-------- Original Message -------- Subject: THE SUBJECT IS JOHNSTON COUNTY HERITAGE DAY! Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 17:26:23 -0700 From: Ann Massengill/John Evans <NICOJAK@ftc-i.net> To: NCJOHNST-D-request@rootsweb.com warren, you are very good with words. this is a great title and sounds much better and more inclusive than the term "family reunion". I apologize for and ask you to forget the "fuddy duddy" remark. oh, yeah, and the "old" part, too! the Skinner House has been suggested as a place for Heritage Day HQ. could you check on its availability and suitability? I am supposing that people who come from out of town would like to have a point of contact point where we can leave messages for all to see, like where we'll be staying or what time and where things that may be of interest will happen. our experience in traveling also suggests that we should have a number to leave "the folks back home" in case of emergency... some of our "folks back home" can't tell a life-and-death thing from a broken fingernail, and we don't want to tie up the entire Johnston County public safety network, especially as it is highly unlikely more than two or three of us would be staying at any one place. any plans we make along these lines will incur some costs, and all who are interested should kick in what they feel they should; people very seldom complain about that. we'll keep them posted on the costs of things, and when the money comes in, then we'll have our budget ready-made. are you in a position to have these funds mailed to you to keep and pay our few bills with? i certainly don't want you to be inconvenienced or feel you have to submit one of those damnably boring treasurer's report... so if this is agreeable, any money sent to you will be with the understanding that you owe nobody an explanation for anything, even if you use it to abscond to Tahiti! and that anything left over should be donated to the Heritage Center. is that good? after all, we're not setting up a corporation or signing a pre-nup! we're just a few somehow-connected souls looking for a place to have a drink together at the corner of I-95 and I-40! actually, Tahiti may begin to look pretty good before we pull this off! won't it be something if we all get there and realize that we all look alike or like somebody else great-grandparents? i can understand that you and other supporters of the Heritage Center are acutely aware that it is not able to handle a huge crowd of ancestor-seeking records-hunters. speaking for myself, my husband (and i sure don't get to do this very often), any kids not otherwise entangled and my mother, with or without her "train set", we can get what we're interested in at this and the family web sites, so we're more interested in just gathering and being together. i would like to see if the Smithfield Herald, the Four Oak News and other County newspapers would be willing to make their archives available in some manner. i don't expect them to make business commitments on this yet, but they may consider publishing a special edition of local history items. if they or anyone else, schools, churches, etc., have reproduceable group photos, then a local photographer might agree to take orders for reprints -- with some of the proceeds going to the church, school, etc., and of course the photographer should be compensated. this ain't a charity. it ain't even an "event".... yet! if you wish, you can give representatives of these and any other agencies my e-mail address. thank you for mentioning MS. i have had reason to be quite active with the MS society and have often heard that people from eastern north carolina, especially of celtic origin, have a higher rate of MS. of course the only people i've heard this from are people from eastern north carolina of celtic origin who have MS, but the MS Society may have some information for us, the larger group, which could be an important outcome of Johnston County Heritage Day. as we continue these discussions, other health issues could also become apparent. i hope you don't think i have discounted all the good information you have provided. it really is some great stuff, but my real interest is in the stories and the common history we share, and i take it as a great compliment that you have recognized those of us who have this interest and are willing to give us a voice, too. life is good! annie