Make goodie bags

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Stuff a goodie bag with all the important things everyone who comes to the reunion might need, name tags, phone numbers, maps, brochures for local businesses, coupons for local attractions, agenda, etc.

Create a website

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Make a website with all the reunion information as well as facts and photos about each member of the family. It’s a great way to share information and fun to look at.

Create committees to handle different tasks

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Based on the size of the reunion, you will need committees to organize the reunion. A committee for food, travel arrangements, games, and more.

Water Bottles

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Consider providing water bottles for every family member at your reunion. You can even have them printed with your family name or crest. Use a permanent marker to write each person's name on their own bottle and encourage family members to conserve paper cups and disposable plastic water bottles by refilling their personal bottle as needed. They'll help protect the environment and go home with a neat souvenir.

Reunion Souvenirs

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You'll want to remember the fun of your reunion through some sort of special family souvenir. Some nifty items that can be personalized include t-shirts, bandanas, water bottles, photo albums, picture frames, baseball caps, sweat shirts, and koozies. Just make sure you choose an item that can be enjoyed by both males and females.

Family Photo

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You might want to have a photo made of the entire clan. You'll need to secure someone outside the family to take the picture. You can all pile in cars and go to a professional studio or you can hire a professional or novice to come to your location to take the shot. Consider wearing coordinating outfits for the photo, not necessarily matching ones. For instance, everyone could wear khaki pants, shorts, or skirts, and the women could wear light blue polo shirts while the men wear dark blue ones. Or each family within your large family could wear a different colored shirt.

Be prepared for emergencies

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First of all, of course, a First-Aid Kit will be essential. Especially if your reunion is on a weekend, it is important that one person be responsible for getting all the information ahead of time so you can get help immediately if the need arises. Prepare a list of emergency contacts for the area, such as 24-hour pharmacies (for people who lost their medication) and urgent care clinics. For a more serious emergency, of course, you'll need to call 911 for an ambulance. Don't even think about driving someone to a hospital if they are bleeding profusely or unconscious, since you could get stuck in traffic, and if you're in a location you're not familiar with, you could get lost.

Avoid Overcrowding the Schedule

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Remember that there are three types of people who come to a reunion: people who want to renew family ties, those who are new to the family and are maybe a little shy but interested in getting to know the family, and children. It's only the kids who are going to be bored if you don't schedule activities for them -- the adults, on the other hand, want and need to do a lot of talking since that's the best way to get to know each other, so make sure you plan for time in the schedule and enough comfortable space to just hang out.

Create a welcome sign

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Make a large welcome sign on white paper that welcomes everyone and then have each family member dip their hand in paint and place a handprint on the sign so it has everyone's hands over the happy welcome.

Who’s In Charge?

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When planning an event as large as a family reunion, someone has to be in charge. Because you’re dealing with your family, choosing someone to be in command or allowing someone to wield that much power may be tricky. Still your reunion will go much more smoothly if an individual or couple is selected to steer the planning. You could allow a different household to play host and hostess for the reunion each year or you could let the matriarch and patriarch of the family carry the responsibility. But rotating the responsibility among different households allows everyone to experience both the privilege and the burden. Encourage other family members to respect the decisions of the designated leaders and to pitch in to make it a great family affair.

Capture the Moment

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Have a plan for taking pictures of your family gathering or you'll say your goodbyes and either have too many pictures or too few. Designate one to three people to take pictures of the event, encouraging them to get both impromptu and posed shots of everyone there. At the end of your reunion have the designated photographers get together and compare their photos (if they have digital cameras) and cull through them, weeding out duplicates. Or they can have all pictures developed at a nearby one-hour developer and sort through those. Individuals and families can then look through the pictures and decide which ones they want copies of. Make copies at the local developer or have digital copies sent to everyone via e-mail.

Establish a clean-up crew

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Make sure there are people who will volunteer to do the cleaning up of the party. That's a big job and a lot of work but it's a necessary evil.

Themes

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If you have frequent family reunions and they're beginning to seem a little stale, it might be time to have a theme party. A theme re-energizes your gathering and gives participants a renewed vision for your time together. Consider having a Mexican fiesta, a Hawaiian Luau, a Western barbecue, or a carnival theme, complete with hot dogs and cotton candy. Plan your meals, attire, activities, and decorations around the theme. Don't worry about being to corny. Even those who complain about having to dress up in riduculous costumes generally really enjoy themselves once they get there.

Budgeting Basics

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You may choose to finance your family reunion in a variety of ways. Depending on the type and length of reunion your family is having, you could establish an overall budget and ask each family to contribute a set amount, allow each family to finance a different aspect of the reunion, or have each family finance only their portion (their own tickets to the amusement park and meals, for instance). However you choose to finance the event, it is best to at least give each family a good estimate of their expenses. No one enjoys being surprised by the tab as they're leaving! Give families and individuals as much advance notice as possible about what and how they will be expected to contribute to the reunion financially.

How to get honest evaluation of reunion

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You'll want to ask people to give you their honest opinions about the reunion in order to plan an even better one next time, but it's difficult to get the unvarnished truth if you ask face-to-face or even ask people to write or email, because those methods all involve them revealing who they are. Typically they won't want to hurt your feelings or appear to be ungrateful for all the work you have put into the reunion. The way to get honest evaluations is to provide a way for them to be anonymous. The easiest way is for you to prepare a short questionnaire in advance, asking questions that don't require a big effort to answer, such as Yes/No, but always add a section labeled "Remarks or Suggestions and leave enough space for them to write the suggestions in. Hand the sheet out before the reunion breaks up. Be sure to indicate you don't want any identifiers -- no name, etc. and provide a box for them to deposit the sheet. This way, you'll get a big enough number of answers that you can really find out what most attendees thought. 0

How to pay for it all

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Individual families can pay for their own overnight accommodations but unless it's a potluck and you have no decorations, rental fees or other costs you will need to have each member pay an overhead fee. Charge a registration fee for each family (by number of people or per family) to cover all these other expenses.

