…A Location Gem Discovered By Michelle Bryant
Nestled away on I-95 less than 7 miles from the Florida-Georgia state line, about Exit 3 to be exact, you may have seen a sign for Kingsland, Georgia. Kingsland, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is situated in Camden County, Georgia. Kingsland often shares the spotlight with neighboring cities like St. Marys, the oldest city in Georgia, and Woodbine, the county seat. You may have paid no regard to the sign, drove right by without remorse or never heard of Camden County or any of these towns. Or perhaps you recognize the names Cumberland Island National Seashore, Kings Bay Naval submarine base, Orange Hall or Okefenokee National Park? These are all historic vacation spots along what’s known as the Colonial Coast.
What you may not be aware of about this golden nugget of a town is that on Monday, October 31, 2011, Kingsland Mayor Kenneth E. Smith Sr. received a call from BBC Production Company to notify him that Kingsland was one of 40 or so cities in the nation selected as a possible location for an upcoming new production for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) called Lovetown, USA. If selected, the filming for the show would begin in Kingsland, Georgia, in February 2012.
The criteria for consideration to enter and to win was simple. The BBC Production Company was looking for small towns with approximately 15,000 people living in the city. The towns were required to send in love stories, videos of the area and put together a block party for the town to come together and show why they should be chosen.
The overall purpose of the show was to take eight singles on a journey to find true love in their own backyard. It was a one-of-a-kind social experiment that examined the effects love can have on the sole core of one American community. Designed to help the community and the people living in the Kingsland area, its overall purpose was to spread, share and give more love with the people who matter to them, to see what can happen to a community when they are focused solely on love for an extended period. Once interviewed, it was discovered that many within the community had no idea what that mindset even meant, as real life had demonstrated to us that often people isolate themselves from others or some find it challenging to even get along with family members. Others felt it was a wonderful opportunity to come together and show, as human beings, we all have a common thread that binds us and that we do need love and we need each other. In Oprah’s words: “It’s about sharing more kindness, grace and trust. It’s about forgiveness. It’s about letting go of a grudge and paying it forward.”
Once Kingsland was selected, Oprah was delivered to the shores of the community by the Coast Guard and greeted at a rally of town residents with true warmth, respect and Southern hospitality. She began her journey in Kingsland with an encouraging and heartfelt opening speech reaching out to the people of Lovetown stating, “You are the pioneers for showing the nation and the world how it can be done.” She challenged them to use the name of love on purpose for the next 30 days reminding that “there are many different names for love: Kindness is love, grace is love, support is love and forgiveness is love.”
Oprah continued to reach out to the excited crowd by saying, “If you get a gathering of people to come together in the name of love, something magnificent is going to happen. I know miracles happen when you open your heart.”
As typical Oprah, she hit the ground running and began preparations, community gatherings and event planning that would ultimately take place nearly every minute of every day at various locations around the town. A favorite spot was the Love Shack, which was created for people to share personal stories and thoughts on love, forgiveness and the entire experience. As a result of the extensive planning and efforts by the town and Oprah’s staff and crew, some of the more memorable moments occurred during special events that were tied into the show such as: a Lovetown Movie Night, Lovetown Art Walk & Free concert performance by country great Sara Evans. As well, a Miracle League Baseball Game, a Heart & Soul of Lovetown Festival, a Lovetown USA Wedding Vow Renewal and a Lovetown Ball. One of the most memorable impacts in preparing for this adventure was the red hearts. Red hearts were given randomly to people to show love. People would just walk up to strangers in the grocery and give them a red heart. Often people would find them anonymously on their desks, in their lunch, etc. “It was a sort of tangible hug, a warm fuzzy,” said Tonya Harvey, executive director of Kingsland Visitor’s Welcome Center. There were also Love Trees planted throughout the town and many various random acts of kindness being spread and shared.
Being chosen from more than 40 other competing towns, Oprah and her crew experienced the kindness, generosity and hospitality of this quaint coastal community as they filmed for approximately four weeks of long hours and full days. In fact, local radio station personality Randy Horn provided the business license from the City of Kingsland for the BBC allowing them to fulfill any of their business needs hassle free.
In addition to the overall kind morale of the community, many businesses and individuals were impacted by the generosity and love spread. For example, OWN brought in the Harlem Globetrotters to encourage the youth at the local Methodist Boys Home.
The first episode of Lovetown, USA aired on October 30, 2012, and was on the air through January 15, 2013, on the OWN network. Still available are many videos on YouTube sharing various moments, memories and loads of excitement such as: Lovetown’s first singles mixer, reflections of the emotional red-carpet Love Ball event, proposals, lonely hearts speak out and more. They are encouraging, uplifting and overflowing with excitement and enthusiasm. If you need a pick-me-up, we encourage you to watch them. And if you’re on I-95 near Exit 3 in Georgia by the Florida-Georgia line, we encourage you to stop by Lovetown, USA and see all the town has to offer, say hi and feel the love.
There is also a photo opportunity in the front of the welcome center for you to take pictures, so you can tell all your friends that you were in OWN’s fabulous Lovetown, USA!
Visit visitkingsland.com for more information.