Loveland’s Valentine Ladies: The History of a Beloved Local Tradition

A Valentine Lady is a woman who has distinguished herself by her commitment and involvement in the community, and like a Marine … once a Valentine Lady, ALWAYS a Valentine Lady.

The Loveland Valentine Lady tradition began in 1972, when Dr. Roland Boike introduced the idea & coined the phrase “There is nothing in this world so sweet as love.”  His secretary, Doris Pfiester, volunteered to stamp all cards, which Doris did until 1988 when her daughter, Ruth, took over the stamping. Later that year, the Loveland Chamber of Commerce began an official Valentine Lady program, featuring a new Valentine Lady each year, beginning in 1989. Our 2026 Valentine Lady is Cynthia Tait, the 39th lady to receive this honor.

2026 Loveland Valentine Lady Cynthia Tait

The first step in becoming a Valentine Lady is to be nominated; all nomination letters are due to the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance in November of each year. The Valentine Program Committee reviews all nomination letters and then votes on who has distinguished themselves through their commitment and involvement in our community.

All Valentine Ladies are different, but we have one thing in common: we love our community and love being involved and helping it. That common thread truly makes us Valentine Sisters.

The first, and one of the most rewarding, responsibilities of a Valentine Lady is visiting various Loveland schools (pre-K through 4^th grade) during the first two weeks of February. Each Valentine Lady chooses her presentation topic. This year, Cynthia Tait will discuss “You can be a storyteller too.” We also visit Magnolia Springs Assisted Living & Memory Care Unit and The Lodge Retirement Community.

There is an annual Valentine Breakfast at the Oasis club every year in February, which is a great representation of the Chamber’s Valentine Program …

• The new Valentine Lady, Cynthia Tait, will be there along with all the other Valentine Ladies.

• The new Valentine card is shown, and the artist who created the artwork is introduced. This year, the artist is Lynn Oury. Each year, the design and artist are different, but the message is always the same: “There is nothing in this world so sweet as love.”  

• There is a Valentine poetry contest for all ages.  The winners read their poems at the Valentine breakfast. 

This breakfast, always the Friday before Valentines Day, is a wonderful opportunity to see and feel what the Valentine Program is all about.

Artist Lynn Oury with her winning card design

I can’t forget to mention the Post Office tradition. People make it a point to send their Valentine Cards to family and loved ones every year with our hand-stamped cachet, “There is nothing in this world so sweet as love,” and the hand-stamped postmark from Loveland, Ohio. This really is a sweet Loveland tradition. We stamped 2,900 cards in 2025.  Cards were mailed to every U.S. state and six foreign countries (Austria, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Virgin Islands).

Stamping Valentine cards at the post office is a fun activity and a wonderful way to connect with our community. And you don’t have to be a Valentine Lady to participate! In fact, we always need more volunteers as the demand grows. Contact the Little Miami Chamber Alliance if you are interested in volunteering during the Valentine season, and being part of this Hallmark-worthy experience of Loveland.