Tips For Planning a Family Reunion
* Potato Sack Race
- Choose your venue carefully. Remember that you will need room to park, rest rooms, cooking pits, tables, shelter (In case of inclement weather), and lighting if during evening hours.
- Choose games & activities for adults. Try to get anyone you can involved, but remember, people change over time. Games are great to allow people to "mend fences" & just to have fun together. Also remember to schedule things to keep the children entertained so the adults can enjoy themselves also. (Keep any games or requirements safe & simple). Here are a few ideas to use when planning:
* Hokey Pokey
* Best ****** Pie (insert your flavor)
* Who came the farthest to attend?
* Who has been married the longest (to same person)?
* Who has been married the most?
* Who has the most children?
* Who is the most changed individual?
* Who is the least changed?
- Play a mixture of music to match the types of people at the party. Adults will gravitate towards the older music, but your younger crowd will like the current top hits from rock, dance and country. But, some music is time tested and these songs are great for the entire crowd, like "Old Time Rock and Roll or "Brown Eyed Girl" or even "Love Shack".
- Food: remember to keep it simple! Ask people coming to bring their specialties. Cakes, pies, dips, chips, fruit & vegetable trays, cheese, cookies, meats (chicken, burgers, hot dogs) , and beans / potato salads. BUT DON'T FORGET THE: napkins, plastic ware, paper plates, plastic cups, table covers, ice, plastic wrap / aluminum foil & trash bags!!!!!!.
- Have plenty of ice cold drinks on hand, as everyone is going to be hot! Keep the drinks in a cooler or a big tub with ice. If serving drinks over ice, remember to use plastic cups for safety. A healthy alternative to sodas is to provide fresh fruit drinks, such as punch or lemonade. Diet & caffeine free drinks are also often overlooked.
- Decorations can add to the atmosphere of the party. Try to find items or photos, etc. and place them around for visual effect & to use with photos or to allow people to remember the "good times"..
- Contact the fun people from your family tree, & involve them in planning the event. Just a few suggestions: music /DJ, planned activities & FUN, and foods / beverages to be offered.
- Family reunions are just that, a reunion of the family. People will gather into groups to visit & catch up on everything. But, not everyone will know everyone. If things are moving slow, try dividing into groups & doing a scavenger hunt or play the "name game" to get people talking.
- Have a backup plan in the event of bad weather! If rain threatens, either plan to move the party to an inside location, like a clubhouse, shelter, ballroom or home. As people come from great distances sometimes to attend, you may not be able to reschedule. If you can, maybe consider a rain out date on the party announcements ... usually the next day or the same day one week later.
Return to the Main Page Have a Great Family Reunion!!!
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