Octogenarians Jerry Helfrich and Arlene Brock didn’t want a grand ceremony for their December wedding, just a place that felt right. On a bluebird winter day at the East Gateway Visitors Center in Loveland, surrounded by family and the Rockies as their witness, the pair stood before a towering red sculpture spelling L-O-V-E. After exchanging vows, they sealed their promise with a kiss.

They chose Loveland for a reason. Hugged against the foothills, the city has long embraced its nickname, the Sweetheart City. Around town, sunlight glints off thousands of steel padlocks dangling from bright red sculptures. Visitors snap photos, tracing engraved names and painted hearts. Couples, families and friends make the trip to leave a small piece of their story behind.

In 2019, Loveland unveiled its first love lock sculpture during the annual Sweetheart Festival, a collaboration between Visit Loveland and the Loveland Chamber of Commerce. Held each Feb. 14, the festival draws roughly 10,000 visitors. Downtown fills with live ice sculpting, fire and art demonstrations, a Little Miss Valentine and Mr. Cupid contest, a 4-mile race and celebration.

Today, the city hosts four lock sculptures. The original rises beside the Visitors Center at Stone Creek Circle, beckoning travelers off Interstate 25 and Highway 34. The 10-foot-tall statue spells L-O-V-E and weighs 24,000 pounds. Its back is lined with thousands of locks bearing heartfelt messages. A second heart-shaped structure, more than 12 feet tall, stands at the southeast corner of Lake Loveland on Eisenhower Boulevard and Lake Drive, framing the Rockies in a picture-perfect backdrop.

In 2025, as the original structures began to overflow, the city added two additional sculptures on the southwest side of the Loveland Museum on Lincoln Avenue. Forty red steel hearts form a larger heart with a grid built for padlocks.

Visitors can purchase a lock for $20 at the Visitors Center and paint or engrave the metal. Manager Tanya Bartow provides free engraving tools and watches as she shares a small part in each love story. She’s seen couples commemorate anniversaries, announce baby genders with lock colors and memorialize loved ones who have passed.

Berthoud residents Jerry and Arlene, who met two years ago at a senior dance in Northern Colorado, now count themselves among those stories.

“Arlene picked this location for the emotion that arises when looking at the love statue, wishing it will bring more joy and peace into this world,” said Sue Helfrich, Jerry’s daughter-in-law. “And Jerry? He’ll give Arlene anything her heart desires.”

Now their lock hangs among thousands, a small, shining promise in Loveland’s red steel heart.