Kevin and Natalie got married at the Mendon Carnival last month. Photo by Deb Smith
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
Because this article is so unique and heartfelt, we sat outside by the fire one recent summer evening and brainstormed what might be a unique way to kick it off. Apparently driven by our retired teachers’ background, the storm our brains landed on was to lead off with a multiple-choice question. We will restate this again at the end of the article, but we’ll toss it out now so that your brain can be drawn toward some of these components in the upcoming story.
Here’s your question… Did you think the funniest part of the story will be
a) the dumpster fire
b) Kevin’s criminal activity
c) the attempted wedding in “Lost Vegas”
d) the Niagara Falls fiasco
This story started for Kevin and Natalie when, in the year 2000, they met while attending the same statistics class at MCC.
This story started for Kevin and us several years ago. We have to share with you some hamlet-of-Mendon logistics to enable the connecting of the dots on this one. Our home office where we do our writing is right near the four corners of Mendon. Because our building was a mom-and-pop hardware store when we were in high school, the place is mostly glass in front.
Through that expanse of glass, we look directly out upon one of the streetlights which is adorned by two beautiful hanging flower baskets from May through September. The reason the baskets are so beautiful is that they are pristinely maintained by the Mendon Buildings and Grounds Department and the dude with the duty of watering the plants in our neck of the woods is Kevin Junge.
Kevin is a friendly and funny guy and, anytime we see him, we never miss an opportunity to take a break from our computers and stroll outside for a sidewalk chat. Several stories have been shared over the years and we are honored to take this opportunity to share this story with the Sentinel community.
When Kevin makes it his goal to elevate his relationship with Natalie to the next level, there are two planks he wants to perfect in his platform. Both the proposal, and the wedding itself, are going to be non-traditional and momentous.
Furthermore, criminal activity will not be out of question. Kevin steals one of Natalie’s old rings, for the purpose of sizing, and secretly buys an engagement ring. With a proposal pending, the questions remain of “where and when.”
Wheels spinning, Kevin thinks, “Why not propose at a place she’ll least expect it… on top of the largest Ferris wheel within a two-hour radius of Mendon, that behemoth which is open to the public in downtown Niagara Falls, Canada.
Natalie told us that, “We went to Niagara Falls for a long weekend to relax. So when we boarded the Ferris wheel ride in Niagara Falls, I had absolutely no idea what he had planned for that evening. I was wondering why he had pre-purchased tickets for a ride he was scared of. When we were at the top of the Ferris wheel, and he started to move towards me I was thinking he was trying to be cute and rock the cart because, in general, he’s very scared of large Ferris wheels, tall ladders, and heights in general.”
Initially a bit frightened by Kevin’s antics, Natalie says, “No, stop, don’t do that, get up!” Kevin can’t believe his ears. Nevertheless, he persists and weasels the ring onto Natalie’s finger. Still in disbelief, she asks, “Is this real?”
Kevin replies. “Well, it’s not a fugazi.” Despite our “retired teacher” status, Kevin’s vocabulary exceeds ours, and we have to google it to ascertain the definition that fugazi is a slang term meaning that something is “fake, bogus, counterfeit, or inauthentic.”
Kevin’s intentions confirmed, Natalie responds to the marriage proposal with an exultant Niagara Falls, “YES!” She goes on to add, “Never in my wildest dreams, did I think that he was going to be proposing that evening. I had no idea that he had something like this planned, or that he would have been able to accomplish this without me knowing anything about it!”
So with plank #1 of his platform, the proposal, accomplished, Kevin’s attention turns to plank #2, the wedding. Acknowledging that, “We were never destined to have a traditional wedding,” Natalie tells us that they proceed to plan for a wedding in Las Vegas.
Thus begins the next phase of this marriage which qualifies it to securely check that aforementioned “non-traditional” box. You’re all familiar with that iconic advertising pitch of, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”
Natalie and Kevin manage to alter that pitch with their personal version featuring the alternative take that what stays in Vegas is Natalie’s driver’s license!
She somehow loses it on the second day, rendering the couple unable to present the needed paperwork to have the ceremony performed. So what becomes the spontaneous fallback plan for a Vegas wedding gone awry? You’ve just gotta love any story where the strip in Las Vegas gets trumped by the carnival in Mendon.
“Everyone we know and love will already be at the Mendon carnival,” Kevin tells us, “so let’s see if we can just get married there!” As a valued member of the Mendon Fire Department for the past 5 years, (and a member of the MFD Board of Directors for the last 3 years), Kevin has some solid connections in this regard. And with Natalie having been an ardent attendee of the carnival since she was 4 years old, that scenario seems to make for a nice fit.
Arrangements are made to have the first wedding to ever occur at the Mendon Carnival take place on May 28 in the recently constructed MFD Members Building.
The original thought was to have the ceremony performed in front of the Ferris wheel. But with images of cotton candy kids cutting between the bride and groom as the ceremony is being performed, cooler heads prevail, and the ceremony is relocated to the more private MFD building.
The other advantage to getting married in Mendon vs getting hitched in Vegas, is that you have the ability to reach out to your favorite local writers and have them put a more personal spin on the specifics of your wedding.
The ceremony takes place on the opening Thursday night of the carnival. There are approximately 50 friends and family members in attendance. It’s a very close and intimate group, exactly what the couple had hoped for.
Following the ceremony, there’s a foray onto the main carnival concourse for some pictures featuring iconic carney attractions in the background.
Up to this point we have not mentioned the third component of the marital triumvirate. We’ve covered #1) the proposal, and #2) the wedding, but what about #3), the honeymoon? Certainly our coverage cannot be complete without that!
The Junges enjoy what might be considered to be a “working honeymoon.” The wedding day-after is spent at the carnival where Natalie can be found serving food in the pavilion while Kevin is assisting his comrades at the
Mendon Fire Department in saving a house on West Bloomfield Rd. from burning down during a dumpster fire.
We actually get to wave at Kevin from our front sidewalk “office” in the hamlet as the firetruck races by. It’s all in a day’s work for the many volunteers who contribute to the community and quality of life we enjoy here in Mendon.
We were honored to be a part of this joyous and memorable wedding. And at this point please allow your teachers to close with that multiple-choice question with which we launched this article.
Did you think the funniest part of the story was…
a) the dumpster fire
b) Kevin’s criminal activity
c) the attempted wedding in “Lost Vegas”
d) the Niagara Falls fiasco
Whatever you choose for your answer to that question, we can’t help but wrap this up with the line Kevin and Natalie closed with in sending us their notes for this article. As has become the carnival catchphrase, this event lives on as “The best three days of the year in Mendon!”
