Remember the old joke about going to a boxing match and having a hockey game break out? Well, something like that happened last weekend in Springfield.
Marcus Lucas invited people to his house for a cookout. I know, stop the presses, right? But …
A couple of hours into the party, Marcus disappeared. He came back wearing a white suit. His girlfriend, Jackie Price, had changed from her Dallas Cowboy jersey into a white dress.
Oh, yeah, something was up. People went to a barbecue and a wedding broke out.
“It was the first ‘pop-up wedding’ I’ve ever seen,” Rich Miller, the Capitol Fax guru who was there, wrote via e-mail, “and so incredibly romantic. People have been wondering for years when the two would get married. But instead of eloping to Vegas or having an elaborate ceremony, they kept it low-key and so very personal by just throwing a little party and treating everyone to an incredibly happy surprise. Unlike a lot of weddings I’ve attended, I’ll never forget this one.” […]
“We usually have a big cookout every year,” says Marcus. “Jackie was joking, saying, ‘I’m sure for the next one we’ll have a packed house.’ They’ll be waiting for something to happen.”
It was so much fun and the food was outstanding. I never will forget it, and neither will anyone else who was privileged to be there…
Sadly, Marcus passed away this week. I’d like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends. He was such a good man.
* The late, great Harry Belafonte will play us out…
