Lovelocks and Sculpture in Loveland, Colorado

Though Colorado was not in our original travel plans, we actually welcomed this unexpected diversion to visit with family. We saw nieces and nephews we hadn’t seen in several years, met new additions to the family and had a chance to spend a little time with our youngest son, Brad as well as our granddaughter and grandsons.

In our travels, we spent a day and night in Loveland, Colorado, dubbed American’s Sweetheart City. In fact, David and I were first married in Loveland 32 years ago, so the city has some special meaning for us. We stopped in Loveland’s upscale Visitor’s Center to get our bearings. Hard to believe, but the city has changed in the last three decades.

Loveland, Colorarado … America’s Sweetheart City

We noted that a gargantuan LOVE sign in the front of the visitor center, adorned with ‘lovelocks’. As soon as we entered the building, we saw the locks for sale, complete with an engraving tool and/or metal marker to use for immediate personalization. We couldn’t pass it up. We added our lock to the hundreds already there and tucked away the keys for safekeeping. We plan to add a ribbon to the keys and use them as a new Christmas tree ornament.

A lovelock on the Loveland Love sign and ribboned keys on the Christmas tree

Loveland has a strong commitment to public artwork due in part to a 1985 Arts in Public Places Ordinance that annually designates 1% of the city’s capital projects for the display and ongoing maintenance of art. With additional private contributions from artists, private citizens, and arts organizations, its current collection of 470 diverse works of art is valued at approximately $9.5 million. Pretty impressive!

There seems to be art everywhere... on park benches, electrical cabinets, bike racks and bridges as well as wall murals. Scanning through a brochure we’d just picked up, we keyed in on the Benson Sculpture Garden as a fine opportunity to take a walk as well as check out the myriad of sculptures on display. The garden was much larger than we anticipated with over 160 different pieces to admire. A paved walk encompasses the park and meanders along a myriad of paths with sculptures strategically placed for interesting viewing. We can only imagine how even more beautiful the gardens

There were so many, but take a look at a few of our favorite sculptures...

The Hunt - Rosetta

Triange - Kirsten Kokkiin

Sophie - Tony Hochstetler

Resting on a Rough Sawn Bench - Robert McDermott (with guest appearance by David Lynn)

The Bell Keepers - Bruce Papitto

Gum Drops - Carrie Quade

Big Wish - Linda Prokop

Amoré - Kim Kori

Dragonflies in Composition - Jack Kreutzer

The Actor - Dee Clements

Now where are we off to? Well, as you read this we’ve just arrived in Florida. Originally, that was the tail end of the Great & Fabulous 70th Birthday Road Trip, but, as you know, we rarely stick to a plan. So Blue is resting (and probably freezing his butt off) in Denver while we boarded a flight to sunny Florida. Come on along. It’ll give you a chance to warm up if you’re cold or just enjoy a little respite from the pre-holiday frenzy.