When February rolls around Cupid's arrows begin to fly, bringing new love and rekindling &uot;seasoned&uot; love.

Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, is a day for lovers and ladies and gents scurry around trying to find that special gift for that special someone.

Cards, candy, flowers, diamonds and even furs say &uot;I love you,&uot; but those gifts are almost &uot;old hat.&uot;

So, for those who want to say those three special words in a very special way, the Heart of Dixie Barbershop Chorus is offering &uot;The Singing Valentine.&uot;

&uot;The Singing Valentine&uot; has been going on with the Barbershop Society for many years, however, it will be making its debut in Troy in 2003,&uot; said Jim Wadowick, a member of the chorus. &uot;The Heart of Dixie Chorus has only been in existence for two years and this is our first year to offer 'The Singing Valentine.' This will be a unique experience for our community.&uot;

The Dixie Cutups, a quartet within in the chorus, will deliver the Singing Valentines to any place, within reason, on Feb. 13 and 14. And, if there are more requests than one quartet can handle, another quartet will deliver the songs of love.

Just imagine your loved one's surprise when the Dixie Cutups appear in the workplace or at the home with a half dozen red roses and singing a song of love.

&uot;We will be wearing Valentine costumes — red vests, red bow ties and straw hats,&uot; Wadowick said. &uot;We've already had one request from a businessman who is going to have all his employees serenaded. And, we're going to sing at a luncheon.&uot;

Song birds are early birds so the Heart of Dixie quarter will be singing songs of love from early morning until 9 p.m. on Feb. 13 and 14 depending on the number of requests.

&uot;The Barbershop Society recommends that we sing only one song, but if we're asked, we will sing another if time permits,&uot; Wadowick said.

The choices of songs of love are &uot;I Love You Truly,&uot; &uot;Let Me Call You Sweetheart&uot; and &uot;Heart of My Heart.&uot;

To send a &uot;Singing Valentine&uot; to your sweetheart, call 566-1664 or 808-8500.

&uot;The Singing Valentine&uot; is a fundraiser for the Heart of Dixie Barbershop Chorus.

&uot;The funds we raise will be used to bring a nationally recognized barbershop quartet to Troy for our fall concert Nov. 1,&uot; Wadowick said. &uot;This year we will have the outstanding barbershop quartet Rip Tide from Atlanta. The public will be invited to the concert, which will also feature local groups. It will be a great event.&uot;

The Heart of Dixie Barbershop Chorus encourages everyone to send singing Valentines this year. They will delight your loved one and also support a worthwhile cause.

Deadline for the &uot;purchase&uot; of this special Valentine is Feb. 9.