Reunion Recollections

Enlarge Image Image Gallery BANISHING BONNIE THE GOAT: At a family reunion, John's dad's goat, Bonnie, leapt onto the picnic table and helped herself to the goodies. Brian Orr

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For the Heart of the Home section for the July/August issue, we asked readers to share their memories of favorite, unique or unforgettable family reunions.

Cookbooks and Cemetery Tour

My paternal grandparents had 13 children. Many years ago, their eldest son suggested that the 46 grandchildren host a family reunion each year.

The early reunions were held at the home of the hosts, with everyone bringing a covered dish. During World War II, with the rationing of gasoline and tires, the meeting place was changed to a more central location. Over the years, our reunions have been held in many places, eventually being moved from parks to air-conditioned buildings.

In 1937, my uncle hosted a three-day gathering at his cabin near Hutchinson, Kansas. He arranged for a cook shack, which was manned by the Chamber of Commerce cooks, with a big iron dinner bell outside the door. A tent was set up for dining and sleeping. Entertainment included daytime croquet, horseshoe pitching, boating, swimming and fishing, with square dancing in the evenings.

We celebrated our 50th family reunion in 1984 at the ancestral home of our grandparents in Stafford County, Kansas – the same home in which the first reunion was organized in 1933. All but two of my grandparents’ 35 surviving grandchildren attended with their families – some 300 relatives in all. Cookbooks compiled from recipes collected at the previous year’s reunion were available for a small fee, and slides of old family photos were shown. In addition, we toured the nearby cemetery where many of our ancestors are buried.

This year’s reunion will be our 75th, and we are into the sixth generation of my grandparents’ descendants now.

Ruth - Garden City, Kansas

Banishing Bonnie the Goat

My mother came from a tight-knit, God-fearing family of 13 children. Twice a year, every year, Mom’s family got together – once for Christmas and once for a summer cookout.

The summer get-togethers were always held at my parents’ house, because we had a rural playground – a pony, a mule, two dogs, four ducks and numerous chickens. Our animals were a real thrill to my cousins from the big city. We also had a goat – my dad’s goat, Bonnie.

The food, the fun and the family was all great, but thinking about Bonnie warms my heart the most. Bonnie wasn’t a pet, she was Dad’s weed eater.

One year at our summer reunion, Dad brought Bonnie into the backyard and let her roam freely. After everyone was seated at the picnic tables to eat, Bonnie moved from person to person trying to mooch an ear of sweet corn or goodies from the relish tray. That was harmless enough, and nobody seemed to mind, until Bonnie leapt up on the picnic table.

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