Rivers Set Scene For Valentine’s Day Vows

The River Discovery Center in Paducah, Ky., is inviting visitors to come experience the romance of the rivers for themselves this Valentine’s Day.

The center will host “speed weddings” and vow renewals every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. February 14. For the cost of a $200 donation, couples will receive a five-minute ceremony with space for up to 10 guests (or more if notified in advance). The museum’s ceremony space, 117 S. Water St., overlooks the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. Cupcakes, sparkling cider and professional photos are also included.

Mitch McCoy, through his business “Hitched by Mitch,” is the licensed officiant for the event. Those who wish to be married need to obtain a Kentucky marriage license in advance and bring it with them.

“I think it’s important to note that we’re in the oldest building in downtown Paducah, and so you think about all of the stories and all of the love stories that have happened in this building and along our river,” River Discovery Center Executive Director Lindsey Launius said. “This is a chance for people to be a part of it and have a milestone here at the museum. I think it’s a really special opportunity.”

Additionally, she said, it provides couples a chance to get married in a way that is personal, heartfelt and memorable but also simple and without stress or large expense.

One couple who already know that visiting the museum can bring about romance is Angie and Dutchie Timmons, who met at the museum before it opened to the public: February 1, 2001.

Dutchie was working for construction contractor Ray Black & Son, digging an elevator shaft, when he and a coworker unexpectedly came across a root cellar believed to date back to 1843, when the building was constructed. That is historically significant, in part, because the building is believed to be the oldest building remaining standing in downtown Paducah. Originally a bank, it helped provide the dollars for some of the city’s early construction.

Dutchie and his coworker noticed very old, 15-inch bricks and what they at first believed could be a tunnel opening.

“We said ‘Wait a minute. Before we start slinging and sledging, what do we have here?’” Dutchie recalled.

The former Angie Kinsey was a reporter for the community’s newspaper, The Paducah Sun, and came to the museum to cover the news.

Along with interviewing an archaeologist and a partner in the construction business with knowledge of historic brickwork, she asked to speak with one of the people who found the cellar and was connected with Dutchie.

“I thought he was flirty,” she remembers. “We laugh about that now because I don’t think about Dutchie being a particularly flirty person.”

The meeting did not lead to an immediate romance, although it did lead to other visits to the museum for Angie, who came back to cover some of the first Valentine’s Day speed weddings after the museum opened.

It was 2012 when Angie was working in marketing for a Paducah hospital, that she kept running into Dutchie, still working for the contractor and heavily involved in many of the hospital’s construction projects. She thought he seemed familiar and looked up his name on the internet.

“At some point I learned his name,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘How do I know that name?’”

When she searched on the internet, up popped the article she had done 11 years before. She reminded him of the connection, and it wasn’t long before they were chit-chatting when they passed each other in the hallways. They became friends. Months later, they went on their first date. Two years later, on September 13, 2014, they were married.

“Really, it started at the River Discovery Center, and I joke with him, ‘If you’d just made your move then, we wouldn’t have had to wait so long,’” Angie says, laughing.

In the years since the discoveries, both of the root cellar and of Angie and Dutchie finding each other, the River Discovery Center has welcomed thousands of guests, many of whom have had the opportunity to view the entrance of the root cellar and some of the artifacts discovered there. They include remnants of dishes, bottles and containers that would have held perishable goods. Instead of covering it all back up, the museum installed lights and lucite boxes over the floor, added photographs of the excavation and incorporated it all into the museum’s exhibit space.

While the River Discovery Center does not promise a lifetime of love along with its special Valentine’s Day ceremonies, Angie and Dutchie Timmons are proof of a love story that started along the river, under the museum’s roof.

“We walk past the museum and always remember that’s where we met,” Angie said. “Dutchie grew up in this area, and I did, too, but I don’t think our paths would have ever crossed any other way.

She added, “I love that they’re still doing the weddings and that the museum is a nice place to go.”

Slots for the weddings and vow renewals are limited, and reservations are required. Couples interested in a ceremony should call the museum at 270-575-9958 to select their preferred 15-minute slot. All proceeds from the event will support the River Discovery Center’s mission to connect people to the region’s river heritage through education, preservation and community experiences.

“Our building has witnessed more than a century of stories,” said Lindsay Ramsey, assistant director at the River Discovery Center. “Whether they’re getting married or renewing their vows, Valentine’s Day gives our guests the opportunity to become a part of that history.”

Featured image caption: Lindsey Launius, director of the River Discovery Center in Paducah, Ky., arranges some flowers as part of decorating the space for upcoming Valentine’s Day speed weddings and vow renewals. The event is a popular fundraiser for the museum. (Photo courtesy of the River Discovery Center)