Five Things I Will Never Do Again at a Family Reunion

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Aunt Mo

1. I will never make a fish print t shirt.

Fish print t shirts- it seemed like a great idea- and it fit our theme perfectly but in the end it was an epic fail. To make the shirts you generously paint one side of the fish with fabric paint. Then you place the T-shirt front side down on the painted fish and pat in place.

When you lift the t shirt off the fish you have the imprint of the fish, scales and all, on the shirt.

I’ve seen cute shirts done this way but the only fish we could find were HUGE catfish- in most cases bigger than the shirt. Everyone worked hard to make the shirts successful but when only half of the fish fits on your shirt it’s kind of disappointing. This activity goes down as the worst one I’ve ever planned.

Never again will I plan an activity or craft without trying it out on my immediate family before using it at a family reunion.

2. I will never let a scientist be in charge of making gravy

At a huge family dinner I was in charge of I gave the responsibility for making the gravy to a scientist who had all the correct formulas for making gravy but couldn’t seem to get it to thicken up. It looked like brown water. I had 300 people sitting at tables waiting to be served and no gravy for their potatoes. Panic mode!

I finally enlisted the help of a school lunch cook who swooped in and easily thickened the gravy. It was kind of a touchy situation- I didn’t want to offend the scientist but I really needed to get that gravy thickened so I had to turn to the REAL expert.

This “never” item isn’t about gravy it’s more about assigning people responsibilities that they can be successful at completing. I learned to make sure I matched the right people with the right assignment!

3. I will never hold a reunion without having a plan for bad weather.

Look at this picture- these are not happy times. A rainy family reunion is not a happy family reunion.

We’ve been holding the Stewart family reunion for 30 years and have only had bad weather two times. So what am I complaining about- that’s a pretty good record. It’s great, unless it’s one of the times it rained for three days.

Rain and other bad weather can really put a damper on your family reunion. Our family were really great sports when it came to this family reunion in 2012 but a break from the rain would’ve been nice. Now when I schedule our reunion I also reserve a nearby church’s cultural hall where we can do activities, eat a meal and get out of the weather for awhile if needed. We also come prepared with large tarps and portable heaters- just in case.

Of course, if you hold your reunion at a hotel this won’t be as much of an issue- unless, you plan on attending a theme park or other outdoor activities. Talk to hotel officials in advance about the use of large conference halls for a bad weather day.

4. I will never reserve a reunion site without shade.

Several years ago, we had a difficult time finding a location for our family reunion. Someone beat us to the punch and we lost out on our normal reunion site. (That hasn’t happened since.) In desperation we reserved a campsite at a hot springs thinking that swimming would be great fun for everyone- it was. However; there was no shade whatsoever and it was HOT! We put up some tarps to give us some relief but the sun beat down on us relentlessly. Everyone was exhausted from swimming in the hot springs pools and then baking in the hot sun.

Since that reunion I have made it a policy to check out our family reunion sites personally. A couple of things I look for in a suitable site are: proximity to the bathrooms
        suitable sites for tents and trailers
        Enough parking (most campsites restrict the number of cars)
        cooking facilities & eating arrangements
        open space for games and activities
        and SHADE!

5. I will never contribute to a boring reunion.

This is a picture of the really awesome obstacle course we put together for a family reunion. Where’s Waldo? You won’t find Waldo or any other human in this picture because nobody wanted to do anything- BORING!

I was asked to plan activities for a large family. My family worked hard at hauling bales of hay, ladders and other props for a dynamite obstacle course. We also organized Frisbee golf and volleyball tournaments- BUT… nobody wanted to participate. Their reunion consisted of eating, visiting (which is important) and holding an auction. The most frustrating part of the reunion for me was when we finally got enough people together to play volleyball and the reunion organizers shut us down so they could start the auction. UGH!

When I attend a family reunion I want to get to know family members better- I want to play with them, laugh with them and get a little crazy with them, but if that’s not what’s important at your reunion don’t ask someone to plan activities.

I learned from this experience that I had better know who my “audience” is and plan activities (or no activities) depending on their family makeup and interests.

Remote Control Car Racing for Your Family Reunion

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Aunt Mo

We attended a party sponsored by my husbands company this summer and when we walked into the huge warehouse all the boys faces, young and old, lit up with excitement at what they saw. A simple remote control race track had been set up in the warehouse and party goers were able to organize their own races against family and friends. What a great party idea and what a fun idea for a family reunion! Here’s how it works-

The Cars

If your reunion committee has the funds, purchase a few cars and at the end of your reunion auction them off or have a prize drawing. Another option is to invite family members to bring their own remote control cars to the reunion. If you’re planning in advance, a good time to purchase remote control cars in during the Thanksgiving Black Friday sales.

The RC Track

First you have to decide if you want a dirt track or an inside track. As far as size goes, you won’t need more than a 20-foot by 20-foot area. You can chart out the obvious oval course or focus on hard turns to make it more challenging. If you are racing on a hard surface, you can easily chart out the borders of the track using chalk or tape. Use 2x4s to make a sturdy track. A garden hose may also be a solution to keep the RC cars on the track. Depending on how many cars and racers you have the track should be within 5 to 7 feet wide.

