Many local folks are ambivalent, or even cynical, about Valentine’s Day

To many, Valentine’s Day has become a rote practice. Cards are exchanged, dinner reservations are made, and flowers and candies are bought at the last minute. The celebration of love, courtship and romance is not always most prevalent.

“I sent one girl a bear, sent two others flowers, and I’m gonna ditch one,” said Cris Fox, of Stansbury Park, speaking about the several significant others he currently has. Fox, who has been married twice but currently is not, travels a lot with work and with his biker group Sober Riders. “Valentine’s Day is not a big deal. I’ll be watching NASCAR.”

Lee Galloway, from Tooele, is part of the Sober Riders as well. He has a girlfriend in Salt Lake, and as for Valentine’s Day plans, “I’d have to ask her.”

For those who have several years of marriage under their belts, Valentine’s has perhaps lost a bit of its spark.

“Usually we would go to dinner or something in Salt Lake,” said Bronson Boswell of Tooele. He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 12 years and have planned a trip to Moab with friends and their two children over the upcoming weekend of love.

“It’s not really a big deal when you’ve been married this long,” Karen Boswell said.

Doug and Kari Sagers have been married for 34 years. They often have Sunday dinner with their five children and 16 grandchildren, so since Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, the difference will be with the heart-shaped sugar cookies.

“When we were younger, Valentine’s Day was more about us. Now it’s more about the kids and the family,” Kari said. “We’re just too tired to go out.”

Scott and LuAnne Banks have been married 22 years and have five children.

“We’ll still give each other gifts,” Scott said. “We like to celebrate.”

Their plans span the whole weekend and will include the BYU basketball game on Saturday.

John Brewer has the charge of planning Valentine’s every year for him and his wife, Susan. They have been married for 24 years.

“It’s still a big deal for us,” he said. “I try to make it special.”

This year the Brewers will be attending a church-sponsored function as part of their Valentine’s weekend.

Those without lovers, those with plenty and those with experience may not spend Valentine’s Day in the throws of romance, but perhaps young love may be where Valentine’s Day is most vibrant.

“Maybe we’ll go to dinner and a movie,” said Joey Nix, who recently became engaged.

Over Christmas, Nix asked his girlfriend, Teri, to be his wife. They’ve been dating for more than a year, and will be married Aug. 9. They’ll be celebrating their second Valentine’s Day together.

“It’s not really a big deal,” he said. “Maybe it’s because I’m a guy. She might have different feelings.”

Relationships are certainly not constant. Marriages, divorces, breakups and blind dates happen every day. So for those without a special someone, the saintly holiday may be less about romantic love and more about love of family and friends.

Friends Kristie Bullock, Angela Childs and AnnaMaria Weyland don’t have any respective romantic plans for Sunday.

“We each wish we could find a good guy,” Bullock said.

Instead they’ll be buying candy and gifts, and spending time with their families.

“We’ll usually make Valentine’s Day fun for the kids,” Childs said.

Robby Poffenberger, a junior at Tooele High School, doesn’t have a valentine. But he is planning on giving several friends and family anonymous gifts to celebrate.

“I think people are overly cynical about it,” he said. “And that’s coming from a guy with a lot of bad Valentine’s Day experiences.”

His friend, Jenna Morgan, a senior at Tooele High School, agrees.

“People get too bitter about it just because they don’t have someone,” Morgan said.

She doesn’t technically have any Valentine’s Day plans, but she thinks one beau may be writing her a song for the special day.

“I tried that once,” Poffenberger said. “She didn’t talk to me for two weeks.”

Valentine’s Day has been around for hundreds of years. Initially instituted by Pope Gelasius I in 496 A.D., the holiday has since evolved, localized and been personalized. For Tooele County residents, love — in one form or another — seems to have done the same.

Scott Spjut: scottspjut@tooeletranscript.com