Create an email list

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Assign one person the task of putting together an email list for all those who have emails so that updates, questions and other items can be sent out quickly and inexpensively.

Make family reunion t-shirts

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Have t-shirts printed in all sizes that say the name of your family as well as "family reunion" and the year. Give these out or sell them to the rest of the family.

A Venue with Value

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When choosing a location for your reunion, consider the ages, interests, and limitations of your family members. Is there a playground for the little tots? Is there a wheelchair ramp? Are there tables for games and crafts? Is there a pool for the teens? When you send out invitations or announcements about the upcoming reunion, mention the features of your venue that would be of value to different family members and you are more likely to get participation from across the board.

Collect all funds well in advance

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In addition to having an auction and/or a garage sale to raise funds, you'll likely want to get some members of the family who can afford it to pitch in. They'll agree, but then.......There's nothing like money problems to sour a family relationship. When someone promises to pay and then doesn't, it gets very dicey because it's family you're dealing with, and you're not inclined to hire a collections agent to go after them. The only way to success is to start planning so far in advance that you can plan, get the money for your plan and proceed (or, if you end up not getting the money promised, you'll still have time to scale down the plan). Be sure to keep an accounting of how the money was spent, in case contributors ask..

Prayer and Reflection

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Some families like to have a more somber time during their reunion to reflect on past difficulties and how they have come through them, members who are no longer alive and the contribution they made to the family, and current difficulties and how they can help each other through them. You also might consider having a time for a family devotional and prayer.

Keep a calendar to track dates

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Keep a year long calendar with all the dates things need to be completed to help you track the progress and keep things going as they should.

Dance party

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Play the following songs to get everyone up on their feet singing and dancing. "We Are Family" by the Sisters Sledge. "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang. "Family Affair" by Sly and the Family Stone.

Prepare special Kid bag

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Not everybody at a reunion already knows each other. That's part of the idea, isn't it --- an opportunity to find and get to know people maybe you didn't even know existed. But if the adults feel a little shy, how about the kids? So, upon arrival, when the adult receives the Welcome Packet of info -- agenda, etc., the child should be handed a bag filled with goodies, small inexpensive toys, books, whatever. In this way you're telling her, "Hey, you're part of this too."

Arrange for a "gathering room" to be available throughout reunion

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If reunion plans involve a hotel with a block of rooms reserved at a special price, try to get people to chip in to pay for an extra room, preferably a small "suite" to serve as a comfortable place that is always available throughout the day and evening. Nobody's using it as their own bedroom, so people feel free to drop in, stay for a minute or three hours, talk, share photo albums, put up individual photos on a display on a table, etc.

Be sure about the basics

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The basics are things that might be overlooked in the enthusiasm of planning all the fun things. To understand what the basics are, think of your event as though you were a city official assigned the job of crowd management of a public event.. Are there going to be enough restrooms available, will they be in working order, will there be access to water, if there is any incident, such as parents getting panicky because their teen has disappeared, how would you contact the local authorities and who will be responsible for doing so, etc.

Have a guest book for sign-in

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Set out a guest book for everyone to sign in on. Have them list their names, address, phone number and email so you can keep the files and their information up to date for future news and contact.

Save the Date

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The further you can plan your reunion in advance, the more likely you are to have good attendance. Because families often plan even their summer vacations and holidays at least a year in advance, it is a good idea to begin talking about a family reunion at least two years before the target date. Pitch out the idea for a future reunion when many of your family members are already together for a wedding, graduation, or holiday. Give everyone three or four specific dates or seasons to consider. Ask for theme or venue ideas. Then, after everyone has had a chance to check family and work calendars, send out “save the date” invitations to everyone involved. You’ll never get 100% attendance at a family reunion, but the sooner planning begins, the closer you’ll get to your goal.

Before You Depart

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Before everyone goes their separate ways, make sure you have a pow wow about the next reunion. Poll everyone through private questionnaires or open discussion about how soon the next reunion should be, how long it should last, where it might take place, and what activities to include. Try to get a few people to commit to beginning the planning process.

Build a family tree

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Put together a complete family tree and design it in a computer program so it can be print out. Make a copy for each family member and laminate it so they can use it as their personal cheat sheet.

Have an awards ceremony

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At the end of the reunion hand out awards to the funniest person, most surprising, most talented, most intelligent, most athletic, best stories, best cook and so on.

Leave free time

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Don't over plan activities and things. Make sure you leave some free time for people to do their own things.

Ask for group rates

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Everyone you book a service with ask if there are group rates or discounts available.

Create a program

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Have a program printed with everyone's names, the family tree and a schedule of activities. Also include everyone's phone numbers if they are alright with it so people can stay in contact.

Give a welcome address

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Once most everyone has arrived schedule a meeting place and give a welcome address where you thank everyone for making the trip out and hope they have a wonderful time.

Have a potluck

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Instead of expensive catering and the fuss of making sure everyone is happy, just have a potluck. Assign each family a dish and delight in seeing what they bring.

Have an ice cream sundae bar

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Set up an ice cream bar with several kinds of ice cream all the toppings possible. It's fun to make your own sundaes.

Special Food Problems - advance notice

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There are so many dietary restrictions nowadays, such as food allergies, vegetarians, diabetics, etc. You may not have the means to satisfy everyone's needs, but as you plan your menu, it will be helpful if you're aware of the dietary needs of some of the family members -- then, at least if you have a list, you can decide whether to try to supply a variety foods that can accommodate every taste, or if your budget can't handle that, you can let people know in advance and they can decide if they want to bring their own special items or do without. No unpleasant surprises that way. HOW TO FIND OUT:: Work with the committee or person handling invitations/advance registration. Send out notices together with invitations asking that any special dietary info. Be sent in well in advance.

