There are nine full-time employees and a handful of part-timers at the Farragut Community Center, so it’s impressive that four of those would be recently wed or planning to marry in 2022. Maybe it’s something in the water, but I think it has more to do with the friendly nature of parks and rec staffers.
The first to take the plunge was Hunter Gray, our community center operator. He married the former Danielle Fannon on Dec. 19 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in West Knox.
“I met Danielle while we were in the band at UT. I was helping my sister sell girl scout cookies, and Danielle bought some from me one day. We’ve talked every single day since,” he says.
His favorite thing about his bride is how genuine she is to “every single person she meets.” Now that they’re married, he’s glad to be able to spend time with her each day.
“While we were dating, because of our busy schedules, it was common for us to go weeks without seeing one another. I’m looking forward to seeing my wife’s beautiful smile every single day.”
Grayson Martin is the town’s new media assistant, and he will marry Chassidy Sumler on July 9 in Madison, Mississippi. Chassidy is in medical school at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, so they have lived an hour apart throughout their relationship.
It didn’t take long for Grayson to realize she was his soulmate.
“From our first date on, there was never a moment of awkwardness. It was like we had been friends forever,” he says. “It also turned out that although we were born and raised in different states, we had multiple mutual acquaintances. She even knew my neighbor from my hometown neighborhood.”
One of the things he’s most looking forward to is serving the community with his future bride.
“Chassidy and I have a heart for helping and serving others. She’s on track to become a doctor and I have worked in the nonprofit sector for most of my career. I look forward to us using our experience to help the community around us.”
Parks & Rec Admin Assistant Bryson Keith is the long-timer of the newly-married and nearly-married at the community center, as he joined the staff in 2018. He will marry his girlfriend, Devon Graham, on July 30 at the community center.
“I heard that the staff there is excellent, so that made the decision easy,” he says.
Their first meeting, when they were students at UT, was a little “cheesy.”
“The first time we actually spoke to each other was at burger night at Copper Cellar. I decided that I was going to try being bold for the first time and walked up to the table that she was at with her friend. It turned out she had just taken a bite of her burger and had managed to get a significant amount of cheese stuck in the process.”
Bryson and Devon’s favorite date spot is Island Home Park, so that was where he chose to propose. He knew she was the one because he began tucking in his shirt after they began their relationship, he says.
“I have only been impressed by two things in my life, Devon and seeing the space shuttle in person. I cried the first time I saw one of them. I won’t say which.”
Park Assistant Allie Koepfer met her future husband, Brandon Thompson, in the training room at Lee University, where Allie played volleyball and Brandon played baseball.
“The first thing I said to him was, ‘I like your truck,’ she recalls.
Their favorite dates in college were eating Cookout at the bell tower after practice and playing aluminum foil baseball with milkshake straws. Now that they’re older and wiser, they’re happy with any date that includes chips and salsa.
The couple will tie the knot on a farm near Cleveland on Nov. 20. They’ve been together for three years now, but the romance hasn’t worn off.
“My favorite thing about Brandon is that he is such a hard worker and will do anything he sets his mind to! I am also a sucker for his ridiculously long eyelashes and blue eyes that he flaunts every chance he gets,” she says.
Town of Farragut marketing and public relations coordinator Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.