Nothing says romance and love like Valentine’s Day, right? Unless you’re a stamp collector. Then Love can be found in Saskatchewan, Canada. That’s about 260 km north east of Saskatoon. The village of Love, all 12 or so streets of it, is a former railway stop named after CPR conductor Tom Love, so one story goes.
Gateway to the Narrow Hills
Love, Sask – Gateway to the Narrow Hills – population 50, boasts fishing, camping and “challenging golf”. I’m not sure what that means, I find the entire concept of golf challenging. You can also stop in at Cupid’s Coffee Shop, saunter down Cupid’s Way (also known as 1st St. N), enjoy camping, indulge in some shiatsu therapy, visit the Love Barn (not a clue but it sounds intriguing) and Jigger’s Tavern. And most importantly for Valentine’s, the Love Valentine’s Festival. From the looks of things, it’s a good place to go hiking and just chill with nature.
Now, why am I posting about Love & love & Valentine’s Day in a stamp collecting column? Well, the cancels of course!
Valentine’s Day cancels
There has been a post office in Love since 1936. In 1984, it was given permission, by Canada Post, to issue a special Valentine’s day cancel. That’s 34 years’ worth of love to go looking for.
If you are a cancel hound, you can send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the post office where they will cancel it and send it back. Or, if you know a cancel collector and want to surprise them, pop their name onto an envelope and have it sent directly to them.
For anyone who hasn’t done the self-addressed stamped envelope thing, here’s how you do it. Put your name (or anyone’s name for that matter) on the envelope. Put a return address in the top left corner. This can be your address as well. Now, pick out a nice stamp and stick it on the top right corner. Keep everything as tidy as you can so the cover becomes a nice collectable piece.
How to send for the special cancel
It should look like this:
But with a real stamp of course. If you are outside Canada, look up what the postal rate to your country would be (from Canada). The self-addressed envelope must have a Canadian stamp on it. Canada Post’s website will help you find the proper postage. DO NOT SEND A COVER WITHOUT POSTAGE. It will end up in the garbage. Put a piece of cardboard in the envelope to help it keep it shape and seal it.
Now, get a bigger envelope, slide the self-addressed one into it, put appropriate postage on it and send it to:
Post Mistress
Love, Saskatchewan
Canada
S0J 1P0
Please include a short, polite request for a special Love, Sask cancel and thank the Post Mistress for taking the time to do it. Then you wait. It might take a while to get back to you so it’s important to be patient. Oh, and you can also ask about their t-shirts! Now that would be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a stamp collector.
If you’re having difficulties finding a Canadian stamp, drop me a line and we can produce a couple of ideas. Don’t forget to ask at any local stamp stores, buy new ones direct from Canada Post or swap them with someone who has spares.
If you’d like info on Love, check out Tourism Sask.
Or you could email directly to the village for info: TRAVELLER INFO Email: villageoflove@sasktel.net
NOTE: Minor updates made Feb. 4th in formatting and addition of internal link to new articles.
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