A Fun Family Reunion
We have learned by trial and error. Things we thought might flop worked - and some things we thought would be wonderful were huge flops! We continue to improve! So come along and learn with us before you plan your reunion! Use our experience to springboard your fantastic reunion! We know we have the best one anywhere! Come back and tell us about yours!
Photo: We are the descendents of Minnie Minerva and Amaziah Byrd Tate. This is their family. Sometimes we call this picture "Minnie's Kids".
Contents at a Glance
- The Tate Girls Waiting for Reunion Guests in Helen, Georgia!
- Family Reunion Committees
- Location, Date, Schedule for your Reunion
The Tate Girls Waiting for Reunion Guests in Helen, Georgia!
Family Reunion Committees
Reunion Committee Assignments
Our planning begins a year or more in advance. We always have a DINO (Director in Name Only) who helps us keep it together! We are scattered around the country, so our communication is e-mail and telephone!Committees include:
Logistics - location, mailouts, promo
Food
Entertainment
Decorations
Children Entertainment
Agenda
Parade
Honoring the deceased
Opening Ceremonies
Closing Ceremonies
PHOTO: Joan and Nancy crown Betty DINO for the next year! (We love crazy hats and fun accessories and costumes!)
Location, Date, Schedule for your Reunion
Organize Your Family Reunion - people will have more fun!
You will have to decide on a time and location first. Our reunion moves from city to city and lasts for an entire weekend. We try to have our reunions in the spring. It gets really hot in the south in the summertime.So far, we have had reunions in:
Athens, GA
Chattanooga, TN
Helen, GA
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Memphis, TN
When choosing location, consider:
Local entertainment available
Hospitality room availability
Rooms availability
PHOTO: Connie, Shirly and Missie prepare for Bingo!
Addresses, Mail-outs, Reminders, Theme
Promote your family reunion.
Cousin Matt is a genius at mail-outs and flyers! We are blessed with all of his talents! As soon as date and time is set, Matt will send out a "hold the date". You will need someone strong in this position and also in the DINO position (Director in Name Only - remember?)We do have a theme for each reunion. I remember:
Chattanooga Choo-Choo in 2002
It's great to be a Tate in 2008
Basic agendas:
Friday afternoon - Welcomes, set up room and gathering together
Friday night - casual dinner together and opening ceremonies followed by Bingo or Jeopardy Trivia
Saturday morning - Presentations and Parade
Saturday afternoon - free time
Saturday night - Closing ceremonies
Sunday morning - gather for coffee and goodbyes
PHOTO: Monica leads the chicken dance!
Welcome, welcome, welcome! Nancy and Billy provide hilarious skit to get us started!
Family Reunion Hospitality Room
Master of Ceremonies, Games and fun
Matt is also a natural Master of Ceremonies! He skillfully keeps us all in order - and believe me, with this crowd, that is no easy task!Our reunion is FUN! Think of all the crazy, wild things your family could do!
If you are talented family, have a talent show! If you are singers, do a sing-a-long! One year Matt and Missy brought a rope game that was great fun! As you are shopping through the year, look for any game that will work with a large group. Horns and whistles are lots of fun.
PHOTO: Matt at the microphone!
All My Life's a Circle, Sunrise and Sundown
you will need to move this ahead just a little bit to get to our song!
Harry Chapin sings CIRCLE Live
EMBEDABLE!! http://www.youtube.com/group/harrychapinfans "All my life's a circle; Sunrise and sundown; Moon rolls thru the nighttime; Till the daybreak comes around. All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by. It seems like I've been here before; I can't remember when; But I have this funny feeling; That we'll all be together again. No straight lines make up my life; And all my roads have bends; There's no clear-cut beginnings; And so far no dead-ends. Chorus: I found you a thousand times; I guess you done the same; But then we lose each other; It's like a children's game; As I find you here again; A thought runs through my mind; Our love is like a circle; Let's go 'round one more time." Chorus Harry Chapin sings CIRCLE. Hamilton Ontario in 1981. His last year. I'm workin on improvin the quality....can't do much about the budgies, tho....
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Food, Food, Food!
Necessity for the Tate Family Reunion
In the hospitality room, there is always food. Everybody brings snacks and goodies, and these are spread on a table for snacking! We also provide bottled water, sodas, juices and ice. Most hotels have hospitality rooms with a small kitchen area. Debbie very graciously has been our hostess for many years, keeping food in order and directing the set up and clean up!Breakfast is usually provided by the hotel.
Lunch is on your own or grab a sandwich in the hospitality room.
Dinner - together on Saturday night. Price is included in registration fee.
Debbie and Joan take a little dancing break!
B-I-N-G-O
I don't know these fellows, but they are almost as funny as we are singing this tune!
And BINGO was his name-O!!!
Here they are!!! The Internet SuperStars!!! Three guys in my class (John Russell and Josh) goofing off one day....it was pretty funny. (They will have more videos soon!!!)
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Bingo Prizes - Wonderful hats from the Lillie-Ruby Collection! What Fun!
