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Weddings at the Akron Municipal Court are back

TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter

Published: June 18, 2021

The Springfield Lake Gazebo has special meaning for John and Alicia Samples.
The spot was where the Akron couple – who met online during the pandemic – had one of their first dates.
“We got KFC chicken, ate it at the lake and then my good old Honda wouldn’t start,” said Alicia, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mother. “John got it working, and then we were good to go.”
So when Alicia learned Akron Municipal Court was resuming outdoor weddings at the venue after halting the ceremonies since March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic – she knew it was karma.
On May 21, Alicia and John, a 36-year-old who works in the HVAC industry, were one of three couples to make their love official at the gazebo. Akron Municipal Court Administrative/Presiding Judge Ron Cable officiated the ceremonies.
“We came full circle at Springfield Lake,” Alicia said with a laugh. “It was a really special day. It was beautiful out, and the judge was amazing.”
Alicia added that the ceremony was the perfect way to end a rollercoaster of a year that included welcoming identical twin girls, Ava and Ivy, to the family four months ago. (Alicia also has an 11-year-old boy, Angel, and 2-year-old girl, Iyanna).
Judge Cable said he is grateful the court weddings are back after more than a year.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “All the couples that day were pretty appreciative. They were happy to get married in that forum, so it was nice. Last year was pretty rough. We suspended the weddings due to the physical space in our court, plus COVID and social distancing. Well, things have gotten a little better with the virus and I wanted to offer that service to the public again, so we’re trying to hold these weddings in safe forums. All of them right now are scheduled outdoors. We tried to pick places that are good for taking pictures and just nice in general.”
For right now, the weddings are only scheduled once a month. But if slots fill up, more dates could be added.
“I believe it will go into fall and hopefully it won’t be long before we start having the indoor weddings again,” the judge said. “We’re just kind of playing it by ear. Three judges will do outdoor weddings depending on availability.”
He added that all three couples seemed pleased with the ceremonies.
“We had some couples who you could really tell cared about each other,” Judge Cable said. “We were outside so they each brought a few guests. There was plenty of room for everybody to sit six feet apart. I didn’t require the couples to wear masks because we were outside. During the ceremony, I let them choose whether they wanted me to have the mask on or the mask off. I’ve been vaccinated and all three couples chose for me not wear the mask while I was marrying them. It was their special day so I left it up to them.
“Springfield Township had flowers all over the place. They were very accommodating. It was a really nice setting. It was a perfect day. The sun was out. What’s not to like? I personally look forward to doing it. It’s a positive interaction with the court. A lot of times people don’t have happy reasons to come to the courthouse.”
Springfield Township Parks and Special Projects Coordinator Terry Robinson said he was honored to allow the court to host the wedding ceremonies at the lakefront gazebo.
“I jumped at the chance to showcase Springfield Lake and our facilities to others that may be interested in holding a wedding ceremony of their own in the gazebo or an indoor or outdoor function like a bridal shower or a graduation party,” Robinson said.        
The court’s next outdoor weddings were held at Akron Art Museum’s Bud and Susie Rogers Garden; 1 S. High St. in Downtown Akron; from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tues. June 8. Judge Jon Oldham officiated.
Other upcoming weddings are:
• Summit County Historical Society’s Mutton Hill, 550 Copley Road in Akron, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Mon. July 12. Judge Nicole Walker will be officiating.
• Hower House Museum’s South Lawn, University of Akron Campus, 60 Fir Hill in Akron, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wed. Aug. 4, with Judge Cable officiating.
Appointments are first-come, first-served and must be scheduled and paid for before the date of the ceremony. Time slots will not be added once all appointments are booked.
Prior to the ceremony, couples must obtain a marriage license from Summit County Probate Court. They then must pay a cash-only ceremony fee at the Akron Municipal Court in the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center, located at 217 S. High St. in Downtown Akron between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The fee is $25 for those in the court’s jurisdiction––Akron, Fairlawn, Bath, Richfield, Springfield Township, Lakemore and the Summit County portion of Mogadore. There is a $40 fee for those residing outside the jurisdiction.
No professional photographers are permitted, and each couple will be allowed up to four additional guests. It is suggested to contact Bailiff Patricia Williams at (330) 375-2592 to ensure space is still available.



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