Published: August 07, 2008 10:21 am      

Golden couples turn out for fair

GEORGETOWN — Glenn and Irene Bassett attended the Golden Wedding Anniversary Day at the Georgetown Fair for the first time Wednesday, and were happy they came.

The pair from Perrysville, Ind., has been married for 58 years. They received invitations for the event for couples married more than 50 years multiple times, but this was the first year they were able to make it.

“This is really nice,” Irene Bassett said. “It’s good for older people.”

Irene, 86, and Glenn, 82, met when she was a waitress at a restaurant called the Coffee Cup on South Vermilion Street in Danville many years ago. She poured him and his friend a cup of coffee.

“The restaurant is gone, but I’m still here,” said Irene.

Glenn said when he left the restaurant after that first encounter he told his buddy that Irene was going to be his girlfriend.

“I kept coming back and she couldn’t get rid of me,” Glenn Bassett said. “She serves good coffee.”

Both said it was a special time for them.

“Those were good times then, though we didn’t know it,” she said.

Irene Bassett has some tips for a long, successful marriage. First, she said they never thought of getting a divorce, even through trials.

“We’ve had our ups and downs,” she said.

For those who are newly married or on the brink of a tying the knot, Irene Bassett said collaboration is the best bet.

“Be honest with each other and work together,” she said. “You have to work together.”

Her husband of nearly 60 years echoed her sentiments.

“It’s a fifty-fifty,” Glenn said. “Life is just what you make it. You can make it nice, or you can make it rough.”

Another couple at the event was Bill and Joan Brazelton of Georgetown, married for 61 years. They have been coming to the anniversary celebration for several years.

“It’s just a nice time to come out and they put on a nice program,” Joan Brazelton said.

She said they used to visit the fair often when their three children were still at home, but now they usually just come to the Golden Wedding Day. The two met in high school in Brockton.

“They go through a lot of work,” Joan Brazelton said of the event organizers. “Just about everyone goes home with something.”

Everyone attending the event received a donated door prize, which was handed out by 2008 Georgetown Fair Queen Rachel Everingham and her court. Refreshments also were served by the Georgetown-Ridge Farm varsity cheerleading squad.

Booths were set up at the event giving information relevant to senior citizens and free blood pressure screenings were offered by the Vermilion County Health Department.

“This is a real nice fair,” Joan Brazelton said. “One of the nicest around.”