A barrier in the center of your track helps keep cars roaring around the track and may help keep younger racers from getting stuck in the center. It can also be used as a control central for racers.

RC Jumps and Obstacles

Now it’s time to have some fun adding obstacles and jumps. If your car is a cheaper model, add only slight jumps but medium cost remote control cars can fly right over jumps without being damaged. You can use 2 liter bottles that you spray paint bright orange as obstacles. Put a little sand in each bottle and use them for obstacles to weave in and out off. (You can use orange cones but the smaller ones get pushed out of place.) Another fun obstacle for your track is a tunnel made from plastic or metal that a remote control car can fit through. If you are creating a dirt track the pipe can also double as the base for a jump if dirt is piled around it. You will have to experiment to get the dirt at the right angle. Tunnels can also be made out of cardboard boxes.

Race Day!

Have your track set up when reunion goers arrive. Invite them to practice racing cars around the track then choose a few cars to race for prizes at the end of the day. Gift bags of “Hot Wheel” and “Cars” goodies are fun awards.

Race Day Party

You can find race day printable invitations, decoration ideas,printable Pit Passes, water bottle (fuel) labels and award certificates in the familyreunionhelper store at Race Day Party.
Whether for a family reunion or birthday party it’s a great party theme with plenty of ZOOM!

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Family Reunion Theme Ideas

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Aunt Mo

A family reunion doesn’t have to have a theme to be successful but creating a theme for a family reunion is a great way to interest people and make them more likely to attend. A reunion invitation that invites you to a “Prehistoric” reunion for Brontosaurs burgers is more interesting than an invitation that invites you to a family reunion at “the park”. It also makes things more fun when it comes to being imaginative with food, games, activities, invitations and just about every other aspect of the reunion.

In addition, a good themed reunion will help to break the ice, especially for those family members who have not met before or who do not know each other really well.

Ask family members for their theme ideas. Our best family reunion themes have come from Aunt Lynn and her family. When they suggested a “Caveman” theme I was kind of worried about what we would do but our reunion planning committee brainstormed and incorporated dinosaur and prehistoric ideas for a super fun reunion.

The location that you choose to have your reunion might influence the theme you choose for your reunion. A campground with lots of trees and foliage makes for a great “jungle” theme and a lake or swimming pool is a wonderful “beach” reunion theme.

If you will be spending a day at an amusement park you might what to choose your reunion theme around one or the popular rides. Plan your reunion around a “color”, a decade such as the Roaring twenties, 50’s Sock Hop, 70’s Disco, 80’s New wave, 90’s Grunge, or even “The Future” theme.

The size of your family may also influence your reunion theme. For an “All-sport” reunion you may need a lot of people for softball, Human Foosball and football games.

Don’t be afraid to repeat a family reunion theme that was successful in the past. All you have to do is update the old ideas and refine the details. Our western reunion is so popular we’ve done it several times and it just keeps getting better and better.

Below are just a few family reunion themes that you may want to consider for your next family event.

All- Sport or Olympic Themed Reunion

Get away from a boring sit around and just visit family reunion and jump into some action packed fun with an All-sport or Olympic themed family reunion.

Activities- Soccer, volleyball, “whiffle” ball, Whacky miniature golf. Hold a cheerleader camp for the girls in your family and a sports camp for the boys. Go bowling or hold a family 5K. Give a family reunion MVP award. For fun variations of these favorite sports- whiffle ball, soccer, bowling, swimming and volleyball plus lots of great ideas for your sports themed reunion check out www.familyreunionhelper.com.

Food- Smoothies, “Breakfast of Champions” or “Long Jump” lunch hoagies.

Wear– favorite team jerseys and t-shirt. Make a family t-shirt fashioned after a sports jersey.

Decorations: Pom, poms, pennants, sports balls, sports posters.

Family History or Family Heritage Reunion

If your family reunion is held near where the family originated, then schedule a trip to the old family homestead, church or cemetery. You can use this as an opportunity to share family memories, or go a step further and recruit the clan to clean up the ancestral cemetery plots or research the family in old church records. Hold your reunion at the family home if available or in the town where one of your ancestors were born, raised, married or buried. You can find more Family History ideas for your family reunion at www.familyreunionhelper.com.

Food – Use an ancestor’s home country as theme for your meals. Use recipes from that county and set tables with a centerpiece of memorabilia and a picture of your ancestor. If your people come from Italy, serve a spaghetti dinner, from Mexico, serve tacos, enchiladas or tamales.

Activities – Play “classic” games at your reunion such as “3-legged race, gunny sack race, Annie I Over. Create a huge wall chart of your family so everyone can see how they are related. Take “old-time” photos and have everyone dress up. Make a family “time capsule”.

Dress – In the ethnic costume of your ancestors.

Decorations – Display historical memorabilia from your family and ancestors.

Hawaiian Luau

Grandma will love passing out multi-colored leis (along with a kiss on the cheek) as people arrive at this family reunion.