Always have an extra seat

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Plan for more. Lots of people RSVP last minute or end up bringing extra people like teenagers who have a friend tag along so plan for a few more.

Family trivia

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Have everyone write a little known fact about themselves on a notecard. Collect all the notecards and assign one person the reader. Read each notecard aloud and have everyone guess who the fact is about.

Fun Funding

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In order to fund the fun of your reunion you can have mementos such as tote bags, t-shirts, hats, etc. that can be sold at the event above cost. Consider what items might sell best among your family members.

Hire a photographer/videographer

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Hire a photographer and/or videographer to document the experience so you don't have to. Find a college or high school student and they'll be likely to do it for cheap in exchange for the fun experience.

I've Never

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A rousing game of “I’ve Never” is a good icebreaker to help everyone get reacquainted. Get everyone in a large circle and give each person ten pennies. Instruct the first person to announce something to the group that he or she has never done (truthfully). Everyone in the circle who has done that thing must now give that person one penny. For instance, Aunt Sue might announce that she has never flown in an airplane. Everyone in the circle who has flown in an airplane would hand over one of their pennies to Aunt Sue. Everyone who has not flown in an airplane is safe. Now the next person in the circle announces something they have never done and the game continues. The game can last as long as you want. Depending on how many are in your group, you might want to end the game after everyone has had one, two, or three turns to name something they have never done. The person with the most pennies at the end of the game wins!

Make a video montage

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Scan photos both old and current of each family member. Edit these into a video set to music and graphics to be played during the party.

Announcement in the paper

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Put an announcement of your family reunion in the local paper of wherever your reunion is taking place. You can clip it out and save it as a memento as well as have it serve as a reminder for anyone local.

Carpooling

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If you asked reunion planners the question "What's the key to getting a good turnout at a reunion?" a few years ago, it's doubtful that "carpooling" would have come to mind. But that was then. Now, with gas prices remaining in the stratosphere, it's not a stretch to suggest that a well-organized carpooling effort may make the difference between a good turnout and a disappointing, small scattering of members who happen to live close by.

Family Meal Deals

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For reunions that last more than one day, consider enlisting a different family to provide, prepare, and serve the main meal each day. This plan gives each family an opportunity to show off their culinary skills, serve the rest of the family, and set the menu at least once. You may want to assign a different family unit to clean up.

Get All Dressed Up

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Consider having one formal meal as part of your reunion fun. Whether you all get dressed up and go out to a nice restaurant together or you throw your own mini prom in the backyard, you'll have fun putting on the ritz for at least a few hours. Decorate with candles and nice linens. Put on soft music and encourage couples to dance. End with a champagne toast to this year's host and hostess.

Make fresh lemonade

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Squeeze fresh lemons and make lemonade. Everyone loves lemonade. Plus you can make one batch spiked for the adults.

Name tags

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Provide name tags for everyone to write their names in order to make meeting and greeting people easier. For added fun have them also write their home location below their name for example; Stockton, CA.

Provide baseball caps printed with reunion logo,

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Baseball caps are better than the T-shirts most reunions use. They take up less space in the supplies vehicle, and will be worn the whole time of the reunion, while T-shirts don't fit, get dirty right away, and look sloppy so they don't even get worn twice at the reunion and maybe never again.

Registration fees

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Send out the registration fee to everyone and give them a few options how they can pay that; cash, check, PayPal. Plus make sure to give them a couple weeks to get the money to the person handling the finances.

Rent a hand-held microphone

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Whether it's a picnic or a catered dinner, you want a time when everyone can participate. A hand-held is better than a standing microphone because it can be passed around from table to table, whereas shy people will never get up and talk into a standing mike.

Take a first aid kit

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Pack a first aid kit because you never know what will happen and who will end up scratched or bruised and so on.

Keep a journal

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Write down all your experiences and everything that happens. You'll enjoy looking back on it later or at future reunions.

Make a Scrapbook

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You'll be taking a lot of pictures at your family reunion and will need a place to put them. For a small fee you could allow family members to work together to make memory books for their photos. One person or a few could purchase all the needed supplies and anyone who has scrapbooking tools at home could bring them. Most families have someone who loves to scrapbook and knows the tricks of the trade. Let them share their expertise and everyone can go home with an attractive memory book for their reunion snapshots.

Updating Information

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Use this opportunity to gather up-to-date information on your family members. Have a designated table or notebook for gathering information such as birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, anticipated graduation dates, anniversaries, places of employment, e-mail addresses, and special skills (so you can put them to work next time!).

Chatting With the Caterer

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When talking with a caterer about supplying a meal for your reunion, be sure to ask if they are providing plates and utensils or if that is your responsibility. Also find out if they will bring their own serving tables.

Do karaoke

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Set up a microphone and stereo and you're set for some laughs as you see who does and doesn't have the best singing voice in the family.

Family Talent Show

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If you're planning to have a family talent show during your reunion, make sure you have some necessary supplies on hand. A portable sound system, keyboard, and CD player will make your event more "professional." Have a few goofy prizes and establish equally goofy criteria for judging (if you're making it a contest). Make sure you give everyone ample opportunity to prepare for their talent and bring their necessary props.

Play generational "Price is Right"

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Have several items ranging from a gallon of milk to a new car and have people guess the price during all the different generations.

Set up a reunion checking account

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Create an account to handle all the financials for the reunion so that it doesn't mix with your personal finances.

Take a complete family photo

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Gather everyone together and get a couple shots of all the family together. These are priceless memories that you will enjoy for years and years to come.

