“When Calls the Heart” is delivering loads of joyful news to loyal Hearties everywhere this week. Details like the exact date that Season 8 is in full production are being kept close to the vest, but the cast is either already in its working home of Vancouver or en route, and the writers have long been hard at work.

About ten days ago, the drama’s leading lady, Erin Krakow, demonstrated perfect mask-wearing protocol and still flashed a smile on her way to Canada, and on July 21, both Cinema Blend and Showbiz CheatSheet gave more tidbits from the “When Calls the Heart” world to assure fans that the new season is in full swing and keeping safety first.

Jack Wagner is giving thanks as he returns to ‘When Calls the Heart’

“When Calls the Heart” is like a gift to all ages in the realm of family-friendly TV Shows. Jack Wagner has been a fixture on television for decades. Many of the same fans who followed his career from “General Hospital” to “Santa Barbara” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” on daytime TV now reserve Sunday nights to spend some time with his character, Bill Avery. The cantankerous but lovable judge is always investigating someone's business on a case, but Hope Valley is a much kinder place than Wagner found on “Beverly Hills 90210” or “Melrose Place.

Jack Wagner sent loving proof that he was on his way to shoot Season 8 of “When Calls the Heart,” conscientiously wearing his mask (as were others around him) at the airport.

“Beyond grateful” the veteran star captioned his Instagram video. He only pulled his mask down for one second to exclaim “Amazing!” as he prepared to board his plane.

“I hope everyone is following the guidelines in this COVID-19 pandemic,” Wagner urged, along with wishes that everyone is staying safe and well. He promised to keep fans posted as the season progresses.

One Christmas treat that arrived early was the news that the tradition of the “When Calls the Heart” Christmas movie feature to open the season will continue. There are no details yet for the 2020 edition, but all the favorites, including Jack Wagner, will be involved.

Fans will never forget the treasured Christmas gift from Bill Avery to Little Jack last Christmas.

For most of “When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas,” Bill is beside himself trying to remember where he put his precious, irreplaceable gift for the son of his best friend. Only in the final minutes does Elizabeth open the box to find the beautifully inscribed compass that belonged to Little Jack's father. When Elizabeth tries to persuade Bill that he should keep the keepsake from his best friend, Bill declares that “I don't need it to remember him by,” but that Little Jack can be guided by the remembrance that will always lead him home.

Season 7 was the most-watched season of “When Calls the Heart” to date. It will be hard to top the luminous glow of love that filled the last Christmas special, but the Season 8 version may already be off to a wonderful start from the writers.

Loretta Walsh is in fine form for her ‘When Calls the Heart’ return

Loretta Walsh is another of the marvelous actors who make “When Calls the Heart” a delight to watch. Her portrayal as Florence's flawless, and when Fiona (Kayla Wallace) from the telephone company offered her a job last season, it was a match made in heaven. The Christmas gift exchange between the fast friends is another shining memory in the hearts of fans. Florence had never been a working woman, and her new employment reshaped her self-image and sense of competence in profound ways.

Florence is still her own one-woman news agency for Hope Valley, however, reporting the personal and the public topics. Bill Avery and Lucas Bouchard both had issues with Florence last season on “When Calls the Heart” for her erroneous blame of Ned Yost’s sickness on the food from the saloon and from the café.

The businessmen teamed up to task Florence with delivering door-to-door invitations to the community barbecue, along with an apology for the gastric upset error. Faith Carter (Andrea Brooks) offered Ned a prompt, natural cure for his stomach ulcer.

Loretta Walsh certainly hasn't been snacking too much by the looks of her recent social media post. “Back in the corset for Season 8” the star captioned her appropriately-attired look in a mirror. “We are smiling under those masks,” the actress also reassures. The star doesn't seem to mind the snugness demanded by the fashion era.

Will ‘When Calls the Heart’ hold a boom or a slow burn in Season 8?

In early July, “When Calls the Heart” executive producer, Brian Bird, was particularly pleased about an early look at the Season 8 opening episode, likely the one after the Christmas installment.

Fans wanted fireworks, but that kind of display for either suitor could take a long while.

“All I can say is…Boom” Bird wrote of his response to the script. The co-creator and producer expertly practices, saying everything and nothing at the same time when it comes to “When Calls the Heart.”

In their virtual interview with Entertainment Tonight in April, Erin Krakow, Chris McNally, and Kevin McGarry weighed in on Elizabeth's romantic stance. Erin described how the relationships with Nathan and Lucas had been a “slow burn” and how nothing boldly romantic would feel right. She is an executive producer on “When Calls the Heart,” and she insisted that she would've given “a hard No” to anything like a kiss on her date with Lucas.

Chris said that he wouldn't mind if things got “messy” between Elizabeth and Lucas before things ultimately work out. Season 8 could keep fans guessing.

Elizabeth is not even ready to use the word “date.” She is still deciding her own feelings about her fine, but very different, suitors. Chris McNally loves the way that his character of Lucas Bouchard and Elizabeth “challenge and appreciate each other and the best ways.” Kevin McGarry wants to probe deeper into Nathan Grant’s struggle with communicating his feelings for Elizabeth. He managed to ask her for a dinner date in the Season 7 finale, so there's no telling how long it will take to get him to share his true heart if he even knows it himself.

There is no question where Lucas’ heart lies. He declared his feelings for Elizabeth and his willingness to be as patient as she needs on their Union City dinner date. He constantly strives for ways to show her that what matters to her matters to him. She has to decide how much he matters to her.

The wait is always part of the enticing fun on “When Calls the Heart,” and the current conditions may alter the practices that bring the stories to the screen, but nothing pauses the sense of purpose, unity, faith, forgiveness, and community on the drama-- no matter who Elizabeth chooses to hold her heart.
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