Newlyweds celebrate first day married at state fair

PALMER — Crowds, sticky foods and farm animals did little to deter Halee Cook from spending a windy but sunny Sunday afternoon at the fair with her new husband.

Halee and Berick Cook exchanged vows on the borough green between the Palmer Public Library and the Borough Gym on Sunday, Aug. 28, after more than seven years of love and friendship, Halee said.

And it all started at the Alaska State Fair.

Berick said he and Halee met while working at the Chevron corporate office in Anchorage, where they became fast friends. As co-workers, they went to lunch together, to the fair together, and even shoe shopping together, Halee said — though the latter occasion was a bit more one-sided.

“He held my purse while I went shoe shopping,” she said.

Halee was married at the time, and both she and Berick had children of their own, so their relationship wasn’t a romantic one back then, she said.

“I always did a me-and-husband date to the fair, because everybody does that, and me-and-my best friend,” she said.

Berick hinted that maybe they should’ve known they were right for each other a long time ago.

“They always said marry your best friend, so, you know?” he said.

The friends had many great times at the fair over the years, to the point where certain foods just didn’t taste right if they weren’t together. Halee said they typically grab a salmon quesadilla every year, but couldn’t bring herself to eat one by herself.

“I tried to eat them without him, and they’re horrible,” she said. “Then we had one yesterday (Saturday) and it was delicious.”

The 2009 Beach Boys concert at the Borealis Theater was also memorable for the two lifelong Alaskans. Berick and Halee said they had both liked the 1960s rock band, but only went to the concert because it was the only one they could both make it to that year.

“It’s kinda become like a thing for us,” Berick said.

Halee said she wanted to spend their honeymoon in Aruba, thanks to the Boys’ 1989 hit, “Kokomo,” but settled for Las Vegas.

“It was a little outside our budget, unfortunately,” Berick said.

Again, honeymoons were far from the friends’ minds in their first fair-going days. But last year, after Halee’s previous marriage had ended, she and Berick decided to try and advance their relationship. In January, he asked her to marry him at the Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs outside of Fairbanks, where they both currently live.

Halee said she “knew he was gonna propose” but that it still took her by surprise.

“I didn’t even say yes at first, I was like, ‘yeah, probably,’” she said.

The couple decided to get married in Palmer, where Halee grew up, and chose to spend their first day married at the fair to add to the memorable moments had there.

“We went to The Band Perry (on Saturday), so that was our last single date, and now we’ve had our first married date here,” Berick said.

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.