Love on the River

“Love is the bridge that links our hearts,

Keeping us close when we’re apart.

I always knew, right from the start,

Love is a bridge that runs from heart to heart”

“Love is a Bridge”…Goble/ Howsden
Little River Band….”Monsoon” album
Universal Music Publishing Group

Did you know that San Antonio has it’s own Lovelock Bridge ?

The story goes that back in 2012, local couple Ken and Nita Shaver began a tradition in the Alamo City that has grown to amazing proportions ever since. On their wedding anniversary, they placed the first lock on the chainlink riverside fence, just near the Bexar County Courthouse Wedding Chapel.

Lovelock Bridges and fences can be found in many cities around the world, and are attributed to the custom that originated at Paris’ Pont des Arts bridge.

In San Antonio, from that lone lock in 2012, the local version has grown exponentially over the years. Hundreds of couples declared their love for each other by writing their names on a padlock, attaching it to the fence, and then ceremoniously tossing the key to the lock into the river below, to demonstrate their eternal and everlasting love. Every lock has a love story behind it.

However, over the years, the original walkway near the chapel suffered from cracking and erosion, and there was a fear that the fence could topple into the river below. So, the decision was made to move the lovelocks around the corner to the Kallison Walk Bridge, on a temporary basis, while the walkway was repaired.

This relocation took place last year in early September, and crews from the Public Works Dept. carefully removed the precious locks on the 110’ long fence, so that they all made the journey safely to the new location. Now, those lovelocks adorn a true bridge.

The timeline for the repair work is not known, but the word is that once it is completed, the plan is to return those locks to the original location.

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