Reunions turn into cross-country travel adventures

By ANNA MOORE KVICALA

Special to The Capital-Journal

My family has a unique reunion every two years.

The Moore family, the descendants of Jacob and Clarissa Moore, has been meeting together for three to four days at a time in different locations every other year since the 1970s.

The first reunion in 1949 was a one-day pot-luck dinner. No reunions happened again until 1978, and there was another one-day catered dinner. We realized our first generation members were aging and no plan was available to keep the families together.

All were scattered from Oklahoma to the West Coast. When a cousin bought a youth camp at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, a plan was formed to meet there for a reunion. It meant living in a dormitory setting and each family cooperating in cooking meals. It was a fun adventure with evening cookouts, games and skits. We did this on two occasions. However, it wasn't long before the women did not think it was much of a vacation to cook and plan meals.

The idea of having these reunions at resort areas and being hosted by different families in different parts of the country caught on. So began the year-long planning and securing lodging. Some meals are catered with on-site or nearby entertainment and recreation planned.

Newsletters are sent to keep everyone informed. Updated address lists were necessary, and everyone planned their vacations to coincide with the July or August date. It's grown now to include an auction on one of the evenings where items made or brought by family members are auctioned off to other family members as a means of raising money to meet the next reunion's expenses.

Each person pays for his own lodging and some meals. Other expenses such as mailings and promotions are covered from the auction income.

This past July, we met in Ocean Grove, N.J., since one family lives in the state. Seventy-eight people came from all over. The Victorian style bed and breakfast inns we stayed in were unique. Activities included a cookout on the beach and a catered banquet in one of the larger inns. Side trips were made to the museum on Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Other years have taken us to Port Townsend, Wash.; Asilamar, Calif.; Mount Hood, Ore.; Fort Gibson, Okla.; and another time to Roman Nose State Park near Watonga, Okla.; Squaw Valley-Lake Tahoe, Calif; and Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta.

Each location is hosted by a different branch of the family. T- shirts were ordered to be worn by those who want them with designated logos. A nice trophy is passed on to the family who has the most complete attendance. Other awards are given for those who come the most miles, the oldest one there and the youngest. These awards are often candy.

Attendance ranges from 70 to over 100. It has given us the chance of seeing places we may never have seen otherwise.

Anna Moore Kvicala lives in Topeka.

Copyright 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.