Zarling Heritage Family Reunion

What a wonderful event!! I learned this year to delegate and am doubly blessed to have Judy Ish, Rhonda DeFord, Ardie Zarling, and my gorgeous daughter Carrie to assist me. I learned an enormous amount just watching them do their thing; it gave me a chance to mingle and connect with people I have only 'met' in cyberspace. However I need to figure out how to be in two places at one time as there were so many conversations that I started and didn't get a chance to finish before being requested by another.

I find it interesting that the reunion format is a moving target. I started with pure genealogy and live music then starting adding some flair like the silent auction. Others mentioned that they weren't so interested in the genealogy so I found a venue that allowed me to separate the two and that seemed to work. Then I added workshops and that seemed to go over quite well. This year I skipped the music in lieu of workshops but found that the family really was more interested in the genealogy and sitting and chatting with each other! I added a book exchange and toys from our youth -- perhaps because there were only four kids (Manny & CeCe being two of them) the toy idea went bust but some people did bring and exchange a book with another so I think that idea might be included in the next reunion's agenda. Not sure of the workshops though . . . gotta ponder on that one a bit more. Got three years to toss it around.