Entertaining the Children
We have a children's corner in the hospitality room - coloring books, crayons, games. The children are involved in all facets of the reunion. Of course, they love the parade!Photo: Nancy and Tate teach us how to draw a cow!
Denise and Betty strut for the parade!
Parade
When we first mentioned the parade, we were not sure if the family would actually do it! Everybody loves it! And the parade has become one of our highlights! Each family has prepared a banner that represents their assigned color and their family spirit. The banners are used to decorate the hospitality room - and are carried proudly in the parade. Most people keep their banners from reunion to reunion! We generally march, walk, around the parking lot of the hotel -- and yes, be sure to ask permission from the hotel.The parade ends with the family gathering for a professional photograph! Photographs are available for purchase from the photographer. We had one great photographer that took individual family photos, group photos, couple photos, and then provided all on a disc at a very reasonable price!
PHOTO: Tate and Bobby with the Bernice Tate Giles banner!
The Tate Family Parade!
Family Reunions Around the World
Bloggers write about family reunions around the world!
- Lavar Johnson shot at family reunion in Bakersfield, California ...
- According to a recent report released by the Bakersfield Police Department, a black male in his late teens approached Johnson and the other victims as they were gathering in the front yard during a family reunion/Independence Day ...
- Far From Home: Wilkins Weiss: Lobsterfest and Family Reunion
- Eiley Family Reunion ? I was invited to the Eiley Family Reunion in Placencia last weekend (back to back weekends in Placencia, not bad). It was my first large Belizean Family gathering experience. I was able to sit in the front seat ...
- my back pages: family reunion 2009
- We went to Nuno's family reunion BBQ at Bronte Creek. It was lots of fun. Not surprising, being an expectant mom at a family reunion is fun because of all the excitement of a new family member on the way. Everyone wants the scoop and ...
- Donmar Warehouse | T.S. Eliot Festival
- THE FAMILY REUNION 20 November 2008 - 10 January 2009. After eight years absence, Harry returns to the ancestral home to celebrate his mother's birthday. Tormented by a dark secret, he confides in Aunt Agatha only to discover that the ...
Me! Me! I know that answer!!
B-I-N-G-O and Tate Trivia
Of course, we play our own version of Bingo! And in typical Tate style, we sing B-I-N-G-O when someone wins. Yes, I mean the old childhood song. See video! One year, Connie was clearing out the family homestead, and the bingo prizes included items from the family home -- including our Aunt Ruby and Lillie's wonderful hats! Oh, we had such fun that night!Christine has designed a game similar to Jeapordy and Trivia combined. See photo. The game involves questions related to our family history and current events. The first time we did it, we blew a whistle if we knew the answer! It was very funny and educated us all about our ancestors and each other!
PHOTO: Our super Jeopardy game! Thank you, Christine!
Note: Christine's game is on a tri-fold board. These are available at most office supply stores. We have a Military board that honors family members in the military. We also have a geneology board. One year we posted baby pictures on a board, and one year we posted our pets (fun for "match the pet to the right family" game!)
Our Military Honor Board
A Family Affair: How to Plan and Direct the Best Family Reunion Ever (National Genealogical Society Guides)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009) 
Family Reunion Planning Kit for Dummies
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 07/06/2009)
Blues Brothers Hat
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
Adult Propeller Beanie Hat
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009)
The Chicken Dance!
Yes, we did it! and we had much more fun than these folks!
The Lawrence Welk Show: Chicken Dance
Myron Floren's Offspring 03:13 An unsettling performance of "The Chicken Dance," performed by dancer and former Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess along with his gawky offspring. Bobby is the son-in-law of the late accordionist Myron Floren, both of whom were long-time performers on "The Lawrence Welk Show." Myron himself provides musical accompaniment after introducing the "performance," which takes place on an eerily barren, dungeon-like stage. This clip has all the classic, premeditated, cornball Welk staginess, minus the talent. Also, everyone has that trademark, desperately forced Welk smile. What fun!
Runtime: 3:13
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Family Reunions and Stories
- You are Cordially Invited to Share Your Family Legends
- Years ago a guy I was dating told me the story of his uncle who had a shrunken head of a Nazi soldier that he brought back from WWII.He was very proud of his uncle, so I was gentle when I told him that that couldn't be true. In the first place even Nazis didn't shrink heads and certainly not of thei
What do you think? Vote here!
More Tate Family Lenses
We do know how to have fun!
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Seniors On Line - The Tate Girls
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Recently on another forum, Jaguar Julie asked to see a photo of the Tate girls! I decided a lens was in order. So here it is! We were a family of four children back in 1953. Each one of us four years apart. Our father did accounting, obviously plann...
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Congo Squares - A Tate Family Bar Cookie Tradition
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In 1954, the Tate family lived in Pendleton, SC. I can almost smell the congos in the oven. We loved to gather round and "lick the bowl" while they baked! Mama always made congos for church picnics, long trips in the car to visit relatives, and of co...
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Sing-Along with the Tate Family
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I think we started singing in the car to pass the time on long trips over to Georgia to visit relatives. How many times did we sing "99 bottles of beer on the wall" all the way down to one? Also, we moved often in those days and sometimes found ours...
