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TAKE YOUR 'CUE

May is National Barbecue Month. Yum! Barbecue styles vary by region, but the four main ones are named for where they started: Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas City and Texas. “Barbecue” can also describe a flavor added to a food — think potato chips — but that doesn’t really “meat” the criteria!

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CONTENTS

142

Couple's May Wedding Becomes Autumn "I Do"

145

Kevin Doyle Moonlights As A Man of Mystery

147

12 Events To Make Your Months Memorable

“Altar"ed Plans

LOVE AND A WEDDING PREVAIL DESPITE THE PANDEMIC.

Like many couples, Misha Holte and Ben Summerhays had to change their wedding plans due to the pandemic. Originally, they had planned a destination wedding in Cabo St. Lucas in May of 2020, which was then pushed to September, but still in Cabo. By mid-July, they decided to simply hold a local small-scale wedding instead.

After scrambling to find a new venue and vendors — basically planning their big day in just 2.5 months — the couple finally wed on Oct. 4, 2020, at the Country Club of Missouri.

A friend of the couple, Gardell Powell, officiated. The wedding was small and intimate with a total of 30 guests (including the bride and groom).

The bride wore a “Bee Gown” from Blush by Hayley Paige. The floorlength, strapless, ivory lace sheath featured a sweetheart neckline and was embellished with subtle Swiss dots and a sparkle tulle underlay. She wore her hair in a classic sideswept, curled ponytail, with a Tony Federici “Avalon” Cascading Waltz veil. Teardrop earrings and matching bracelets accessorized her look, which she topped off with a light gray faux fur shawl from BHLDN, since her gown was initially selected for warmer weather.

Her bridal bouquet held an assortment of dahlias, zinnias, garden roses, ranunculus and foxglove. Many

BY PEG GILL · PHOTOS BY LOVE TREE STUDIOS

THE DETAILS

BRIDAL GOWN Altar Bridal in Leawood, KS

HAIR STYLING Salon Nefisa

BRIDESMAIDS' GOWNS Town & Country Bridal in Town & County, MO

PHOTOGRAPHY Love Tree Studios

FLORIST Sugarberry Blooms

DJ/BAND Leme Ensemble (string trio)

CAKE Edith Hall Cakes

RINGS Clayton Jewelers in Clayton, MO DECOR A1 Party Rentals, Pretty Little Things in Booneville, MO

TUXEDOS Jos. A. Bank

MAKEUP Confident Beauty by Erica

GET-READY VENUE Senior Hall at Stephens College

of the blooms were locally grown in mid-Missouri.

For her something old, Misha had a small dark pink brooch that she inherited from her grandmother, which she pinned to her bouquet.

The bridesmaids wore various styles of Amsale brand flat chiffon gowns in dove. They carried a smaller version of the bridal bouquet and both mothers wore brass floral cuffs made of similar blooms.

The groom wore a medium gray Jos. A. Bank suit. His boutonniere featured a selection of autumn inspired textural elements, a spray garden rose and a heuchera leaf. The groomsmen wore suits identical to the groom’s, as well as a boutonnière that was a smaller version of his.

Two large, loose floral arrangements flanked each side of the romantic ceremony space. Light gray terracotta urns held beautiful garden blooms including dahlias, garden roses, zinnias, delphinium and foxglove. The design was finished off with crabapple foliage and autumnal textural elements. A string trio played soft, classical music from their station off to the right.

The traditional ceremony and vows included answers from questions that had been posed by the officiant to both Misha and Ben separately prior to the ceremony. Their answers lent a more personal, meaningful and special tone to the day.

The reception followed in a smaller, intimate space at the country club. The entryway included several personalized photos and signs. Once inside, guests were greeted by a glowing fireplace with a large, organic installation on and around the mantel. Additional large floral arrangements also adorned the space, as well as darker gray and velvet linens.

The tables featured arrangements in compotes (stemmed bowls) which continued the theme of garden blooms.

Delicate gold embossed name cards and a sprig of autumn foliage enhanced each place setting, along with gold plates and gold flatware with steel blue napkins. The head table boasted a specially designed, low, lush floral runner.