Have a movie night

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Everyone loves movies so have a movie night. Pick a film that will be appropriate for all ages present, make some popcorn and have a good time.

Have face painting

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Hire someone to do face painting because it's fun and will keep the kids happy and occupied.

Make edible arrangements

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Make centerpieces out of fruit or vegetables. They're pretty, fun to eat and useful.

Planning Newsletter

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A monthly newsletter that goes out to all family members via e-mail or regular mail for the year preceeding the reunion will help keep everyone informed about what to bring, costs, activities, and special needs. Enlist someone who is willing to gather pertinent information each month from those who are planning different aspects of your reunion. Use the newsletter to enlist family members to sign up to bring specific dishes, favorite hobby supplies, games, and family records. Everyone will be more excited about the big day if they're kept in the loop during the planning stages.

Prepare large Family History chart on poster board

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Prepare line diagram of family tree, on letter-size paper.. Fill in what you know, leaving the rest blank. Get it enlarged to giant size, put it on an easel at the reunion. Have people write in whichever missing names they can.

Send out potluck assignments

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Email out dish assignments; appetizer, hot salad, cold salad, fruit, vegetarian entrée, meat, pasta, potato, dessert, etc.

Go To Church

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If you're having your reunion near or around your hometown you might enjoy attending a worship service together at your old home church. Be sure to check out worship times and plan to sit together as a family. You might want to let the church know your family will be there ahead of time by calling the office at least one week before.

Have a cooking sign-up sheet

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If the reunion is taking place over several days have a sign-up sheet for meals that need to be prepared. Ask each family to sign up for cooking at least one meal.

Provide equipment for scanning and copying

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Bring along, or rent, computer, scanner and copier, and put in "gathering room" or wherever else attendees go to share photos, etc. The copier, of course, is essential for providing info on the inevitable last-minute changes to the program that was handed out when everybody arrived. .

Snack Time

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Encourage each family to bring their favorite snack foods to share with everyone else. While most people will probably bring baked goods and salty snacks, make sure you have plenty of healthy options. You may want to assign someone to provide fruit, veggies and dip, granola bars, and yogurt cups.

Specify what kind of photos to bring

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You might think it obvious what kind of photos a person would dig up to bring to a reunion -- but you'd be wrong. We got this true story from one reunion organizer: "I suggested people bring photos; this was especially important because this reunion was bringing together two branches of our family that hadn't been in contact for 40 years. I dug up some pictures of me with the cousins from the other side taken when we were 5 or 6..When I saw that one of those cousins, who was now a grandfather, had brought along an 8x10 photo portrait of himself, I thought that was kind of silly, because the point is to see the person with other family members. But his 8x10 turned out to be the Big Surprise of the reunion, because at one point one of the boys, a kid of about 7, happened to be standing near the photo, a kid from the other branch of the family, and suddenly we all noticed that he was a dead ringer for the boy in the picture!. A discovery we probably wouldn't have made if all we had were those old snapshots-- kids in a group whose faces are relatively small and indistinct.

Whatever Floats Their Boats

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If your reunion is going to last anywhere from a full day to a week, the more activities you plan the better. Encourage all family members to contribute something to the fun by bringing whatever supplies are needed for their favorite games, hobbies, sports, or crafts. Cousin Jay might bring a dozen yo-yos and teach all of his cousins to "walk the dog." Aunt Stephanie could bring extra knitting needles and yarn to teach her teenage nieces to knit. Give everyone the freedom to contribute whatever floats their boats!

Assign one person to RSVPs

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Give one person the task of collecting all the RSVPs and then tracking down those who haven't yet responded.

Name Hangers - not Badges - Are Best

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It is important that attendees wear their names throughout the reunion bur name badges, whether the "Hello, My name is" that is only a one-time use, or the metal kind you get printed up, or the plastic envelope kind that you slip a card into -- are not advisable because they are expensive and/or they have to be pinned on -- which is a bother. A better choice is to make hanging badges ahead of the event. You buy individual wallet-size transparent plastic holders, you print names on a sheet (on your own computer) and then cut to size and slip into the holder. Affix a length of elastic cord to the name holder that is long enough to go around the neck.. Very easy to take on and of when changing clothes. Be sure to bring extras, plus paper and scissors so you can easily whip up name hangers for unexpected guests.

Let Everybody Be a Kid

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Plan an afternoon of childhood party games. You'll need lots of balloons. Play steal the bacon, balloon stomp, pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, and hot potato. If you thought these games were fun for kids, you'll find they're even more hilarius with folks from all generations playing them together.

Park Party

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A city, state, or national park can be an excellent choice for a family reunion. While they are usually equipped with picnic tables, public restrooms, and playgrounds, you'll probably want to bring extra chairs, blankets, grills, coolers, and recreational equipment. Also make sure you have a first aid kit, insect repellant, sunscreen, hand sanitizing gel, wet wipes, paper towels, and trash bags.

Prepare short quiz on family history

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This is an attention-getter to draw in people who have not thought family history was interesting. Use when you want the group to quiet down and get ready for announcements, or for the Central Event, etc. To prepare the quiz, find some interesting facts about individuals -- Example: " He went back and forth to Italy 11 times before finally deciding to settle in America" or "She was the first person in the family to graduate from high school" or "He was a citywide swimming champion" . The quiz is a basic matching quiz, used widely in schools. On one side of a sheet of paper is a column with sentences such as those given above, numbered 1, 2, 3 etc. On the other side is a column of names, listed with a letter next to each, Example:(:a.) George Jones Match the sentence to the person. If you can find 5 sentences to put on the list that's a good start, but 10 would be better. Have people work on the quiz however they want, individually or with others, and after 5 minutes or so, read out the correct answers to them. ;o

Research Table

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If someone in your family is interested in genealogy and family history, encourage them to set up a table with all their findings. Display the family tree, old photos, interesting documents, and scrapbooks. If there are photos with unidentified people in them, this might be a good opportunity for other family members to fill in the gaps.

