Hello Beryl, I have been keeping info re re-unions ...... have pasted some info below ...... and have a look at the websites. Kindest Regards ...... Corinne. http://www.genealogy.com/32_reunion.html?Welcome=1006151816 http://family-reunion.com/organize.htm http://www.learn2.com/06/0662/0662.asp =================================================================== It's that time of year again--time for the commencement of summer family reunions. While not every family converges for their reunion in the summertime, this time of year seems to be the most popular. Children are out of school and families can more readily plan vacation time. The weather tends to be more reliable too. In recalling family reunions in decades past and comparing them with contemporary ones, I realize that some things stay the same while others are very different. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's talk about family reunions old and new, and some items that have changed. SOMETHING OLD . . . I ran across a letter the other night from one of my great-aunts to her last surviving brother. The letter is dated 23 July 1954, and talks about the family reunion held a short time before. In part, it reads: "We missed you and Emma so very much at our reunion in Burlington weekend before last. There are only the seven of the twelve children left and, as our only living brother and the only one of the group missing, we had quite a hen party! I know it was difficult for us all to coordinate schedules, but we did so long to have you and Emma there. Emma Dale, Pardner and I took the train, and Elizabeth met us at the station. Wyatt, Nita, and Ella drove, and the trip took them two days. We all stayed with Elizabeth and Walt as they had plenty of room for the seven of us. "We had a wonderful outing in the park in Burlington. We had a gorgeous day on Sunday, not too hot, and a lovely picnic lunch under the trees. All of Elizabeth's children and their families came, and we got to see Edith's baby son. We all enjoyed siding the carousel and the children loved the miniature train. It was a lovely time and am so sorry you missed it. We want to see you both very soon. Why not consider a visit this fall to visit us?" This reunion, held almost half a century ago, is little different in some ways than one which might be held in a park this summer. The park mentioned, with its carousel and miniature train ride, still exists in Burlington, NC, and is as lovely now as it was in the summer of 1954. I have photographs from that reunion and was, in fact, the baby referred to in the letter. If you look at the pictures, you will note that not much has changed apart from the clothing styles (the ladies wearing dresses and hats to a picnic in the park!) and the automobiles. However, in other ways, life was quite different fifty years ago. The letter discusses how people traveled to the reunion. Few people would travel by passenger train these days, and air travel was certainly less common than it is today. People might well have traveled by car but, with the improvements in highways and higher speed limits, a two-day trip might be shortened. Accommodations might well be different, too. Welcoming seven relatives to stay in my home for several days, feeding them, and otherwise accommodating them would be a tight and daunting affair these days. Coordinating a family reunion a half-century ago probably was a different job. It involved writing letters and making telephone calls. Meal planning and coordination may have been different too. While people lived in a supposedly "simpler time," the process of planning and organizing a large family reunion was still a chore. Let's move ahead in time to the 21st Century. SOMETHING NEW . . . Planning and organizing a family reunion today is certainly more involved than it would have been fifty years ago. Family members are more widely scattered, their schedules are more frenetic, and travel can be a real coordination challenge. People need more advance notice in order to make arrangements to attend a reunion. One of our family reunions this year was announced in March and was tentatively scheduled for June but, because of many people's schedule conflicts, the event has been pushed back to September. Communicating with people is certainly different today. Not only can you reach people by mail and telephone, you can now communicate via e-mail. In compiling a family address book, it becomes a challenge to gather all the e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, cell phone numbers, and fax numbers for all the family members. (I have one family of four in my address book who, between them, have six telephone numbers and eight e-mail addresses! Which one(s) should I be using?) In 1954, a family could probably have just arrived at the park and picked a place to set up their picnic. Today, a park picnic permit might be required for a large family group. If you are planning a reunion at a hotel, you might have to reserve space a year in advance and sign contracts to reserve a block of sleeping rooms and banquet room space, as well as with caterers, florists, entertainers, and a professional photographer. It is also common to order and sell reunion T-shirts or some other commemorative items. All of these require planning, communication with family members, and lead time. One person definitely cannot handle all the responsibility for planning, organizing, and staging a family reunion. GETTING A HANDLE ON THE REUNION Even though staging a family reunion involves a lot of work and coordination of details, it doesn't have to be a daunting task. Here are some suggestions for success: START EARLY!--Start brainstorming and planning as early as possible. If there are a lot of tasks to be accomplish, they need to be scheduled. RECRUIT A TEAM--Solicit dedicated members of the family to help plan and organize the reunion. Assign responsibilities to them and ask for regular follow-up status reports. Make sure the same people help coordinate the activities on-site at the reunion to make sure they run smoothly. DEVELOP A PLAN--Start with basic concept of the reunion and involve your team members in developing and refining the plan. DEVELOP A BUDGET--Get estimates for everything and develop a budget. This will provide you with a realistic price to charge family members for their attendance and for all incidental costs. WORK PROFESSIONALLY--Deal with hotels, caterers, and other professional vendors. Meet the contactors face to face and establish a professional relationship. Work as a professional yourself. Contact several vendors in each category. If you have a large group, you have negotiation power. Ask questions, demand written estimates, and get every arrangement in writing in a contract. DOUBLE-CHECK EVERYTHING--Don't assume that everything will flow flawlessly. Double-check all arrangements by making confirmation telephone calls and, if necessary, meet with the vendor again. A final walk-through of the facility is not uncommon. You want everything to be perfect. ENLIST ON-SITE HELP--Ask family members to commit to help in small ways at the reunion. Delegate responsibility for small items they can handle without interrupting their enjoyment of the reunion. ENCOURAGE COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION--Create opportunities for people of all ages to interact and get to know one another. This will foster important relationships that will last a lifetime. GATHER GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION--Arrange easy ways to gather family information at the reunion. While you have all these people in one place, determine methods for mining these wonderful resources. ENJOY THE REUNION YOURSELF!--Don't work yourself to pieces so that you can't enjoy the wonderful event you have planned. Make sure you have time to be a part of the event, and not just an event organizer. Remember, you're part of the family, too. GIVE ME AN OLD-TIME REUNION! A contemporary family reunion can and should have the friendly charm of an old time reunion. People should enjoy themselves in a leisurely way. Chatting, eating, playing games, exchanging stories, and information--all of these activities are conducive to building strong, lasting relationships with one another. If you are attending a family reunion this year, think about the work that goes into planning and organizing it. Maybe you'd like to call your reunion coordinator and volunteer a little time and energy to help make the reunion a success. ENJOY. Happy Hunting! George EDITOR'S NOTE: George's new book, "Your Family Reunion: How To Plan It, Organize It and Enjoy It," is now available in The Shops @ Ancestry.com at: http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=2460 Order your copy now for the low introductory price of only $14.95. __________________________________________________________________ George G. Morgan is a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, Inc. (ISFHWE) at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/cgc2.htm. He would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com but, due to the volume of e-mail, he is unable to answer every e-mail message received. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's Web site at http://ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements. Copyright 2001, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved. > > Anyone got any great ideas to share on organising a family reunion? Is a whole > week-end too long for a big one? What kind of activities can we have? How can > the poor old organiser cut costs and get everyone else enthused? Help! Next > year it will be 150 years since our HOLMES ancestor hit these shores and > Muggins feels that she should organise something special. Estimating about 100 > people at this stage, and thinking of Hamilton as the most central spot to > where they settled. > > Over to you. > > Beryl O'Gorman > Greensborough Victoria Australia > List Admin >