Connecting

Reunions: Fun for the Whole Family

Getting together with family from near and far was a favorite summer activity for many families when we were kids. Although people had been gathering for “family reunions” since the 1800s (at least), the activity became very popular with the mobile generations of the 1950s and ‘60s. Every fall, a handful of my classmates would come back to school with stories of family trips and tales of how they found out that other classmates turned out to be second or third cousins.

Even though the 1960s was considered a heyday for these reunions, two things have contributed to an explosion of family gatherings in recent years. First, we’re all grown up now, and we want to reach out and recreate those family connections. Second, the computer is our friend! The late 1980s ushered in a new era of family reunion organizing. Thanks to the Internet, we can connect with family all over the country (and all over the world).

We Gather Together

Hand-in-hand with our desire to connect and our new-found ability to do this quickly electronically, goes the genealogy trend, also supported by ready accessto the Internet. Many boomers have become family historians, and what better place to share information than a family reunion!

Planning a reunion is easier than ever before. There are whole books and websites devoted the to subject. All you really need to start is contact information for your family members, a place to hold the event and plenty of food to make your family reunion a success. Still, to hold a memorable one, with minimum hassle, here are a few tips on the early stages of planning your reunion culled from many family reunion resources available:

• Define a core planning group. Designate a small group of family members to begin planning your reunion. It helps to choose people who you know will communicate well with others in the family.
  
• Ask for input. Gather all the contact information you have and send out an announcement that you are planning a family reunion asking for suggestions and ideas. Some planners send out short surveys.
  
• Explore your options. Once you’ve gauged interest and have a general idea of what you’d like to do, spend time looking at possible sites and dates for the event. Most families have their reunions in the summer because it’s easier for people to get off work and there are less weather-related problems.
  
• Choose your location and date carefully. Keep in mind distance and expenses. You can’t accommodate everyone but you can make the event accessible to the majority of people. Some families chose a vacation resort or a campground. Others chose something simplier like a family member's home or a nearby park. This will all be dictated, of course, by the size of your gathering. If folks are flying in, you’ll need to explore accommodation options as well.
  
• Reserve early. Make any necessary reservations such as blocks of rooms, party room or park rentals as soon as you can.
  
• Decide on activities. Most people are happy with food and conversation and maybe a few organized games. Other gatherings are more purposeful. If you have family historians, they may want the opportunity to gather or share family information. You could create a family directory, distribute a family genealogy booklet or create a scrapbook of the event and send it to family members as a remembrance.
  
• Plan your food. Let’s face it. Most family gatherings revolve around food. Small ones can be potlucks but larger events may require contracting for catering.
  
• Send out the information. Include all the location details with a firm register-by date to make planning easier.

Check out a family reunion planning site for tips on how to pull it altogether.

Family Reunion websites:

FamilyReunion.com has a good resource guide for family reunion planners.

Similarly named Family-Reunion.com has Mister Spiffy, the family reunion planner to help you along.

Temple University has a site devoted to family reunions.

About.com, ever the resource for everything has family reunion information on it’s genealogy pages.

Reunions magazine is devoted to family reunions and full of helpful advice and news.

For an interesting article on the history of family reunions and their importance to boomers, see BookRags.com’s Popular Culture Study Guide on the subject.