The couple incorporated fall inspired cocktails named after their three dogs “Henry,” a classic Manhattan, “Jasper," a pear-infused mule, and “Hazel,” a nonalcoholic punch. They also included a specialty cocktail named “The Lady,” after their dog who passed away suddenly a few years ago. The drink was a Mexican inspired after-dinner drink (called a Carajillo) that they had planned to feature at their Cabo wedding.

The cake was a two-tier French vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant detail, with an off-set top tier and geometric patterned bottom tier.

The couple says there were many memorable moments that day, but “our first look was something very special to us knowing that after three attempts at wedding dates that year, we were finally getting married. There was so much joy, happiness, relief, and love in that very moment,” they say.

The bride’s parents are Thomas and Elnora Holte of Conway, Arkansas. The groom's parents are Walter and Christine Summerhays of Gilbertville, Iowa.

Due to COVID, their honeymoon was postponed, but they hope to travel to Fiji in the near future. The new Mr. and Mrs. Summerhays live in Columbia where Misha is a dermatology physician assistant at Cayce Dermatology, and Ben is a foot and ankle surgical podiatrist at Missouri Orthopaedic Institute.

A Man of Mystery

MEET A LOCAL DETECTIVE SERIES WRITER.

BY OLIVIA DESMIT · PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KEVIN DOYLE

Local author Kevin Doyle is living a double life. But, unlike the characters in mystery and detective novels like the ones he writes, his second identity isn’t a secret.

As both a novelist and high school English teacher, Doyle juggles two worlds: the world of books and the world of … writing books. His latest release Heel Turn, the second book in his Sam Quinton detective series, was just released this spring. We spoke with Doyle to get to the bottom of his newest release and find out how he first got into mystery writing.

Inside Columbia: “So, your day job is a high school composition teacher. The jump into writing isn’t that big, but how did that happen?”

Kevin Doyle: “I started writing short stories decades ago for small magazines and that’s all I ever really intended to do; write on the side for fun. But over time, they started to get longer and longer until they became novel length. I was writing short stories long before I ever envisioned getting into teaching. I began teaching in Kansas at a community college in 1996 and switched to novels about 18 or 19 years ago, but only in the last nine years have they started getting published.”

IC: “Why murder mysteries?”

KD: “No idea. When I first took a shot — pardon the pun — at short stories I tried two or three different genres and when I sat down and tried a horror one, it just clicked and felt right. It seemed more natural. My short stories were almost entirely fairly grim horror stuff, and I do have one novel along that line but for some reason as my writing got longer, it gravitated away from horror and more toward mystery.”

IC: “Your latest release is part of a series based on a private investigator/former professional wrestler. Where did the concept of his character come from?”

KD: “I do read a fair number of mysteries and one of the longest running series, until the author died, was the Spenser books by Robert B. Parker, in which the main character is a former boxer. Five or so years ago, I was looking for something a little more lighthearted to write about and it just so happened that several of our senior class guys could only talk about pro wrestling. And at first, I kind of snickered, but then I thought I can’t be too hard on them because when I was a senior, we were all into "Scooby Doo."

“So, one day I was in there listening and a couple of things started connecting. About a week later, I sat down and thought let me come up with the most ridiculous premise I completely can and I thought of a pro wrestler

and private investigator and was off and running. In a way, I owe Quinton’s character to the senior guys that year.”

IC: “Why does the setting of this series seems oddly familiar?”

KD: “It’s funny you should ask, it’s actually a very thinly veiled form of Columbia. As I was sitting down to do the first in the series, I let myself get as cliched and ridiculous as possible, so I thought why not base it on the current town that I live in? Everything is changed name-wise, but if you’re fairly familiar with the area you should be able to pick out various locations. One example is that the town is named Providence.”

IC: “What are you working on right now?”

KD: “The first book in the Sam Quinton series came out around March of 2020, the second in March of this year and I’m contracted for one more, which I’m currently working on. I am trying to slow down a little bit; I got myself into a bit of a bind and actually between two different companies, Heel Turn is the third book I’ve had published in the last 12 months. Hopefully from now on, I will be working on two books at one time instead of three to four, because teaching itself is a 55-to 60-hour job.”

