Couple’s Fairytale Proposal at Fredrock Glampground | 573 Magazine
- Thomas Smugala
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Once upon a time, in the quiet kingdom of Fredricktintonville, a brave maiden named Jaden of Knob Lick stood guard at the grand gates of the local Walmart. It was the year of Shadow, when all travelers were asked to don masks before entering—but friends, we all know this was no ball. It was there, beneath the flickering lights and disgruntled patrons, that our fair maiden Jaden first met Aaron of Poplar Bluff, and 573 was poised to meet them.
One of the best things about creating the 573 Magazine is all the super cool, interesting people living out in these hills. Every day, it seems, I meet a new and unusual person. While filming on location at Fredrock Glampground, we met the coolest and most refreshing couple in the kingdom. Some might think they are just common, everyday humans walking the planet, but there is something about this couple. A freedom. I find freedom and comfort in their skin. A freedom that gives a person true happiness. Meet Jaden and Aaron. Learn about their Fredrock Glampground proposal. We like them and their story reads like a fairy tale—it really does.
...their story reads like a fairytale—it really does.
Jaden Rayne from Knob Lick.
My name is Jaden Rayne. Aaron Melcher and I had met in the little town of Fredricktown in 2021 when they had this position at Walmart called the “Health Ambassador” essentially I was the girl everyone hated during Covid that stood at the door of Walmart and asked if they had wanted a mask before going inside and Aaron was coming in as I was leaving and had to get a mask from me as he worked on the overnight remodel crew at the time. Mask wearing for employees was mandated. My friend and I both had an eye for him, and so she asked for his contact information and shot her shot. She came back to me and surrendered his information, stating he was “too nice” too nice ????? So before messaging him like a creep, I approached him in person and was scrambling to find an icebreaker as I was walking up, then his earring caught my eye (16g stainless steel horseshoe with spiked ends). Whew, perfect! I asked what size his earring was, and the conversation went on for a few moments before I had to go. A few in-person conversations later, he asked if I wanted to come over to his house (YEA DUH!:D).
Aaron Melcher from Poplar Bluff.
Aaron and Jaden are like peanutbutter and jelly—just perfect for each other.
We spent nights he was off watching music videos and drinking Pepsi, which is his go-to drink and one of the few things in his fridge. I would always have to go home, but it was usually 3am until one night my mom had gotten mad and told me not to come home… so I had asked if it was alright that I spent the night, if not, I was totally ok with sleeping in my car in a 24/7 parking lot like I had done times before. He said yes, and that was the start of it all. We spent almost every waking moment on the phone with on another until we could be together again. Slowly but surely, I started accumulating things in his house. He didn’t ask me to be his girlfriend until we were obviously already a couple; we just knew.
He likes to fish, and I like looking for fun bugs and lizards under rocks...
The shut ins at Fredrock, rock.
Five years later, I put in my two weeks at Walmart and went to work at the factory he now works at, where you get seven days off. Now we enjoy all sorts of things. He likes painting, and I like drawing. We both love camping and hiking. He likes to fish, and I like looking for fun bugs and lizards under rocks as well as cool flowers and hanging out in a hammock while he does that. We have also rehabilitated a butterfly together that hung out with us for five days before it finally flew off. We can’t have pets in our apartment, so we currently take care of 8 jumping spiders and occasionally try to lure the stray cats. We enjoy walks around the town, working out, and cooking together, though I must admit he is better at it than I am.
For my birthday (April 8th) Aaron had grabbed some free pallets and soil from this little store called Thals and built me a small 2x3 flower box because I missed the yard at our other house and all the pollinators where we used to have a bricked-in flower garden he tilled for me. I thought that was the end of it as I was overflowing with excitement to pick out the best seeds for our bugs and bees, but no, he had secretly been saving and planning something behind the scenes.
and then he says, "You're going to be blinkfolded."
I woke up on April 7th, and he said, " Go do yourself up, we are going somewhere, and I’m driving. Your bags are already packed, and I have an outfit picked out for you. We leave at 2:15. Ok, I thought it sounded spontaneous, I’m in!!! So I do my makeup and hair, get my looks just right, and then he says, "You're going to be blinkfolded." Blind folded??? Should I leave my fingerprints somewhere and message my family I will be MIA for a while, I ask. He said it’s fine (he had already told them but I was unaware at the time) he drives maybe 15 minutes down the road to this gate in the middle of nowhere off the highway my blindfold is now off and he types in a code the gate opens and he continues down this half paved since graveled over path until he pulls in by this pink sign that says “Rustic Rose“ infront of a big evergreen tree we get out and go around the tree and there is this perfect pink stone cottage where we says we will be spending the night into my birthday, I freak out full squeal mode and the keys have a big red heart on them O MY GOSH!!
Go do yourself up, we are going somewhere...
Nothing as relaxing as rushing water.
He unlocks the door to even more pink, I mean everything, the walls, the chair, the couch, the silverware, the only thing red is the bedspread, curtains, and the fridge! That’s not even the best part he takes me through a sliding glass door in the living room and there is a pink picnic table heart shaped hot tub and leads me down this tree path where we wants to take a picture and props his phone up on a piece of bark on a tree and walks back and poses for a picture (he has it on record the whole time ) and he proposed!!!!
Smoothe granite boulders make for great seating.
...props his phone up on a piece of bark on a tree and walks back and poses for a picture (he has it on record the whole time ) and he proposed!!!!
The ring—perfectly unusual.
We had gone to this place called Fredrock, which I had never heard of before. When I looked it up, it said,” glam grounds,” and it most definitely was. There were spots for all sorts of out-of-the-box people. They had the fancy sweetheart suite that was all pink and red and flowers; it screamed feminine, called the rustic rose. And next to us was a cool little hippy camper they had decked out. Down the road from us, there was a TP you could actually stay in, and on the other side of the road was this dome that looked like an alien ship. There were plenty of camping spots with just tents and RV camping.
And that’s how we ended up in 573 Magazine. Some days are luckier than others.
The next day, we walked down to the river and looked for cool rocks. As we were walking, the owners caught us and said that they were shooting a TV show pilot here and asked if we would be interested in meeting the guy in charge of it. Sure, why not, right? And we went and met with him, and then we were asked to be in the pilot as well (super exciting). We finished our walk down to the river and came back up. It wasn’t 30 minutes, and we were talking to this neat dude with a big camera! And that’s how we ended up in 573 Magazine. Some days are luckier than others.
Get ya some!
Get Out There! Lay some flooring. Start a business. Go for a hike. Sing in the shower. Do something. Do anything. Get out there, that sunken sofa won't miss you—time's a wasting!
—Pics and words by Supreme Leader Smugala
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