LOVELOCK - Before there was a Lover's Lock Plaza, before all the love and wedding hype promoting Lovelock, lovers were still struck with the urge to get married in Lovelock.
Such was the case with Freddy and Catherine Powers. Twenty years ago, on their way to a camping trip in Elko the couple passed through Lovelock.
"Mama, we're going through Lovelock, Nevada. What else would you do but get married in Lovelock, Nevada," Freddy Powers said to his bride.
So that's what they did, on June 30, 1992.
The couple, now residing in Austin, Texas, returned last weekend accompanied by around 20 family members and close friends to renew their marriage vows on the steps of the Pershing County Courthouse just like they did 20 years ago.
"The only difference is that my dog Amelia was my maid of honor," Catherine Powers said with a Texas drawl.
Catherine Powers said these have been the greatest 20 years of her life. She and Powers met in Lake Shasta where he was living on a houseboat and writing songs and performing with Merle Haggard in the early 1980s.
Powers has had an extensive music career, writing songs for Haggard, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Sonny James and most recently for country music duo Big and Rich. Haggard has recorded over 30 songs written by Powers.
Powers has toured the country playing his music with Haggard and on his own. He has been recognized and honored by the Center for Texas Music and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Music Academy and another Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Guitar Association. Powers was also inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has received numerous BMI and CMA awards, including CMA's Triple Play Award for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period.
Powers has played throughout Nevada in Lake Tahoe, Reno, Winnemucca, Jackpot, Elko, Wendover and Carson City, just to name a few. He has been in the music business over 50 years, starting when he was 23 years old, said Catherine Powers.
"The best music I've ever played was with him," Reno musician Augie Savage said.
Savage toured with Powers for many years and was among the family and friends helping the couple celebrate their anniversary.
"Every real musician wanted to play with Freddy, because he lets them play," Savage recalled.
Powers turned 80 last year and is in the latter stages of Parkinson's disease.
"We thought we were going to lose him last Christmas, but he held on for us to celebrate our 20th anniversary," an emotional Catherine Powers said.
After the ceremony at the courthouse the group converged on Sturgeons for a toe-tapping good time. A few of the guests even pulled out their guitars to serenade the couple.
"Everyone here has been so wonderful in helping us renew our vows," she said.
She praised Beth Reid at the chamber of commerce and Heidi Lusby-Angvick at the economic diversification authority for helping her to arrange for the group's activities. She was driven to the courthouse in style by Don Bridges in his 1931 Dodge Brothers Town Car and the next day the group was given a tour of Pershing County by Jack and Dixie McKay.
The McKays took the party on the road, showing the couple and their entourage the wild mustangs in Coal Canyon, the Lovelock Indian Caves and Leonard's Wall, where the group enjoyed hiking around looking at the hieroglyphics.
"We all became friends that day, and enjoyed each other's company. Freddy and I exchanged our CD's and it was just great. Everyone was friendly, and toward the end of the day you would have thought that we had been friends forever and a day," Dixie McKay said.
[[In-content Ad]]