Doyle’s books are available for purchase locally at Skylark Bookshop and D&H Drug Store.

What’s Going On

THE EVENTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS MONTH.

Dates and events are subject to change. Please visit the event website for the most up-to-date information

May

MAY 1: OFFICIAL MLB HOME RUN DERBY AND PITCH, HIT AND RUN CONTEST

AMERICAN LEGION PARK Open to all girls and boys ages 14 and under, winners will advance to the regional competition, then possibly nationally to participate during MLB All-Star Week in July. 10 a.m.; Free; como.Gov/cms/ webcal/event.Php?Id=16937

MAY 1 -2: MISSOURI CONTEMPORARY BALLET: LIVE!

JESSE AUDITORIUM Enjoy the incredible artistry and athleticism of the MCB dancers in either of two performances. 7 p.m., Saturday, May 1, 2 p.m., Sunday, May 2,; Pod seating $42-$210; concertseries.org

MAY 5-9: TRUE/FALSE FILM FESTIVAL

STEPHENS LAKE PARK Columbia’s cinematic celebration of documentary films debuts at a new location and later time of year for 2021. Times vary; ticket prices vary; truefalse.org

MAY 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: COLUMBIA FARMERS MARKET

MU HEALTH CARE PAVILION, COLUMBIA AGRICULTURE PARK The market, open every Saturday, is filled with fresh vegetables and fruit, meat, eggs, cheese, honey, bread, herbs and more. While you shop, enjoy live music, children’s activities, prepared food and more. 9 a.m. to noon; free; columbiafarmersmarket.org

MAY 8: COLUMBIA MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB

FAUROT FIELD Don’t miss this 5th annual climb to celebrate the fallen heroes of Sept. 11, 2001. 8 a.m. to noon; donation amount of choice; columbiastairclimb.com

MAY 11, 13: MISSOURI BUMBLE BEE ATLAS

ONLINE The Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas is a statewide community science project aimed at tracking and conserving our native bumble bees. Join in this two-part workshop to learn more. 6 to 8 p.m.; free; facebook.com/ events/3714753401906526/

MAY 16: SERENITY VALLEY WINE RUN 5K

SERENITY VALLEY WINERY If you like running or walking and love wine, this race is for you! All participants will receive a race T-shirt, souvenir wine glass, finisher medal and glass of wine (or soda for our under 21 runners) after the race! 9 a.m.; Prices vary; runsignup. com/Race/MO/Fulton/ SerenityValleyWineRun5k

June

JUNE 5, 12, 19, 26 COLUMBIA FARMERS MARKET

MU HEALTH CARE PAVILION, COLUMBIA AGRICULTURE PARK The market, open every Saturday, is filled with fresh vegetables and fruit, meat, eggs, cheese, honey, bread, herbs and more. While you shop, enjoy live music, children’s activities, prepared food and more. 9 a.m. to noon; free; columbiafarmersmarket.org

JUNE 12: STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

SERENITY VALLEY WINERY A fun-filled afternoon of family-friendly music, food and vendors followed by fireworks! All proceeds benefit Central Missouri Honor Flight. 4 to 9:30 p.m.; $5 entry fee, children under 3 free; facebook.com/ MidMoStrawberryFestival

JUNE 26: HOPE FOR HEROES 5K

COSMO PARK OR VIRTUALLY Hosted by The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, Hope for Heroes benefits the VIP Veteran Pack Program, providing additional nutrition to foodinsecure veterans. 7:30 a.m.; $30; sharefoodbringhope.org/ hope5k

JUNE 26: BRUNCH & BLINGO

COUNTRY CLUB OF MISSOURI Attend this fun event to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri. Enjoy your chance to play bingo and win dazzling bling. 9:30 a.m. to noon; $50/ticket; rmhcmidmo.org

Save The Date

JULY 4: FIRE IN THE SKY

LOCATION TBD Columbia’s annual July 4th fireworks display/celebration is slated to happen this year. Time and location details were unavailable at press time. Please check the Parks and Rec Department website for developments. https://www.como.gov/ parksandrec/special-events2/4th-july-fire-sky/