Marilyn Hagerty: Getting a marriage license is a bit easier this year

Tonight is billed as Family Fun Night in University Park. Life is better in so many ways than it has been since the strike of coronavirus a year or so ago.

Now, though we are not out of the woods, things seem better.

For one thing, it’s easier to get a marriage license than it was last summer. Then most everyone was living in fear and uncertainty. Last year from March 17 to Dec. 31, the county offices were closed to the public. Things, though possible, were complicated.

This summer, there’s no need to fiddle around. You can march right in to the court house and get a license. It is good for 60 days, according to Dorinda Anderson of the Grand Forks County Tax Equalization Department.

She says, “We can issue licenses between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. every business day.”

She points out that both parties need to be present. They need photo identification. The couple also needs $65 plus a $2 processing fee if they use a credit card. And if either has been widowed, a copy of the death certificate is required.

If married before, a certified copy of the divorce is required.

There is help for couples who need to find officials to marry them. The county has a list with whom the couple can make arrangements to preside at a ceremony.

You wonder where the weddings are taking place.

Churches are traditional. Weddings around Grand Forks as those everywhere are now being held almost everywhere

University Park has a shaded spot that has become a favorite over the years. Some find the gazebo on the grounds of the Grand Forks Historical Society, others sometimes seek out a spot along the Red River.

Weddings long ago were described in detail in the Herald. One wedding report that now seems quaint tells of summer wedding arrangements more than 100 years ago.

It says, “Col. W.H. McGraw is one of the best known of the Great Northern conductors in the Northwest. He is exalted ruler of the Elks and generally popular all through this region.

He and his bride had met many years ago, and on his recent visit West to an Elks convention the agreement for marriage resulted.”

“Colonel and Mrs. McGraw will be at home in Grand Forks at 1022 University Ave.