PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations Phone: 202-268-2155
January 30, 2004
www.usps.com
Release No. 04-007
'LOVE-THEMED' POSTMARKS SHOW YOU REALLY CARE
Limited-time Offer only Available through Romantically Named Post Offices
WASHINGTON, DC - The Postal Service is offering love-themed postmarks on Valentine cards and letters from a dozen love themed communities across the nation, and they are easy to obtain.
"A Valentine card or letter postmarked in communities such as Loveville, MD; Loveland, CO; or Valentine, VA., to name a few," explained Consumer Advocate Francia Smith, "tells recipients they're really special. It also chronicles it as a timeless keepsake to make it as special as the correspondence itself."
Smith said the Postal Service's Valentine Postmark re-mailing program allows anyone, anywhere, to obtain a "Love" postmark. Simply enclose pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes (envelopes should each have 37-cent postage, postcards 23-cents for up to 6 by 4 and ¼ inches; 37-cents for large postcards) and mail in a large stamped envelope to:
Postmaster
(Town Name) Valentine Re-mailing
City, State ZIP Code
Customers can use a larger envelope and mail their envelopes using Express Mail Service (1-2 day delivery); or Priority Mail Service (2-3 day delivery) to expedite delivery.
Go online to find Love online
"All it takes is a click of a mouse to send love from your house," she added. "Customers who are among the 70 million households with access to the web can view love-themed postmarks of a dozen communities at the world's largest Post Office -- usps.com."
Once there, Smith said customers can obtain mailing labels and buy postage for Priority Mail and Express Mail service and avoid a trip to the Post Office by handing their packages to their letter carrier. Delivery Confirmation is provided at no extra charge when postage for Priority Mail is purchased online.
Unless otherwise indicated, out-of-state Post Offices should receive Valentine cards for postmarking and re-mailing by Tuesday, February 10. In-state Post Offices need to receive them by Wednesday, February 11 for delivery by Valentine's Day.
It's important to include a return address and ZIP Code. If you don't know the ZIP Code, don't guess: call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go online to www.usps.com.
Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 141 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $68.5 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume-some 202 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves seven million customers each day at its 38,000 retail locations nationwide.
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Editor's Note: While there are many communities bearing "loved-themed" names, the following is a listing of Post Offices that are offering special postmarks this year. Except as noted, media should contact the local postmaster.
Bliss, NY 14024 -- Postmaster Rosemary Phillippi (585-322-7740) who runs this one-person office says that last year she applied a special pictorial cancellation for Valentine's Day on more than 2,000 envelopes. Her average daily cancellations are 200. This year she will personally apply the unique postmark depicting a cloud bearing the inscription, "Love on a Cloud." The postmark also depicts a shooting heart with stars along the top and bottom. This postmark is available from February 14 through March 14, 2004, only. The media contact is Maureen Marion (315.452.3582).
Heart Butte, MT 59448 -- Acting Postmaster Donel Hall (406-338-2399) is offering a pictorial heart in red ink with a ribbon postmark of Heart Butte during the entire month of February. The Heart Butte Post Office receives several hundred Valentine postmark requests per year.
Juliette, GA 31046 - Postmaster Delores Molton (478-994-6611) says customers can receive a pictorial postmark illustrating Romeo and Juliet with the Juliette, GA, cancellation. Cards must be submitted by February 10 for delivery by Valentine's Day. For additional information, contact Jean Wilkes at (478- 752-8743).
Loveland, CO 80538 -- Loveland Information Clerk Bob Tholl (970-663-3010) says customers can receive a Cupid cachet, love verse and pictorial heart-shaped Loveland postmark. Loveland normally receives an average of 35,000 cancellation requests per day throughout Valentine season, making it the world's largest Valentine remailing program. Loveland receives more than 200,000 Valentines annually from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Senior citizen volunteers do the hand-stamping of the Cupid cachet and love verse.
Loveville, MD 20656 - Postmaster Eva Hall (301-475-5243), who operates the one-person Post Office in rural Southern Maryland, says her daily volume of 1,200 cancellations increases six-fold to 7,200 daily a week prior to Valentine's Day. During this time Hall brings in a clerk whose sole job is to hand-cancel Valentine cards with a unique postmark that depicts Cupid shooting an arrow through a heart. The Cupid postmark is available February 1-14 each year.
Loving, NM 88256 - Postmaster Charlotte Brewer (505-745-3611) says that Loving's special pictorial postmark, available February 1-14, consists of lovebirds sitting on top of a heart over the inscription "Valentine's Day Station." Loving is a small community with a population of 1,400 located near Carlsbad Caverns. Postmarks increase from 500 on an average day to 4,000 before Valentine's Day.
Romance, AR 72136 -- Postmaster Nancy Schnebelen (501-556-5911) reports that two of approximately ten weddings held in the lobby last year were on Valentine's Day. Schnebelen says mail volume increases dramatically during the spring months of April through June as a result of couples wanting the "Romance" cancellation on their wedding invitations. The Romance Post Office postmarks about 400 letters on a given day. Two weeks prior to Valentine's Day that increases three-fold to about 1,300 daily. When necessary, Schnebelen schedules her postmaster relief to assist her in hand-canceling each special piece of "romantic" mail. This year's cancellation portrays a dove trailing a ribbon from its beak, with the ribbon's inscription: "Love is in the Air."
Romeo, MI 48065 - Postmaster Alex Stubbs III (586-752-3823) says customers can receive a pictorial postmark illustrating Romeo and Juliet with the Romeo, MI, cancellation.
Sugar City, CO 81076 - Postmaster Patty McGee (719-267-3333) says the request for the pictorial postmark bearing the description "Sugar City - The sweetest town around," generates several hundred Valentine postmark requests a year.
Valentine, NE 69201 - Postmaster Rick Bordeaux (402-376-1540). A special postmark featuring the words "With Love on Valentine's Day" is available February 1-15. He reports that Valentine's daily average of 3,500 postmarks each day increases to 20,000 daily two weeks prior to Valentine's Day.
Valentine, TX 79854 -- Postmaster Maria E. Carrasco (432-467-2912) operates the Love Station of Texas. Since 1993, students from grades 7 through 12 compete to see whose artwork will be used on that year's special cancellation stamp, and each year the cancellations has been different. Carrasco, with the help of her postmaster replacement, will hand- stamp cards and letters February 1-14. In 1994, a record 39,000 pieces from all over the world received the Valentine postmark. On an average day Carrasco postmarks approximately 100 cards and letters. Two weeks prior to Valentine's Day, that number increases to 1,000 to 2,000 daily.
Valentines, VA 23887 -- Postmaster Denise Evans (434-577-2456), who runs the one-person Post Office, says her daily average of 100 cancellations jumps about 400 times to 40,000 two weeks prior to Valentine's Day. During this time, Evans brings in her postmaster relief for the sole purpose of hand canceling Valentine cards with a unique postmark depicting a red heart with several flowers around the heart. The red heart postmark is only available mid-January through Feb. 14 each year.