Welcome to the July 18, 2006 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. This edition's topic is Family Reunions! The summer months seem to be prime time for families to get together and there's a whooole bunch of interesting information out there on this topic. So without further ado, let's get to it!
First off, here's some blog posts from people who are doing the reunion thing...
The Connally Coleman McGee Family: Family Reunion 2010 Planning
O.K. Clearly some families are really on the ball when it comes to planning their family reunions. This family is making plans for their 2010 reunion, and it sounds like they've got a good plan going... Six Flags amusement park one day, cruising the Hudson River the next.
Mr Papa's World: Family Reunion Comes To A Conclusion
This family takes the reunion idea very seriously! Their reunion was in Arizona this year, it will be an Alaskan cruise next year, and in Michigan in 2008. Now that's what I call acommitmentt and planning!
Dahgurl: Up Sides of Reuniting
A fellow Detroiter tells her tale of the annual family reunion with a good bit of humor.
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter:The Snoddy family reunion is an established tradition in the Tyler and Longview, Texas area, with family coming from as far away as Seattle and California. This year was different. Melvin Snoddy, family historian and chairman of the reunion committee, has been a genealogist for 28 years. He's been researching the Snoddy name for some time now and had a breakthrough recently.
"I'm standing on land where 140 years ago my great-great-grandfather was a slave," he said... Dick Eastman gives a link to the article where you can read more about this very interesting family reunion.
For those who are familiar with the metro Detroit area, this family reunion story will be of particular interest...
Clarkston's namesake family returns to honor ancestors:
This is where it all began, Bart Clark told his family members who had gathered in Clarkston on Saturday.
This, he explained, is where their ancestors, brothers Nelson and Jeremiah Clark III, built a dam and a flour mill after moving to the village in 1832 from upstate New York. Nearby are two of the family's historic homes from that era. And where the Independence Township hall now stands is where Nelson Clark built a school.
I've had a couple of my own blog entries on the subject of family reunions...
Creative Gene: The Family Reunion That Almost Wasn't:Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the only family reunion I have ever attended or expect to attend. Last July, I hosted a family reunion for my maternal grandfather's branch of the family tree. In honor of my mother, who is the oldest person living in the U.S. in that family, I planned the party on her birthday. The family isn't all that big so I had it at my house. It was really well attended especially by the family members I'd been looking for for at least 8 years and had just recently found. They were as anxious to meet us as we were to meet them.
And this one which offers an agency that will help you with planning your own family reunion in the city of Detroit...
Creative Gene: Family Reunions - Detroit Style:Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau will help you with the planning. They will help to:
* Secure bids for hotel accommodations
* Suggest banquet facilities
* Help secure picnic site reservations
* Help arrange city tours and transportation
* Help secure special discounts at area attractions, restaurants and shopping venues
* Provide Visit Detroit magazines, welcome bags and other print materials
* Direct you to helpful contacts for:
* Governor's office for welcome letter
* Mayor's office Family Reunion Certificate
* Detroit City Council
* Spirit of Detroit Award
* Distinguished Service Award
* Award of Recognition
* Provide a free Family Reunion Program Resource Book
You can get forms to request their help and more information on their web site.
And continuing on with the theme of planning a family reunion, I have lots more information to share with you...
This article has some really good ideas for family reunions. I've included only a few here... there are more in the actual article.
Journal and Courier Online - Relate:Reminiscing and sharing family stories are a big part of family reunions, but remember you've got to engage everybody from 9 months to age 90.
Many families design T-shirt, hats or bags as souvenirs. Here are some ideas that could turn into family traditions:
- Bake-off. Have relatives bring their best cakes, pies and cobblers from all over the country. A panel of judges selects the best and awards bragging rights to the winner for the next year.
- Cookbook. Collect the bakeoff recipes into a family cookbook or publish traditional favorites that are expected at holiday gatherings. Web-based personal cookbook publishers allow family members to enter their recipes online and the companies print the book for you.
How-To: Plan a Successful Family Reunion :: How-To Travel Guide :: BootsnAll Theme Guides:Congratulations, you've volunteered - or been volunteered - to organize your next family reunion. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of your relatives are counting on you to plan a great event. Don't stress out. Follow these basic steps to ensure the family reunion is a wild success.
There are lots and lots of web sites with information on planning reunions. Some, like those mentioned above give general sorts of tips and ideas. Other sites give information on specific topics related reunion planning. Here are a few I found the most interesting... for information on how to share genealogy information at your family reunion:Genealogy.com: Sharing Family Research at the ReunionThis idea really appeals to me. I wish I'd thought of making a video at the family reunion I hosted last year.
How to Incorporate Genealogy into Your Reunion...
The perfect place to show off your family history research is the family reunion! From fashion shows to cooking demonstrations, learn how to bring your shared family history to life.What better place to share the exciting results of your genealogical passion than the family reunion? Sharing the results of your research will provide a sense of shared history for reunion participants.
This article is from the Better Homes and Gardens web site where they feature an entire section on planning your family reunion.
How to Create a Video Family History:What's even better than creating a family tree to capture your family's lineage? Making a video history. After all, "Family trees with names and dates only are not meaningful without the rich stories that bring them to life," says Lettice Stuart, president of the Association of Personal Historians (APH).Here we have "Award Winning" Reunion Organizer Software from Fimark. This software appears to be a series of event planning templates including a calculation tool.
Family Reunion Planner Organizer Templates Software Calculator
Family reunion planning budget list with reunion calculation tool helps you count the cost of your family reunion event.
That's not the only family reunion planning software available either.
Family Reunion Organizer
This site has a nice software program and even allows you to download a trial version for free. If you're worried about forgetting something in your planning, this program is for you. It has all the bases covered!
Here's a reunion idea you may not have thought to consider... the special dietary needs of diabetics in your family. There's help with meal planning for your reunion from the National Diabetes Education Program.Insight News:Summer barbecues, picnics, and family reunions can stir up thoughts of good, down-home cooking. However, if you have diabetes, these events can pose special challenges. How can you stay healthy and still enjoy those traditional meals? You can do it—by planning ahead, choosing wisely, and watching how much you eat. So, grab your plate and head for the buffet table.
For more information about controlling your diabetes, call the National Diabetes Education Program at 1-800-438-5383 or visit the programÂ’s website at www.ndep.nih.gov for information on planning a diabetes-healthy family reunion.
O.K., so this carnival has covered lots of aspects of family reunions and planning for them. In case you need more ideas or have a special need not mentioned here, you can always check out the Family Reunion Web Ring for even more great information and experiences.Family Reunion WebRing:Family reunion information, Pictures, Family Stories, Anecdotes, Do's and Dont's of Family Reunion Planning. Have success planning your Family Reunion? Share with others what you know! Let them have a Great Event.
That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for the next edition will be: Historical Fiction. Summer is a great time for light reading. Have you read/reviewed a novel that gave you a clue to your own family history? Do you have a favorite author of genealogical mysteries? There are many authors of generational sagas that are well researched and can teach us much about the lives and times of our ancestors... and are a lot more entertaining than a dull old history book. Share your blogs/web sites on the subject here!
Call for submissions on this topic! Please submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. The deadline for submissions for the next Carnival of Genealogy will be July 31st. Hope you'll come back and visit the carnival then!Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
