Some people don’t attach value or sentimentality to $5 valentine’s day cards and would rather just spend time with their partner and spending time picking out a good card for each other can be fun. I personally like the funny ones so it can be fun to pick those out, show them to your partner, have a laugh together, and then put them back. The card brings the same amount of joy, but you don’t have to spend money or throw it away later.
It’s a rural town, so maybe a lot of the kids live in the country and are on wells instead of the town’s water tower?