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How to Make Your Own Family Cookbook
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My sister, Betty Tate DeLorme, presented our family with a family cookbook in 1983. She had patiently typed every word on a Royal Manual Typewriter. In this day we have computers, and creating your own family cookbook is much faster - and easier! Yo...
Update
Tate Family Reunion 2010
The Tate Family Reunion for 2010 is set for Pendleton, SC. This is our new logo, designed by sister Nancy (Ohme on Squidoo)! Are you planning a family reunion? Have we helped?
seedplanter wrote...
Joan, you Tates know how to have fun. Love this lens! (I think I may have signed before, but I'm back for a second look. I appreciate that Military Honor Board, too. So special, to honor family members who served. (<===spoken by a military wife of 21 years...now "rooted" for almost 20. We must be getting old.)
Lov-er-ly lens! Am going to give it a loud tweet.
Posted May 10, 2009
OhMe wrote...
in reply to mukunda22 Are you sure you are crazy enough for our family? We ain't right, ya know!
Posted May 07, 2009
Joan4 wrote...
in reply to mukunda22 Oh yes, Kate! You will be with us! so remember our colors are orange! gotta find you a crazy hat! it's gonna be fun!
Posted May 07, 2009
mukunda22 wrote...
OMG!! I can't believe I'm going to be there at your reunion in 2010!! Awesome!!
Posted May 07, 2009
TerriLorah wrote...
Fun lens! 5***** I just loved the chicken dance video and can imagine how much fun that would be at a family reunion.
Posted April 23, 2009
Beautiful_GreenBeans wrote...
Wow! You sure know how to have a party! Can we bring our family to your reunion? If only for the parade? :)
Posted April 18, 2009
sittonbull wrote...
Joan... what a neat lens! I loved seeing and reading about you'all having so much fun! We used to have a big family reunion at my Grandmother Sitton's every year, but since she died @ 102 we've only had two that I recall outside of immediate family. Thank you so much for your support, encouragement, and always beautiful words on my lenses. (Hey I can say lenses now!) You and Ohme are my heros!
Posted March 27, 2009
tweety0126 wrote...
Great lens. I love our family reunions also; we have tons of fun; lots of games and trivia about family history. We bring gifts for our auction at the end of the day; some of the gifts are homemade while is really nice. Thanks for sharing :) 5*
Posted March 17, 2009
Joan4 wrote...
in reply to drifter0658 Oh that auction idea sounds fun! will pass along that info! we are now planning Tate Family Reunion 2010 - Together Again in 2010!
Posted March 16, 2009
Laniann wrote...
You have a great family and you know how to have a good time. Very nice lens - you a put a lot of time and love into it. 5 Stars
Posted March 16, 2009
drifter0658 wrote...
Thanks for laying this out. Although my families are not spread as far an wide as yours, there is still a boot full of useful info here. Funny thing, both reunions I attend yearly have auctions. One is with play money handed out through the day for playing games or answering pop trivia questions. The auction is for raising money to fund the next reunion.
Thanks!
Posted March 16, 2009
Betty wrote
Joan, you did a wonderful job with this lens - capturing not only the organization of a reunion, but all the fun we have at each one! It is about time to begin thinking about 2010! Every other year seems to be perfect!
Posted January 24, 2009
sandyspider wrote...
My family is scattered also. Family reunions have been going on for as long as I can remember. But I have not been to one since I have been married. That was a long time ago. Great lens!
Posted November 17, 2008
cannedguds wrote...
I always look forward for our own family reunion during Christmas and this time, I will all surprise them! I have learned family genealogy by myself and I'm going to present to my relatives what I've learned and what I've done. They would surely be surprised to learn from me that a famous Hollywood actress is our relative (that's right!) Hey, how would you like to learn how to trace your family history ? maybe you can surprise them too during your reunion? Anyway, thanks for sharing this lens! It gave me an idea what the next lens would I want to make! Great job!
Posted October 12, 2008
OhMe wrote...
Great job, Joan. I am sending you more pictures to add from previous reunions. We do know how to have fun, don't we. 5*
Posted August 17, 2008
Susan52 wrote...
Your family is much more fun than mine! Great idea for a lens, and a great job!
Posted August 17, 2008
RichLeigh wrote...
Great lens you've got there Joan! I thoroughly enjoyed the read. :)
Posted August 14, 2008
TheInfamous7 wrote...
Lovely! :-) Was a pleasure to read up on a wonderful Lensmaster and a wonderful family x x
Posted August 14, 2008
TeaLady wrote...
Can I come to your reunion? It looks like lots of fun! Great lens. I love the photos.
Posted August 12, 2008
KarenKay wrote...
Wow! You've got the whole thing downpat! Ours have never been this interesting. Just a bunch of people I don't know sitting around and talking, sharing pictures, and eating a whole lot! Need to share this with my Great Aunt who does the organizing!
Another Great Lens by Joan!
Posted August 12, 2008
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by Joan4
The TFR - Tate Family Reunion is held every two years in a different city. We have so much fun together!
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