Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart" galvanized an online community of millions, called Hearties

Once a year, a lucky few get the chance to actually visit Hope Valley, an early 20th-century town on the Canadian frontier with a church, a school and a big heart. 

Most of the time, the only way folks get to visit is by watching the place on TV. Hope Valley is the set of the Hallmark Channel's "When Calls the Heart," a show that takes pride in the fact that it's something of a throwback.

"There's a real desire for heartwarming entertainment, stories about community and family and love," says Erin Krakow, the series' star. "It hearkens back to a simpler time and it's something that I think all of us really want in our lives."