Food – Pig roast, anything pineapple

Activities – Tinikling- Tinikling means "bamboo dance" in English. Hula hoops, bubbles and Frisbees, volleyball, swimming, Limbo and of course, hula dancing. Make Hawaiian leis from paper flowers and don’t forget to spend some time in the pool at your Hawaiian reunion.

Dress – Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts and grass skirts.

Decorations – Hawaiian travel posters, flowers, straw skirt table.

Sun, Sand and Surf Reunion Theme

It’s summertime and the perfect time for a Sun, Sand & Surf family reunion. Merge your beach reunion ideas with your Hawaiian reunion ideas for double the fun.

Invitations: Consider sending “Message in a Bottle” invitations to encourage family members to attend your family reunion or write out your reunion invitation on a beach ball with a permanent marker.

Activities: Sand candles and castles, sand art, volleyball variations and swimming pool games. Aquatic Obstacle Course: Use sprinklers, Slip-N-Slides, baby pools, limbo sticks and hula hoops to create an obstacle course for wet and wild reunion fun!

Food: Sub sandwiches, fruit trays, shish kabobs, fruit kabobs, gold fish crackers.

Decorations are easy for a beach themed family reunion. Use beach umbrellas, Beach towels, Beach balls, Paper party lanterns, Paper Palm trees and party lights on a string. Don’t forget to use pink flamingos in your decorating and be sure to include music from the Beach Boys to round out your reunion theme.

Wedding Anniversary or Significant Birthday Reunion Theme
Planning a family reunion around an important wedding anniversary or milestone birthday makes for an easy but important family reunion.

Invitation – Put two photos of the honored couple on the invitation: their original wedding photo and a current photo.

Food – Finger foods and a “wedding” cake.

Activities- “When You Were My Age” A Celebration of Life’s Memorable Moments. This is such a fun program, fashioned after a Bill Cosby Show episode and was called, "When Mom Was my Age." We have done variations of the program for 70th and 80th birthdays and 50th wedding anniversaries. Each time we do "When You Were My Age" everyone is a good sport and excited to be a part of the celebration. Everyone has a part on the program and an opportunity to highlight world events and significant family happenings throughout the life of your loved one. Download the “When You Were My Age” from Family Reunion Helper or write a "This Is Your Life" program for your reunion celebration.

Decorations – Photos and other various memorabilia of the couple’s life together.

Three Ring Circus and Carnival

Begin your reunion with a circus parade and invite everyone to dress in fun costumes and march around your reunion site.

Food –Circus food- corn dogs, cotton candy and popcorn

Activities – As your family arrives, have then guess how many circus animal cookies are in a jar. The person who guesses closest to the actual number wins the jar full of circus animal cookies. Have a carnival. Assign 6- 10 family members a carnival booth. Children earn prizes at each booth. Face painting, fishing booth, fortune teller, Plinko, Dart Throw etc. Consider renting a bounce house for the little ones in your family. For more ideas check out the family reunion “circus” theme at www.familyreunionhelpercom/

Decorations – Balloons, tents and circus animal cutouts.

Whatever your family reunion theme you can count on Family Reunion Helper for step by step, proven family reunion help that really works, not just "ideas", but actual planning advice, schedules, activities, games, recipes and templates to make your next reunion memorable.

Ask Aunt MO about Time Capsules

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I have a question about making a time capsule. I want our family to make a time capsule at our family reunion this year but I’m not sure what we should put into the time capsule. Can you give me some more ideas for what to put into my time capsule?

Julie N.

Thanks for your question, Julie. I think you’re family will enjoy making a time capsule at your family reunion and I really think they will enjoy opening it in a few years. In my blog about time capsules I suggested that you add a newspaper to your time capsule. I think you’ll be surprised when you open the capsule to read what was going on in the world or your community at the time you made your time capsule.

You can also ask family members to write down their goals for the five years or ten years that will go by before you open the time capsule. Or write a letter to the future and tell the people what life is like for you now. Be sure and include your favorite family traditions, your worries and your joys too!

Memorabilia from your family reunion is another fun thing to put into your time capsule. Include your family reunion invitation and schedule of events. If you have contests such as a family reunion 5K be sure and list the winners.

Add photos to your time capsule. You can ask every family to bring a family picture or if you are close to a one hour photo developer you can take a family group picture of everyone at your family reunion and put that into the time capsule.

If you will only be storing your time capsule for five or ten years you may want to include a video messages from your family. Be careful about including a DVD for a long term time capsule, as fast as technology changes you may open the capsule and have nothing to play it on.

Get the children at your family reunion involved by cutting pictures out of a magazine showing the hottest toy of that year or the latest fashion trend. Just as we look back at the popularity of Strawberry Shortcake, Clackers, Tickle Me Elmo, Beanie Babies and Pokeman, these are items that are sure to be left behind in a few years and will be fun to remember when the time capsule is opened.

Leave out any substance that could decay and damage the other contents of the box. This includes rubber, wool, wood, PVC, and any perishable, liquid or edible item.

Mark everything clearly so you or others will know where each item came from and who included it when the time comes to open the capsule. Don’t assume you will remember all the details.

Good luck with your time capsule, Julie.

Aunt MO

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