LOVE signs are cropping up all over Virginia, and they’ll soon be making their way to Mathews County.

The Mathews Museum and Cultural Alliance, a cooperative effort of museums and nonprofits in Mathews, has been working with Staci Martin of the Virginia Tourism Corporation to develop a marketing campaign for the county. 

The state is revitalizing its highly successful, decades-old Virginia is for Lovers brand, and Martin thought it was a good time for Mathews to get in on the action. Localities are being encouraged to create their own place-themed LOVE signs, and so far, the word LOVE has been written in everything from simple white granite to wine barrels to a banjo and guns.

The Mathews Museum and Cultural Alliance is asking residents to come up with their own designs for the word LOVE, incorporating local color to make the sign uniquely indicate Mathews. Thus far, one design has been submitted, and time is running out. Designs are due by Monday, July 23. A winner will ...