Baby picture guessing game

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Have everyone bring a baby picture and post them all up on a wall with a number. Have everyone write down their guesses as to who is who and then check the correct answers to see who got the most right.

Choosing a theme

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Think about the location and see if one theme would work best, for instance if the location is on the beach you can go for a tropical getaway theme. Or if it's an important member's 50th wedding anniversary, 70th birthday and so on you can focus on that and create an off-shoot theme.

Craft Table

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For rainy days or for relief from the hot outdoors, provide children with a fully stocked craft table. Cover the table with butcher paper and set out glue, washable markers, crayons, paints, popsicle sticks, paint brushes, round tip scissors, and a variety of other craft supplies. Also collect things such as empty egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, newspaper comic strips, and buttons to add to the mix. Invest in a few craft starters such as inexpensive acrylic picture frames and paint pens, small paintable ceramics, and canvas boards. Children can work at the table at their own pace or adults can supervise planned craft activities.

Create Time Capsule

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Bring a large container with a lid that can be sealed. Place it in an accessible spot and announce that it's a time capsule, but you don't know yet what year it's going to be opened in. People will put in notes, perhaps a note to a future family member, or perhaps a page describing some hi-jinks that are going on right now at the reunion, maybe a labeled photo, maybe a small souvenir, you name it. Next to the container, place a ballot box. Anyone who puts an object in gets to vote on which year the box is to be opened (to avoid there being too many choices, the ballot should contain 5 different suggested years). One person, one vote, one year. At the next opportunity when people are together, make a big ceremony about counting the ballots and announcing the winning year. Burying the container probably not practical, so one of the organizers takes it home. for safekeeping until opening year.

Family cookbook

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Ask everyone to bring their favorite home recipe to the reunion. Compile all the recipes and make copies for all the family. Make sure to label each recipe with the name of the person who loves it and brought it.

Have a family Olympics

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Team up and have a mini family Olympics. You can have relay races, speed trials and other events.

Have a pie eating contest

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A good old pie eating contest is the best thing to get everyone laughing and can make for some memorable photos.

Recruit follow-up committee from enthusiastic attendees

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.After the reunion is over, the organizers may suffer "reunion fatigue" so find people at the event who did not volunteer during the preparation stage but are enjoying the reunion and strike now while the iron is hot -- for a committee to send out follow-up emails with photos, news-letters, -- they may even become the organizers for the next reunion.

Say Hello

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If your family reunion is going to be a large one with distant relatives who haven’t seen each other in a while, you may need to plan for introductions. Provide name tags to be worn throughout the event. Lanyards with plastic name tag holders work well if you’ll be meeting for several days or having outdoor activities. You might even put additional information on the tags, such as hometown or family branch. Plan some icebreakers to help distant cousins get to know each other. Encourage each individual family to bring a filled photo album to put on a designated table so everyone can see what they’ve been up to.

Start early

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Begin the planning process early so you don’t have to stress and can find better deals on things.

A Matter of Health

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Take the opportunity during your family gathering to talk about your family's health history. The National Kidney Disease Education Program has put together a downloadable guide to discussing family health specifically during African-American family reunions. You can download all or specific portions of the guide at www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion/guide.htm. You can also order a free hard copy of The Family Reunion Health Guide at this web site.

Bake people cookies

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Bake gingerbread men and women cookies then use frosting to decorate them and write each person's name attending on one so they have a person cookie.

Come to My House

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Hosting the family reunion at your own home? Here are some things to consider. Secure extra seating like lawn chairs or folding chairs. Empty out your refrigerator of all unnecessary items before the big day. Have a few ice chests on hand for cold drinks and extra ice. Think about parking arrangements well in advance. You may need to ask neighbors about parking in front of their homes or even using their driveways. And look into renting or borrowing tent awnings and other special equipment.

Everyone Can Help

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It’s a good idea to form subcommittees for planning various parts of your family reunion. Tap into different family members’ areas of expertise as you assign roles. If Aunt Faye is a school dietician she might chair the meal planning subcommittee and if Uncle Roy is a basketball coach he would probably do a good job planning outdoor games for the kids. Allow as many people as possible to contribute to planning the reunion and you’re more likely to get a cooperative spirit and full participation from everyone.

Have a sparklers party

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Purchase a bunch of sparklers and at night let the kids light them and dance around. It's fun for adults to do as well.

Offer a toast

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Serve up champagne and sparkling cider and give a grand toast to all the family and thank them for coming.

Play tug of war

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Play tug of war pitting one side of family against another or kids versus adults and so on. This is a great opportunity for some funny photos and lots of laughter.

Provide relationship definitions

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When distant family relations get together, there's always a haze of confusion hovering over a conversation which is going something like this:"You're my third cousin once removed." Nobody knows what this means, or more accurately, most people don't know and the rest of them knew once but can't for the life of them remember the meaning now. So what you're going to do is print up a brief explanation of second, third, etc. cousins, and what does "removed" mean so that the explanatory sentences fit on a wallet-size card (size of driver license), then duplicate the text many times on one sheet,, print it up, cut, and distribute as part of the Welcome Packet. Attendees can carry it around and be ready when the subject comes up.

Souvenir Book

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After you've taken a load of pictures at your reunion what should you do with them? Check out the professionally bound photo books you can make using your pictures at www.shutterfly.com. This web site provides you with an excellent place to share your pictures with others, order prints, or create a polished memory book using your photos and words.

Talent show

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Put on a talent show. Ask everyone with a talent to prepare a short one to two minute show. Then crown a champion at the end like a real talent show or just cheer for everyone and enjoy your talented family.

