A Family Reunion

It's that time of year and my Thompson Family Reunion is right around the corner. There is about 1 month left. While that may seem like a lot of time, it really isn't when you work full time.

     One of the major items has been out of the way for months... the location. It is best to plan this well in advance. Many sites fill up. Our family has been patronizing a local state park. It offers many options boating, fishing, hiking, bike riding or just relaxing next to a lake. A bonus for the location we reserve is it has a covered pavillion with electricity. The electricity comes in handy to run fans to keep attendees of all ages a little cool. Tough bill to fill in middle of summer.

     Another major item for reunions is food. Never a problem with our family. We use the potluck method. We take a collection every year to cover meat, drinks, and serving items. But everyone is asked to bring a covered dish. In my family, that means they show up with at least two or more. I think our family motto could be "We shall not starve".

     The first two items are minor challenges to me What is more of a challenge is bringing genealogy to the family in fun and interesting ways. During our first reunion, I brought a descendency chart. I had found pictures from my mother's photo albums of as many people in the chart as I could. We had some good laughs. It was fun to have middle age adults find themselves in the chart as children. It was a great way to get updated pictures as well.
     I also created a family display board. It contained pictures of our shared ancestor, George and Fannie Thompson. The board has pictures of each of their children in order of birth. To add interest to it, I added information about George's father's Civil War Service. The next year I add pictures that had been found of George and Fannie's parents as well as missing picture of one of the children who did not survive until adulthood.
     This year I want to expand the display. Since this year marked the release of the 1940 Census, I plan to find George and Fanny as well as all of their children and display the print of their census page. Only a few of the attendees will find themselves listed in the print outs.
     Probably the biggest challenge is keeping the youth interested in reunions and in the family history. That will take a little more research.