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Reunion
activities
These
activities are from many reunions, reported first in Reunions magazine. We invite you to e-mail
us your special reunion activities.
Does
anyone have a bush jacket?
by Carol C. Michels
The first Donahue Family Reunion I remember was in a park north
of New York City. I was about seven and an only child. I was thrilled
to be related to all those people, particularly the kids. There
was a long table with wonderful food piled high and grills fired
up for hamburgers.
My
strongest recollection was a major juggling contest among the men.
It started with one fellow tossing an orange to another and became
a hilarious exhibition of round the circle throw and catch, show-off
spinning, pitching from behind backs and under knees. Aunt Louise
filmed the shenanigans by following oranges instead of athletes.
The on-screen result resembled an Olympic Marmalade Marathon but
has entertained us for years. And we are still entertaining one
another.
Our
clan originated in the late 19th century in New York City with the
five children of Patrick and Sydney Josephine Johnstone Donahue.
All were accomplished artists, musically and otherwise. Robert,
one of the country's pioneer cinematographers, recorded Admiral
Byrd's discovery of the North Pole. Everyone else played piano and
sang. Vivid memories of my mother's generation, were about songs
and stories on Sunday afternoons in Grandma's parlor.
When
we get together magic happens. One year we hired a little Dixieland
band and danced and sang ourselves silly. Five years ago we decided
to revisit our ancestors' Sunday afternoon musical revue theme and
announced a vaudeville show. An unusual collection of talent came
out of the woodwork as the highlight of a three-day Cape Cod weekend
that also celebrated the 80th birthdays of two favorite aunts. A
tent was erected, tables, chairs and a small PA system rented and
food assignments divided.
Five
guys who never played together appeared with musical instruments
and within minutes were strumming and singing terrific stuff. Three
seniors from Florida recreated the Andrew Sisters' version of Rum
and Coca-Cola. Maxine, played by 6'1" Uncle Roy, was a show
stopper. Six men ages 16 to 82 sang great Barbershop harmonies.
A young mother and her two daughters tap danced to Tea for Two.
Another put some of the gents through a very funny version of Simon
Says. Five siblings lip-synched to modern classics; two cousins
sang Honey Bun from South Pacific; two semi-mature, conservative
cousins charmed the crowd by spoofing a Madonna song about bananas.
A fifteen-year old cousin wrote a play in which some of the kids
lip-synched songs from The Sound of Music. Three teenage boys used
a curtain, the head of one, arms of a second and legs of the third
to perform a memorable Evening with Mrs. Smedley. Even the Master
of Ceremonies amazed us with his hidden talent as a pretty decent
magician.
In
all, 22 acts demonstrated various levels of talent. Everyone, regardless
of age, got into the act as performer or observer, camera operator,
cook or artist. While many were practicing or finding costumes,
cousin Cindy created clever billboard signs for each act. Four videotapes
were edited to one terrific tape by a talented "outlaw"
cousin and distributed to all families.
Following
the fun of that reunion was a formidable challenge. The result was
a Murder Mystery held in conjunction with a 50th anniversary celebration.
Seventy-five descendants came to New England from all over the country.
A
mystery play was conceived from an Agatha Christie novel. Fifteen
actors were cast with attention to personalities willing to make
fools of themselves. Again we rented a tent. Cindy masterminded
remarkable backdrops painted by willing hands. Everyone came dressed
as someone famous.
Among
the good sports were a captain in a Florida sheriff's department
who shaved his mustache of 26 years to be Desiree Flambeau, an aging
actress with an unseemly past who meets an untimely end. A grandmother
needed three costume changes to play her role as an international
dress designer. Uncle Bunch finally found a bush jacket to go with
his borrowed pith helmet as Major Barry, a veddy British retired
officer.
We
may not recall the name of the production or the characters, but
the warm memory of doing something so fun together will always be
clear. Our lives are in places across the country and our only commonalty
is a shared set of great-grandparents. But we are genuinely affected
by getting to know each other. Letting your hair down and being
silly is a great way to do it. Something very special happens when
kin connect.
About
the author
Carol C. Michels who clearly enjoys her family reunions is a
freelance writer and associate producer for TV documentaries. She
is a regular contributor and staff editor for a monthly newsletter,
Focus on Women. She lives with her husband and family in Wilmington,
Delaware.
The
Longest Toe
by Patricia Webster Stewart
I first became aware of Webster family toes when my mother said
my dad's brother Uncle Tom Webster's "toes are so long they
look like fingers." Uncle Tom lived far away, so I never saw
his toes. Imagine an eight-year-old asking her uncle to see his
toes. Not in my family.
When
the Websters had their first reunion, I planned a contest to find
the longest toe. Everyone with Webster blood in his/her veins shed
a shoe and presented his/her longest toe. I got my chance to see
Uncle Tom's toes.
I
can't deny I set up the contest with some hope of winning. My dad
wore size 13 shoes. Since I wasn't sure just how big Uncle Tom's
feet were, I fantasized how the brothers played as children. Did
they have contests with their feet? Did they toss a basketball back
and forth with toes as long as fingers? Sadly Dad died before he
could be a contestant. Uncle Tom won that first contest, toes down,
two and a half inches long. I was not even close. By the next reunion
we had lost Uncle Tom.
After
losing the first contest, I resolved to come back and win. But fate
was not on my side, when a "resection of metatarsals in the
right foot" (taking the heads off bones) actually made my
toes shorter.
Now the longest toe contest at Webster-Hafner family reunions is
in the hands — oops — toes of the younger generation.
About
the author
Pat Stewart, Taylors, South Carolina, mother of seven and grandmother
of nine, loves to write about the fun at Webster-Hafner Family Reunions.
She is writing a family history based on old photos from her mother's
album and plans to write about photos taken at family reunions where
the longest toe contest continues.
An
Elvis sighting
There was a whole lot of shakin' going on at the Berger Family Reunion
in Leipsic, Ohio. Robert Berger, Jr, an Elvis impersonator, left
family "all shook up" with his songs, gyrations, sequined
jumpsuit, cape and curled lip. This performance was the highlight
of the family's largest (and best) reunion.
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