WEST CHESTER TWP. — Richie Root's bachelor party is 7 p.m. today. Thirty-five guests have been forewarned — this will be different.

Richie Root and Traci Snowden will be married Saturday. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Before the West Chester resident marries Traci Snowden, 22, of Fairfield Saturday, he'd like to spend his remaining hours doing what he wants.

        So he and his friends will hear Billy Graham speak at Paul Brown Stadium.

        “I told my buddies I didn't want to do anything wild; I just wanted to talk about life and have fellowship,” Mr. Root, 23, said. “I asked the guys if they'd like to go hear Billy Graham and Michael Smith sing. They all said yes. I'm grateful.

        “This is what I really want to do, and they respect me for it.Some of them have never been to anything like this before. Even I haven't.”

        The couple didn't plan their wedding date around the Billy Graham mission. In fact, when they set the date, they didn't even know that the famous evangelist was coming to town.

        When Mr. Root realized that his wedding date was close to Mr. Graham's visit, he came up with the bachelor party idea.

        “I was surprised that so many of them wanted to go,” Mr. Root said. “At first, a lot of the guys questioned it. One said, "Are you kidding me? Where's the party? Really.' I said, "Seriously, that's where it's all happenin'.'”

        Ms. Snowden, a recent graduate of Miami University, wasn't surprised to hear about the bachelor party.

        “I expected nothing less of Richie,” she said. “He wants all of his friends to experience this once-in-life opportunity.”

        In six months, the couple will leave for Hawaii to enroll in a discipleship training program with Youth with a Mission, affiliated with the University of Nations.

        “We hope to travel the whole world, God willing. We want to spread the love of Jesus everywhere,” Mr. Root said.

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