A railroad, a carnival, and a coup against the town sweetheart — Hope Valley's never been messier!
From celebrated author Janette Oke comes a rigorous and romantic adventure as epic as the wide frontier. Erin Krakow , Daniel Lissing, Jack Wagner and Lori Loughlin star in When Calls the Heart: The Heart of the Community. The arrival of the railroad brings growing pains for Hope Valley, and Elizabeth finds she doesn't have enough school supplies for all of her students. Rosemary helps her settle on the idea of a carnival to raise funds. But also "helping" is Ray Wyatt, the railroad representative, who launches a campaign to replace Elizabeth as Hope Valley's schoolteacher! Meanwhile, Abigail tries to find a balance between good business and what's good for the town, and Frank, Bill and Jack find their hands full after the Tate brothers break out of jail…and begin their own campaign to rob the bank!
Acting
Krakow's Elizabeth radiates stubborn optimism under pressure
Production
Charming carnival set pieces that scream 'we built this!'
Writing
Ray Wyatt: villain you love to hiss at during commercial breaks
Director
Neill Fearnley
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 2017 special was part of Hallmark's 'Heart of' movie series, bridging seasons 4-5 during the show's peak popularity.
The railroad-as-villain trope here mirrors actual 19th-century tensions; towns really did fear losing identity to progress.
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