Heartland fans from France and around the globe spend day on the legendary ranch

On Aug. 11, a family of four from Lyon, France, pulled up to the gates of Heartland Ranch, the near-mythical filming location southwest of Calgary, hoping for a glimpse of the show's iconic archway. They had been driving through the foothills after a vacation in the Canadian Rockies when they learned they were near the site where the CBC family drama has filmed for going on 20 seasons.

Kaylia, 15, and Romane, 13, the horse-loving daughters of Michael and Melanie Lesigneurs, are devoted fans of the series and have watched all 19 seasons on Netflix at home. Google Maps led them down the dusty dirt roads to Heartland's entrance. They would normally have been turned away—the location is kept secret, with members of the locations team regularly scrubbing its address from Google Maps—but Aug. 11 happened to be part of a two-day fan-appreciation event.

When a member of the Heartland publicity team spotted the Lesigneurs at the gate, she offered them an unexpected invitation. The family didn't understand at first, but thanks to Google Translate, they realized they were being asked to join hundreds of other fans being bussed from a Millarville parking lot to the ranch itself. For the first time in the show's history, fans were allowed to set foot on the property.

The teens were overwhelmed. "They cried when the girl told them they were invited," said another French fan sitting behind them, who volunteered to translate. What started as an impromptu search for Heartland locations became a full day on set. The family watched the filming of rodeo scenes from the bleachers, acted as extras, and met cast members, including Shaun Johnston, who has played Grandpa Jack Bartlett since Season 1.

Johnston greeted the hundreds of fan-extras with characteristic warmth, though he offered a firm request: "This is an experience for yourselves and you can talk about it forever and share it with your friends and all that stuff. But you can't tell them where you were. You can show them where you where, but you can't tell them how to get..." The location protection remains sacred, even as the show marks its 20th season by inviting the fanbase closer than ever before.