Display Family Members' Works of Art

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Who wouldn't want to show off their stuff? This is about displaying all kinds of achievements by family members; however, a cautionary note: it can really only be done inside, and, if it is in a hotel or other similar facility, it has to be done inside a room which can be locked when not in use (or, just have the display for a few hours and then take it down). If you have planned for a "gathering room" that would be a good place.. Talented family members who have created paintings, books, crafts, etc. might think it out of place to bring along their stuff to show at a reunion. But this is an open invitation, a friendly way for family members to get to know another side.. Make it clear it's not a sale (although if a private conversation between two people leads to a sale, that's fine)..

Create a time out area

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Sometimes family members get into quarrels and that brings everything and everyone down. If people start to fight send them to a designated time out area where they have to cool down those hot heads and agree to be decent and peaceful to one another or completely avoid the other person if they can't be decent.

Do "speed meeting"

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Just like speed dating have people move from person to person. Give them thirty seconds each to get to know each other then switch.

Go on a cruise

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Take a cruise with the family. There's no fuss as all the food and entertainment is provided. You just get to sit back and enjoy your family.

Have a grown-ups night

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Set aside one night of a weekend reunion for grown-ups (or adults) only. During this time hire a couple babysitters to supervise all the kids doing other activities. Then the adults can play adult games, have drinks and dance.

Have a luminary ceremony

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Get white bags and tea lights and have a luminary ceremony at night. Write the name of those who have passed on each bag and light the candles.

Have a raffle

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Sell tickets for some items that people will enjoy and hold a raffle. Maybe it's for a family heirloom like a quilt or just some neat things you purchase.

Make a family map

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Buy a large map of the United States (and foreign if needed). Have everyone write their name of a small post-it paper and pin it to the map where they live so you can see where everyone is located.

Make a time capsule

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Have someone from every family place an item in the time capsule that either represents who they are, the present time or their family reunion experience. Bury the capsule at the location of the reunion.

Play a family scavenger hunt

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Create a scavenger hunt checklist of physical characteristics, personality traits and achievements. Have family members go around and find people who fit that description then fill in their names. You can only use each person for one item so you have to talk to lots of people.

Play baseball

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Get a good old game of baseball going and institute a every hits rule so everyone has a chance.

Recruit Teens as Helpers………

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No, you very likely don't need to recruit teens as helpers, but this is our sneaky way to get teens involved and thereby solve the problem of teen trouble. Unless you've been living in a sealed underground chamber, you're probably familiar with the fact that teens are notoriously hard to please, especially those who may have been dragged to a family reunion against their will. If you know of any teens that are coming, plan to snag them into an activity that they may actually get involved in. Example:: Have the teen(s) organize and supervise games and other activities for the younger children. If this works well and the teen is reliable, he/she may even act as a babysitter for a few hours. Another good activity is preparing decorations -- for the lunch tables, the walls, whatever.

Register the reunion online

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Register the reunion online on various family reunion sites so that anyone browsing around can find the details and know exactly when and where it will be located.

Schedule the Fun

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If your family is large and you have a number of activities planned, consider putting it all on a schedule. While a schedule may seem rigid and formal, you'll find that things go a lot more smoothly when people know what to expect and when. Print out schedules on brightly colored paper and post around the venue. You can also fold the schedule into block sized pieces and put them in plastic nametag holders with lanyards.

Send out save the date magnets

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Have magnets made that have the date and event on them then mail them out to all family members so they'll be sure remember the reunion.

Separate teams by birth months

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When playing games or doing challenges separate teams by birth months. That way they all have something to talk about in comparing their birthdates and can bond.

Take seating for the elderly

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The elderly can't sit or stand just anywhere. Make sure you have comfortable seating for them wherever your reunion takes you. Take seat cushions if you will have fold up chairs.

White elephant gift exchange

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Have everyone bring an inexpensive silly gift (like under $10) and place them in a pile. Draw names and one by one the person called goes up and picks another gift. Then the following person can pick a present or steal someone else's.

Do scrapbooking

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Have everyone bring their scrapbooking supplies and sit around helping one another while admiring great family photos.

For the Good

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Do something good while you're gathered as a family. Brainstorm together or designate one or two people to come up with a philanthropic deed for your family to perform. You could pick up trash alongside the highway, visit a nursing home and play games with the residents, serve a meal at a local homeless shelter, plant trees in a city park (with a permit of course), paint playground equipment at your former elementary school or take plates of homemade cookies to your local police station.

Let Them Decide

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If this is your first reunion or it's been a while since your last one, consider starting with a questionnaire. Poll your family members via e-mail, telephone, or regular mail to find out their preferences on dates, location, activities, meals, and finances. Don't include too many open-ended questions on your poll or you'll get as many different answers as you have family members. Instead give a limited number of options for each question and provide one space where family members can write in a few additional suggestions. For instance, you might ask "Would you like for the reunion to be at a) a large rental beach house, b) a campground, c) Grandma Mary's house, or d) a Disneyworld resort hotel?" Once you get as many responses to your poll as possible, plan accordingly.

Logo Contest

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The focus and the fun part is having everyone at the reunion vote on a logo to be used for future reunions. And the winning one will be announced as part of the Central Event. Here are two ways you could obtain the drawings they choose from:-- 1)When invitations are sent out, put in announcement and have people send their drawings to the committee; in this way you can have all the drawings you received printed up so they end up being the same size for display at the reunion, or....................................... ..2) you can announce the contest in the welcome packet and provide paper and markers for anyone who wants to draw a logo for the contest at the reunion.

Make a family quilt

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Ask each family to bring a square of fabric with their names on it. Put all the pieces together and make a quilt to give to the head matriarch or patriarch of the family.

Make balloon animals

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Learn how to make balloon animals and teach your family members or have a clown come make animals for you.

