a romantic night. Details about these packages will be available mid-January at VisitLoveland.com/SweetheartPackages.