Love’s Labors Are Found in O.C. for Valentine’s Day : Romance: While some are going traditional route, others find more heartfelt and offbeat ways to mark day.

The mere mention of Valentine’s Day in Orange County this year can conjure up images of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, red silk boxer shorts, popping The Question to a loved one, the death penalty . . .

The death penalty?

It’s not the predicted outcome of a failed romance, but the driving theme behind one of the many unusual observations planned to mark Feb. 14 in Orange County. Other observances include a surprise proposal of marriage from atop a rented white horse to a display of affection for Laguna Canyon’s trees.

Some authorities trace St. Valentine’s Day to an ancient Roman fertility ritual that is far removed from today’s practice of celebrating with cards, candy and romance. The history of the saint for whom the holiday is named is also vague, although legend and history hold that Valentine, a physician and Christian priest, was unceremoniously beheaded by the Romans on Feb. 14 in the year 269.

“He was executed, and not many people know that. It’s not very romantic,” said Denise Gragg, co-founder of Death Penalty Focus of Orange County, which plans an anti-death penalty protest Monday evening in Santa Ana.

Across Orange County Friday, traditional celebrants browsed through candy stores, flower shops and lingerie boutiques. But many also tried to find more heartfelt--and offbeat--ways to mark St. Valentine’s Day.

Sweethearts Leanne Roberts, 26, and Derek Romo, 31, both of Aliso Viejo, were $300 richer Friday after winning a nationwide search for the “Most Engaging” engagement proposal, a contest sponsored by Newport Dunes Resort.

Romo led Roberts into a darkened theater in San Juan Capistrano last summer for a staging of a ruse play aptly titled “The Request.” Unaware that she was surrounded by more than 50 friends and relatives, Roberts was blissfully surprised to hear the “star” of the play--Romo--propose to her from the stage.

“I had been publicly adverse to the prospect of marriage for so long, and made fun of it for so long, that I figured my proposal should be just as public,” said Romo, a photographer, who plans to wed his beloved in August. “I never thought I would do something like this, but I believe genuine creativity and passion comes from its inspiration, and Leanne is my inspiration.”

And another example for those who say guys aren’t romantic:

One Orange County man has rented a banner reading “I love You” that will be dragged behind a plane flown over his wife’s workplace Monday.

“They’re already married,” said Doug Stavoe of Pacific Drifters Sky-Writing in Newport Beach. “I guess it’s just reinforcement.”

The price tag: $375. Stavoe said business has dropped off considerably this year. Last year, he had four such jobs, including an airborne proposal.

“It’s hard to say why, maybe the economy,” Stavoe said.

But one love-struck Orange County man is sparing no expense to ask his girlfriend of several years to make it official.

He had a jeweler handcraft an engagement ring studded with a solitaire diamond. He’s also rented a white tuxedo and white horse and has arranged for a trumpet player in a “full royal courtship outfit” to help woo his lady love.

He plans to be carrying a dozen white long-stem roses when he rides up to her window at work on Monday to propose.

“Hopefully, she’ll see me and come out,” he said Friday, adding that he’s pretty sure she will say yes. “Please don’t mention my name or anything. If she finds out, I’ll just cry. A lot of planning has gone into this.”

In Newport Beach Friday afternoon, children scribbled hearts and rainbows on Valentine’s cards that will be sent to abused children in homes run by Olive Crest Treatment Centers Inc., an Anaheim-based nonprofit group.

“I’m 100% for anything we can do to make these kids feel special,” said Jene Meece, 38, of Newport Beach, as she watched her 3-year-old daughter, Breanna, color a card at Fashion Island Newport Beach. “It’ll make the kids feel wonderful.”

“You are very special. Be my valentine. God bless you,” read one card decorated with a rainbow and signed by “Hannah, age 2, and her mommy.”

Kids and parents can color cards today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The booth is between the Broadway and the Limited.

“Valentine’s Day has become kind of commercialized. It’s seen as a holiday for couples. But it’s really about traditional love,” said Fashion Island spokeswoman Brooke Rhodes. “There are people who are forgotten on Valentine’s Day, and these cards are for children who need a little extra love and attention.”

In Laguna Beach, environmentalist Beth Leeds has finally finished cutting out dozens of red hearts. Beginning Sunday morning, she plans to pin two to each eucalyptus and oak tree lining a two-mile stretch of Laguna Canyon Road, from El Toro Road to the Irvine city limits.

It’s a practice she has followed for the past four years to protest local road widenings and construction, including the planned San Joaquin Hills toll road, which she says will destroy the area’s natural beauty.

“They are really beautiful trees, and I want to protect them. I just thought Valentine’s Day would be perfect for letting people know,” Leeds, 52, said.

Death Penalty Focus of Orange County, an organization dedicated to abolishing the death penalty, also chose to hold a death penalty protest on Valentine’s Day to draw attention.

According to one legend, St. Valentine was executed because he encouraged soldiers to marry and pursue a domestic life, in direct violation of a Roman decree that forbade soldiers to marry as a way to keep them focused and tough, said Gragg, who is also a deputy public defender.

The protest will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Main Street and Town and Country Road in Santa Ana.

Disneyland is offering a Valentine’s Day special today and Sunday for parties of two or more. The $45-per-adult evening tickets include park admission and a complimentary dinner, live entertainment and a rose.

But before sweethearts gorge themselves on chocolates or other rich foods, a registered nurse for Orange County weight loss centers urges people to celebrate the day in a low-calorie way.

“We just feel that people should try to be healthy every day of the year,” Jan Hunter said. “People tend to use holidays as an excuse to go overboard.

“Forget chocolate. I believe in jewelry.”

Times staff writer Lynn Franey contributed to this story.