National Parks

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National parks often offer picnic facilities, campsites, wide open spaces and beautiful scenery. To make a reservation for camping in a national park, go to www.recreation.gov.

Piñata

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Set up a piñata and have all the kids line up in order of age to have their hit at the piñata. Fill it with candy and watch the smiles come across each child's face as it bursts open.

Play bunko

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It's a game everyone can play plus there's lots of moving around and changing partners so everyone will be forced to mingle more and meet new people.

Play It Again Sam!

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Have a family member video segments of your family reunion. Be sure to video activities like swimming and horseshoes, meal times, group games, and talent shows. But also video interviews with family members, storytelling of memorable moments, and lively conversations (with permission, of course!).

Play with family money

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Design and print out "family money" with your family crest on it. Have people earn the cash by winning competitions and games then have them be able to cash it in at the end of the weekend for prizes.

Set up a photo sharing account

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Go online and set up a photo sharing account where all the family can post the photos they took during the trip so everyone can view them and order prints.

Storytelling

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Be sure to designate some time at your reunion for family members to tell stories about the past. Insist that the younger generations stick close for this activity. To keep their interest you might even encourage them to put together a skit about one of the stories they hear. Offer a prize for the best skit.

Track down old or lost family members

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Search online through the various sites and through phone books to find lost family members and invite them to the reunion. They would probably love to see everyone again.

Water balloon toss

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Have everyone grab a partner and line up across from their partner. Start a water balloon toss. The last pair to still be tossing is the winner.

Bring teen technology to reunion

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Craft activities and balls, yes, but remember today's kids are so tech-oriented that there's a danger of each going off into a corner and listening to whatever's on their own IPod. So get advice from a teen on what tech equipment -- like video games? or what, something that they can share or a game that is hot right now and that will encourage them to get to know each other.

Hire a band

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Have a band play one night and host a big dance party. Find someone who plays music that everyone will like so as to please the greatest number of people possible.

Hire a bartender

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During your grown-up time hire a bartender to take care of all your drink needs. Purchase the alcohol yourself before hand as it will be cheaper but pay someone to come in and mix drinks and serve your family.

Hire a caricature artist

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Pay an artist to come in and draw caricatures of all the guests. Your family members will love it and it's the perfect keepsake.

Let's Go Somewhere

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If your family reunion is more about getting together and enjoying each other than looking at old movies and having talent shows, consider taking a family vacation together. With a little advance notice and planning, you could convince your entire family to take a cruise, go to a resort, or visit a dude ranch. The entertainments and activities are built in and you don't have to plan as much. The cost will be higher, so make sure you give everyone the opportunity to vote on the excursion and plenty of time to budget for it.

Make a reality show

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Have someone film the weekend and then edit it into a reality show, like "Meet the ___ Family."

Make up a family cheer song

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Get in the spirit by making up a family cheer, chant or song that the whole family can cheer out loud and have fun with. It's a great motivator.

Name Frequency Guessing Contest

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After everybody has checked in, make a list of each of the following: 1) Attendees whose last names are the family name (Example: It's the "Rosen Reunion" - count everyone whose last name is Rosen) 2) Count, if any, attendees who have identical names, i.e.: (Jack Rosen" 3) Count everybody who shares a first name (disregard last name), example: how many named John.? Then at Central Event, hold a guessing contest. "How many people here at this reunion actually have the name Rosen?" etc. and give prize to person guessing closest to the correct figure.

Place white boards on the doors

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Put small white erase boards and pens on each dorm or hotel room where you all stay so everyone can write messages to one another.

Plan male and female activities

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Plan something for the guys to go do while the girls do something different. It's a great chance for some bonding time.

Send out a poll for the date

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Send a poll out with possible dates and locations for the reunion to be held at. Ask everyone to complete the survey and send it back to you. Compile the results and send out the selected date and location.

Set timelines and deadlines for tasks

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Establish definite deadlines and timelines for when tasks need to be completed. This way there is accountability and responsibility for each person in charge of the task at hand.

Set up a family youth scholarship fund

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Set up a scholarship fund and a committee for selecting the recipient each year. Ask anyone who wants to and is able to donate to the fund.

Show your pride

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Celebrate your family reunion on the 4th of July. It can be held anywhere but you have to wear the country's colors and have some good old fashioned hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie. Plus you're likely to get a free fireworks show somewhere.

Take a tour of your family town

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If the reunion is being held in a town where your family grew up take everyone on a tour. Some of the elderly family members can tell stories and show you secret or special spots.

What to Wear

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If your family will be visiting a theme park or other public venue for your reunion, consider having special tee shirts for everyone to wear. Not only will you be identifying yourself as the "Smith Family," but the matching shirts will make it easier for you to keep up with each other.

Dorm in the same place

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Find a college or other place that has dorm style living quarters and have everyone stay in the same place so you have more time together.

Down Time

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If your family reunion will last for more than one day, be sure to include some down time in the schedule. Family members tend to get a little testy if every moment is planned for them and they are required to participate in something round the clock. A week-long reunion may even require a "day off" in the middle of the week when individuals, family units, or couples can plan their own activities. Give family members the freedom to opt out of an activity or two. You might prefer they all participate in everything, but in the long run it's better to have everyone happy and cooperative.

Go camping

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Make your family reunion a camping trip. Pick a place and reserve a bunch of camp spots or just camp in the middle of nowhere and have all of nature to yourselves.

Have a bake off

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Invite everyone to participate in a bake off. Have strangers test the treats and determine who's dessert is best.

Keeping the Kids Happy

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Have a few inexpensive but fun activities on hand for the children in your crew. Pull out just a few at a time as the reunion progresses. Bottles of bubbles, hoola hoops, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, jacks, and hacky sacks make for easy, safe, and spontaneous fun. Or you can supply your kiddos with a bean bag, a blind fold, or a ball and tell them to make up a game they can all play together.

