RELEASE DATE: JUNE 11, 2006

KINSEARCHING

by

Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
 

      This week we will conclude the recent news release shared by Edith Wagner, editor and publisher of the highly acclaimed Reunions magazine.

     "The Krech Family Reunion in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, will celebrate 150 years in Dakota County (since before Minnesota became a state). Bailey Family Reunion members look forward to scary stories around campfires, touring family heritage sites in Ohio where their parents were raised, their farm, schools and the cemetery where ancestors are buried. The Lawler Family Reunion in Ball Ground, Georgia, will stage their annual Family Survivor Game, talent shows and raffles. These and 200,000 other families will meet throughout this reunion season and many will spend significant time learning about the one thing that binds them all: family history. Like the Bailey Family, they may tour family sites, exchange family stories, create oral history and sort through mystery photos and artifacts. They also will celebrate their ethnicity and the diverse interests found in all families.

     Some families will go camping, enjoy nature and engage in physical activity because it's what they like to do. One survey found that 20% of all family reunions enjoy a game of golf--probably very important in keeping 20% of reunion attendees happy. Planning for kids at reunions is vital to avoid the cry of boredom and begging to go home. Physical games, crafts and contests go a long way to keeping kids engaged, and many can relate to family history as well. Hotel swimming pools and game arcades are popular, but must be supplemented with activities that engage and interest kids in the idea of family.

     All around the country, classmates also will be gathering. Zephyrhills (Florida) High School Class of 1966 members will celebrate their 40th anniversary. They they'll join an all-school Alumni Reunion that provides an opportunity to see friends from other classes and teachers, too. At the much larger Anchorage (Alaska) Bartlett High School Class of 1986 reunion, 60% of class members will return with their families for the first time in 20 years. And then there's the 50th anniversary reunion of Manor, New York's Briarcliff High School's Class of 1956; they're going to Orlando, Florida, to celebrate."

(End)

     For over 16 years, Reunions magazine has served as a clearinghouse for reunion-planning experience. This reader-driven, bi-monthly publication tackles all the issues organizers face when planning a family, class, military, or any other type of reunion. It answers beginners who ask "How do I plan a reunions?" and veteran planners who ask "What next?" Issues contain material that is fun to share with avid reunion organizers who also happen to be the stars of the periodical.

     Annual subscriptions are $9.99, which includes a workbook. To subscribe, go to www.reunionsmag.com, write to P. O. Box 11727, Milwaukee, WI 53211-0727, or call 800-373-7933.

     Review copies of Reunions magazine and/or Reunions Workbook as well as stock photographs are available for the asking. Requests for additional information, including reunion story ideas, may be e-mailed to [email protected].

     On August 5, 2006, the Kentucky Genealogical Society, Inc., will hold its 32nd annual seminar in Frankfort, KY. Featured speaker will be Lloyd deWitt Bockstruck, who will discuss genealogical research in Maryland and North Carolina. For more details write to the society at P. O. Box 153, Frankfort, KY 40602-0153.