DOWNS/HALL REUNION 2002 JUNE 21,22,23 FRIDAY, JUNE 21st We will begin the reunion Friday evening with a meal in an Amish home. We will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time at the home of Mrs. Maude Raber, 3497 C.R. 135, Millersburg, Ohio. Her home is located between Berlin and Walnut Creek. Coming from Berlin, the road will be on your right after you pass the little rest area. Coming from Walnut Creek, it will be on your left, so if you pass the rest area, you have gone too far. County road 135 is clearly marked so you should have no trouble finding it. Mrs. Raber lives in the first house on the left after you pass the sawmill. Mrs. Raber enjoys a fine reputation as a wonderful cook, is a contributor to "Taste Of Home Magazine", and if you have never eaten in an Amish home you are in for a treat. The meal will cost $12.00 plus tip and includes chicken and steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, vegetable, salad, homemade bread, homemade pies, coffee, and tea. Children will be $6.00 and under three eat free. There is limited seating in Mrs. Raber's home so to guarantee a meal with the group GET YOUR RESERVATION IN EARLY by e-mailing me or calling. See end of page to contact me. This is the only part of the reunion that will have limited space. SATURDAY, JUNE 22nd At 9:30 a.m. we will meet in Mt Hope, Ohio at Lehman's Hardware Store for a visit to the Mt. Hope (Downs-Hall) Cemetery. The first burial being Alfred Downs (eight years old) June 13, 1836 and the oldest person buried there being Curtis Downs (1777-1845) The Cemetery is one and a half miles from the hardware store and though we drive most of the way wear comfortable shoes and clothes as we do have to walk through a field and into a woods. We will finish marking the family graves this year. We have restored several in the past. IN ORDER TO GO TO THE CEMETERY--JUST SHOW UP AT LEHMAN'S HARDWARE ABOUT 9:30. Mt Hope is very small and you can't miss the hardware. After the visit to the Cemetery we usually take a little time to explore the area or just have a leisurely lunch and relax, or to do some genealogy research. There is an antique train at Sugar Creek that travels through the heart of Downs-Hall territory and is an enjoyable trip. You will be provide information if you are interested. Saturday evening many of us eat together again at a local restaurant that we agree upon. If you wish to join in just follow the crowd. We then head for the hotel or local pub and exchange stories about the Damn Downes. SUNDAY, JUNE 23 There is a restaurants in the hotel and we gather between 8 & 9 to eat and say our final good-bye. You are invited to come for all or any part of the three day reunion. If you live close by in Ohio you may not need a hotel. For those who do, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Carlisle Village inn at Walnut Creek. Just ask for the rooms held under Downs Reunion, phone # 330/893-3636. If the rooms are taken by the time you call, there is another motel a block away, The Inn at Walnut Creek, phone # 1 800/262-7181. Or in Berlin, the Amish Country Inn phone # 330/893-3300. No block of rooms is set aside in the last two inns. Amish Heartland is Mt. Hope and Holmes County, Ohio. For more information go to http://www.amish-heartland.com. To make reservations for the Amish meal Friday evening, or for more information e-mail or call @ 219/223-2420 work 219/223-2080 home Jim Downs Some of the other Holmes County surnames that are linked are STOPHER FORMAN REED BLACK KERR MCBRIER SHIDLER NELVIL HARDGROVE FAITH FRITCHEL BERGER BEVINGTON BUROWAY DUNMIRE ENGEL FISHER ROYCE WENGARD