LOGAN – Life at Bluebird Candy Co. is a busy place leading up to Valentine’s Day; there are people going in and out of the store buying candy as an expression of love.
When Lonnie Anderson, the self-professed King of Valentine’s Day, his wife and his entourage walked into the store located 75 W. Center Street in Logan, things got really crazy. They even had a red carpet for him and his wife to walk on as they entered the store.
The Albuquerque, NM resident was coined the King of Valentine’s Day for coming up with creative, inexpensive and outlandish ways to show affection to his wife, Anne, on Valentine’s Day. He said he’s been doing it for 30 years.
The entourage was mostly journalists possibly looking for a Valentine’s story. Video and still camera operators followed Anderson and his wife Anne as they walked into the store and the tour that came after.
Even Justin Hamiliton, owner of the candy factory, came by to take the Andersons through the Bluebird Candy Co. and tell the history of the place that began making chocolates in Logan as early as 1914.
“Some of these people have been working here a long time,” he said. “Teresa Varner over there dipping raspberries has been working here for 30 years and her mother worked here for 47 years.”
All the candy begins in the backroom, he told the crowd. They use the same copper kettles they have used since the beginning of the store.
Nora Lopez was covering cinnamon hearts in chocolate on a conveyer system.
“I’ve been working here four years,” she said. “I like working it here.”
Michael Bingham of Jump the Moon Studio, a place where people with all abilities can create art, had the people he works with make a huge heart-shaped medallion like the ones they make at Christmas time. The large heart made of candy had “Anne” in large white letter inside of it. There was also a bunch of hearts decorated to go along with the big one. They filled a window of Bluebird Candy Co.
Valentine’s hearts were also in other windows of the store with names and sayings on them.
Bingham said he went to a lecture at Utah State University given by Anderson a few years ago and he took notes. The artist said something that he said stuck with him.
“Live your life so it makes an interesting story,” Bingham recalled. “That struck a chord with me and I wrote it down.”
Bingham said Anderson has a positive message about love and how it can change the world.
He works at a nonprofit in New Mexico that helps at-risk youth and he felt like a lot of bad things were happening in the news and Anne inspired him to spread love around the world.
Over time, Bingham and Anderson became friends through social media and thought about collaborating on one of his Valentine’s spectaculars.
“He came down here and saw the Christmas Medallions in the window,” Bingham said. “He was impressed and that’s when we decided to make the large heart-shaped medallion made with candy.”
Anderson has been on local and national television programs spreading his message of love.
Bingham also designed a trophy made from candy and gave it to the Andersons with the inscription “King and Queen, Valentine’s Day Champions of Love.”