RYLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Denise Osborne and Eric Harmon are taking the plunge today at Casterline's fishing lake.

But they won't be jumping into the water. They're getting married on the dock of the 4.5-acre body of water.

"We're going to work over the weekend getting everything ready for the wedding," Bonnie Winkler said from behind the bar at the lake's recently refurbished grill room.

Residents say that's the way it's done in Ryland Heights. Friends and family help one another. People pitch in to get a job done. Many residents never leave. And some who do eventually find their way back.

Take Charles Dickens, who despite sharing a name with one of history's greatest authors is known around these parts simply as "Doobie."

Doobie Dickens, 38, was born and raised in Ryland Heights, moved away when he got married, and came back recently after a divorce. "I love it here," said Mr. Dickens, who operates a jukebox maintenance and repair business. "It's quiet. It's rural. You don't find many places like this anymore - a small community that is really just a few minutes from the city."

Located on DeCoursey Pike, or Ky. 177, about 5 miles south of Interstate 275, Ryland is in southeastern Kenton County south of Fairview and north of Visalia. The Licking River meanders through a valley on the far east side of the city and can be seen on vistas along DeCoursey that offer some of the most spectacular views in Northern Kentucky.

Another defector who has returned to the city is Ralph "Boz" Collins.

Mr. Collins, 41, is one of six boys raised BY Ray and Betty Collins in Ryland Heights. He came back 13 years ago and opened a gas station and auto repair business on DeCoursey.

He lives "out back" on the 13 acres he owns behind the station, with Mom and Dad right next door.

"I came back to start a business, but I also liked living here, and I wanted to come back for that, too," said Mr. Collins, also a member of the Ryland Heights City Commission, as he worked on a 1970 Volvo coupe.

"It's one of those places where everybody kind of knows everybody else. That makes it nice."

Though he has to quit selling gas after the first of the year because of new federal environmental regulations, Mr. Collins has no plans to close the repair part of his business or move.

"They're saying upgrade your pumps or stop selling gas," he lamented. "Well, I can't afford to do that, so I'm just going to stop selling gas."

The downtown area along DeCoursey Pike isn't much more than Collins' Ryland Service; the Ryland Heights Community Volunteer Fire Department, which doubles as the city building, a tavern and Casterline's. With a population of 279, Ryland Heights is one of Northern Kentucky's smallest towns. And it looks the part.

There's a small weightlifting room in the front of a glass-enclosed building where Ray and Betty Collins once ran a soft ice cream stand. It shares a parking lot with their son's service station.

"We closed the Dairy Whip a while back and some of the boys put some weights and workout equipment in there," said Ray Collins, 71. "Now, a lot of guys from around the community come in and work out. They have competitions . . . to see who can lift the most.

"It gives the boys something to do."

Across DeCoursey Pike at the fire department, there is no such problem with idol time.

The department's captain, Mark Houston, 36, doubles as the station's maintenance man. Another volunteer, Pam Hopple, 34, keeps the records and handles work on the departments' computer. Many members pitch in to keep the station clean, the equipment in working order and the aging fleet of vehicles in good shape.

"The newest vehicle we have is 10 years old," said Fire Chief Jim Crouch, 58, a Ryland Heights native and lifetime resident who has been fighting fires off and on for 40 years.

"Some of our trucks go back to the 1970s and even the '60s. It makes it tough, but we have a good crew here. They do what has to be done because they are dedicated and they care about their community."

The department, some members fear, may be getting busier in the future. Water came to Ryland Heights in May, and with it came both convenience and the potential for dramatic change.

A $900,000 federal grant along with $15,000 raised BY residents through bake sales, yard sales and door-to-door sign-ups make it possible for about 200 residents in and around the city to have water lines linked to their homes.

But with water comes development.

For the first time in years two small subdivisions are under construction. And residents expect more development to come. "That's not all bad,' Chief Crouch said. "For us, it naturally makes it easier to fight fires. And it may bring a store or something to town. Now, if we want to shop, we have to go into Taylor Mill and all the way down DeCoursey to Covington."

Some residents worry the growth will change the small town, rural character of the community.

"This is still the country," Ms. Winkler said, who moved here a few years ago from Dayton, Ky. "I don't think it will change too much.

"But, Florence used to be country, too, and now look at it."

The Casterlines are here to stay, no matter what happens, Ms. Winkler said. They recently redid the bar at the fishing lake and are offering live country music on Saturday nights.

Out at the lake recently, Willie Justice lobbed a near-perfect cast into the still water.

A daily visitor, Mr. Justice and other lake patrons are featured in the Polaroids that grace one wall of the bar. In the pictures the fishermen and women pose with huge channel and shovelhead catfish, some of which weighed upwards of 30 and 40 pounds.

"I love it out here," Mr. Justice said as he reeled in his line. "It's just a real nice little community with nice folks, and a great fishing lake.

"I like my privacy, and I like to fish. As far as I'm concerned, you can't ask for much more than that."