HAPPILY EVER AFTER: VALENTINE PARTY MEMORABLE FOR FIRST-TIME 'OLD-TIMERS'

Clinton and Ines Hahs attended the annual Schnucks' Valentine's Day celebration for the first time on Wednesday and it turned out to be memorable for the Sedgewickville, Mo., couple.

They were presented corsages, boutonnieres, flowers and candy.

The Hahs, among more than 300 couples who crowded into the Holiday Inn Convention Center Wednesday, were honored as the longest-married couple at the event.

The annual Valentine party is for couples who have been married for at least 50 years. The Hahs have been together more than 71 years.

This year a daughter-in-law Debbie Hahs and granddaughter Khristi Hayes made sure Clinton and Ines were at the party.

"The time was right," said Debbie Hahs who is married to one of the Hahs two sons Kenny.

"This was the biggest crowd yet," said Dennis Marchi, manager of Schnucks Grocery in Cape Girardeau.

Schnucks and two Zimmer radio stations -- KZIM and K103 co-sponsor the event.

In previous years the party started at 7 or 8 a.m. This year the party started at 10 a.m.

"The new time helped the turnout " said Marchi. "Last year's attendance was a record at more than 225 couples. This year we topped 300 couples."

Celebration history

The Valentine's Day celebration was started 24 years ago by Bill Hammett, the first store manager of the Cape Girardeau Schnucks.

The first event was held in the store with less than a dozen couples showing up.

The celebration has been so successful in Cape Girardeau that other Schnucks stores in the Midwest have copied the idea. But Cape Girardeau's party has the largest turnout.

While most couples here came from Cape Girardeau County, several couples came from a far distance -- Dexter, Puxico, Perry County and the St. Louis area.

Paul and Albertha Marchi were honored as the couple who came from the farthest distance. They traveled more than 120 miles -- one way -- from their home in the St. Louis area to attend the party. The Marchis, parents of Dennis Marchi, have been married 52 years.

A number of party recipients have attended the party a number of years.

The majority of the party-goers were married 50 to 55 years ago, but no fewer than 10 couples had been married at least 65 years.

Grew up together

The Hahs will celebrate their 72nd anniversary in May.

The two were neighbors and attended school together.

"We dated five years before getting married," said Hahs who has worked in three careers before retiring.

"I worked for Wagoner's Electric in the St. Louis area about 20 years," he said.

Hahs sold insurance another 20 years and operated a store -- Hahs & Sons -- in Sedgewickville. about 15 years.

Ines Hahs assisted in the operation of the store.

When asked the secret to a long marriage, both of the Hahs agreed that "they got along together and never had a scrap."

The Hahs are the parents of two boys Donald Hahs of Jackson, Mo., and Kenny Hahs of Sedgewickville.

As the couples ate a continental breakfast provided for them by Schnucks and served by managers and sales associates from Schnucks and Zimmer radio stations ,they were serenaded by enternainers Mike Dumey and Robyn Hosp.

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