Plant a family tree

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Plant a tree together and then you'll be able to watch it grow through the years as you come back to visit.

Project old home movies

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Show old home videos and laugh at watching one another through the years.

The Older (Really Older) Generation

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What we mean by the "really older generation" is those family members who are really frail, perhaps using a walker or wheelchair. Of course you've planned for their comfort, but have you taken into account the contribution they can make to the family history portion of your event? Unless you've got a family member who is already seriously involved in genealogy, you can get a lot of the from these elders, who may not be able to make it to the next reunion. If the person is strong and their voice carries, you can ask her if she's willing to answer questions for a 3-5 minute friendly interview -- and then, prepare her ahead of time for the questions you'll ask when you're in front of the crowd (hopefully with a microphone). If the mind and voice are not up to it, get someone ( the family member who brought the elderly person is a good bet) to do the interviewing ahead of time and then report on the Q & A standing next to the elderly person. Keep it limited to just a few minutes, whether or not the person actually speaks or it's someone else speaking for them..

A Good Laugh

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While most families have enough to laugh at just remembering the good ol' days, it's still a good idea to plan for some humor at your reunion. Locate the family clowns and enlist someone to do a hilarious lip sync to Elvis songs or Bealtles tunes. Let the children do a skit mimmicking the adults in the family. Or set up a messy obstacle race or tug-of-war.

Be cowboys

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Have a western theme. Break out the BBQs and put on those cowboy hats. You can have an old fashioned hoe down, rope tossing content and do some line dancing while eating great BBQ treats.

Marshmallow roast story time

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Have everyone sit around a campfire and roast marshmallows. Pass a talking stick around and start a story where each time it's passed that the next person has to continue in their own way.

Off Season

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Consider booking your reunion at a great venue, but during the off season. If your family can go against the tide a little and be creative with activities, you can get a great deal at some seasonal resorts and amusement parks. For instance, consider a Phoenix, Arizona, resort during the hot months of summer. Yes the temperatures may soar near 110 degrees, but the rooms will be cheaper and you’re likely to have the pool pretty much to yourself. Also some snow skiing resorts offer great deals during the summer months for those who are willing to forego the snow and enjoy hiking instead.

Play "Who Am I?"

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Stick a paper on everyone's back with the name of a famous person on it. Have them then go around and ask questions to guess who they are.

Police Lineup

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Sometimes it takes a little creativity to get distant relatives talking at a reunion. “Police Lineup” is a simple game that will require everyone to start talking eventually. Gather everyone and divide them into two groups for competition. Instruct both groups to line themselves up according to your choice of specifications. The first group to line up correctly gets one point. For instance, you might require both groups to line up according to how many hours they watch TV each week. Or they could line up in order of their birthdates. Another fun idea is to require that they line up by the size of their favorite animal. After about nine rounds, award a bag of candy bars to the team with the most points.

Recipe Book

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Most families are pretty proud of their cooks. If you have some super cooks in your family and some favorite family recipes, now is the time to put together that cookbook you've all been talking about for years. Have each family cook send their special recipes to a designated "cookbook editor" in the family. That person can put the books together before the big event so they can be purchased at the reunion. A good resource for putting together such a book is Cookbook Publishers, Inc. You'll find their website at www.cookbookpublishers.com.

We're board

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Especially during a long reunion (two or more days) you may need to have a few pastimes for rainy afternoons or the hours in between scheduled activties. It's a good idea to have crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, or a Rubik's Cube on hand. Board games for all ages and several decks of cards are also necessary supplies. You might also provide a variety of magazines and newspapers for individual enjoyment.

Family Camp Out

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If most members of your family enjoy the outdoors and don't have any special needs, camping out may be the route to go. Families can bring their own or rented RVs, trailers, or tents. You can also let individual family units be responsible for some of their own meals instead of everyone eating every meal together. Recreation possibilities are practically built in, but you can bring equipment for horseshoes, biking, hiking, swimming, and campfires.

Set up a game center or game room

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Create a place where people can go play board games or cards away from the noise and chaos of everyone else.

Set up craft stations

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Set up tables with a different craft at each one. This is fun thing for both kids and adults. They can go from station to station or just choose one craft they would like to make.

Take a hike

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If camping during your reunion get everyone together for a big family hiking trip. Discover new areas and take in the scenery or tell spooky stories as you travel through nature together.

Time Capsule

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Notify family members before the reunion that you will be putting together a family time capsule to be opened at a later date. Individuals or family units could contribute items that indicate what they are doing or interested in presently. For instance, one family might contribute a photo taken on their recent vacation to New York, while a recent college graduate might add the program from their graduation. Decide upon when to open the capsule again (10 to 20 years) and leave it in the safekeeping of a responsible family member until then.

Blue Ridge Assembly

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Consider having your reunion at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. The facility is a full-service conference center located on 1,200 acres of woodland. They offer both hotel-style accommodations and cottages with kitchens, living rooms, outside porches, bedrooms, and bath facilities. Delicious meals are served buffet-style in the center's dining rooms. One family lodge even sleeps 62 with 9 bathrooms. For more details, visit their web site at www.blueridgeassembly.org

Bring the pets

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Invite everyone to bring their pets and have a pet party. Let the dogs all play together or show off your cool lizard.

Go fishing

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Bring out the poles and fishing tackle and spend some quality time with your family catching a few fish.

Go tropical

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Dress up in your best tropical clothes or take a dip in the nearest ocean, lake, pool or river. Plus learn to do the hula and wear your colored leis around.

Take a snow getaway

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Take the family reunion to the mountains and play in the snow. You can make snowmen, have snowball fights and go sledding.