We can use the wedding programs as fans and still look dignified, right?

My friends Dave and Lindsay were married on Saturday, one of the hottest days this year. I don't think I'd ever want to get married in the summer, but since I'm the one wearing the heavy suit and the bride may end up in a strapless, off the shoulder affair like Lindsay, I probably don't have much of a say.

They were married in Lindsay's childhood home of Atchison, Kansas. The 2000 Census puts the population of Atchison at 10,232. The Census estimate for July 1, 2007 plots that the population has decreased to 10,078. It's a small town. There are stars when you're there at night, which I thought was pretty cool.

Atchison is your typical mid-American small town. The streets are in a grid, much of the town is still hunkered down around rail lines and the river. Oh, and apparently it considers itself the most haunted town in America. I suppose it means ghosts-per-capita, because it seems strange that Atchison could have accumulated more spirits than, say, Los Angeles or New Orleans.

Atchison is also home to Benedictine College, the "premiere Catholic college in the Midwest", according to the news magazine of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City. The College is sponsored by the Benedictine monastery of St. Benedict nearby. It includes 58 monks (all with email addresses!) One of the monks, Father Anselm Llewellyn, directed the choir at the nearby Episcopal Church for 30 years. The bishops of the Kansas City Episcopalian and Catholic archdiocese approved the exercise.

On the way to Atchison, I passed the village of Iatan. Yes, villages still exist even in 2008. This village has a population of 54. It is also home to IATAN I, a large power plant supplying Kansas City. Construction on IATAN II is underway. When it is finished, IATAN II will be able to burn 494 tons of coal an hour. I can't really wrap my brain around that statistic.

I also passed the town of Weston, where apparently Albert Einstein's brain has been sitting for 30+ years. In a jar. In a town. In rural Missouri.

The wedding was splendid, with a great deal of music as befits any music major. The officiant, Pastor Al (no, that's not made up) did a good job, with a short homily and speedy delivery. There were eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen, and it's always fun to see who's not accustomed to standing still for long periods of time.

The groom was nervous, the bride radiant, and all regular wedding customs were observed. Alas that the presence of scores of people easily overpowered the church A/C. Even the reception, held in the Benedictine College dining hall, was warm. The food was delicious, though. I was pleasantly surprised, after some of the weddings I've attended.

At each place setting was a small box containing some peppermint bark, which must have some association with the happy couple I'm not aware of. I can't say that I've ever had it before, but it's delicious! I've been breaking it into small pieces and using it as an after-meal palette cleanser. Tasty.