This was a pot luck lunch with finger foods, salads, hot dishes, and desserts with an "International" theme, and featured hot dogs and brats barbecued by our host, Gary Brock.
The attendees sat in the shade (provided by trees, awnings and large umbrellas) and shared their lives, and in many cases, their genealogical research and family stories.
While people were talking and eating, Karen had prepared a large board so that attendees could add their own name, the surnames they were researching, and the geographical areas where their ancestors lived. The attendee then picked a numbered stick pin from the chart and put it on one of the three large maps on easels - one for the World, another for Europe, and a third for the United States.
After everyone had added their names and ancestral locations to the list, Gary, as master of ceremonies, asked each person to stand and tell something about the surnames and places they had listed. It was interesting to see how many attendees had ancestry in the British Isles.
Gary then had a locality trivia game for door prizes.
Finally, Gary's granddaughter brought Tacoma, a former racehorse, over to the area. People fed apples to Tacoma, and petted him.
All in all, it was a fun day, with good food, good friends, lots of conversation, and even some genealogy connections. Meetings like this are great to promote friendship, camaraderie and get family members interested in the society and genealogy.
We all agreed to have the Annual Picnic at Gary and Wanda's house next year, too!
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