Carpenter-Zimmerman Family Reunion 200?

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There was a general consensus that many people would be very interested in holding another reunion down the road. There are several ideas bouncing about regarding that idea, and the Reunion Planners who have done it before can tell you that it is never too soon to get started. the sooner the better in fact.

For now, let us all bounce around some ideas about where and when. From there, we can seek to recruit some new Reunion Planners. Those who have gone before will likely be glad to help, but is is time for some new blood and new energy to step up and take on the top jobs for the next reunion.

Think about what you would like for the reunion, and then go right over to the Forum and post your suggestions. Shall we return to Kentucky? What about Virginia? How about Pennsylvania? We have roots in each of these places to greater and lesser extents.

Once again, we all give our tremendous thanks to the 2006 Reunion Planners, Kathleen Carpenter Griffin and Joe Clarkson Carpenter. They managed to arrange another fantastic event that was a fun and rewarding experience for all those who attended. Once again, we all got to meet more cousins than we ever knew existed and the feeling of connectedness makes it harder to feel alone when you know where you come from.

This page will post the latest reunion information as it becomes available. For the absolute latest news — hot off the press, so to speak — you can jump to the Reunion Planner News page, which is managed by former Reunion Planner, Kathleen Carpenter Griffin and our Webmaster, Joseph William Carpenter.

Some things to think about for next time

By Joseph W. Carpenter

I am not seeing as much feedback as I would like to for the previos reunion or for the next. So, I will get the ball rolling by sharing my own thoughts here. It is a bit bolder than I would normally go for, but I figure someone has to be first. Why not me?

These ideas are a bit of my own and a bit from others. The original idea comes from reading the feedback that several people have mention through website feedback and also Email. There are some people who will always attend a historical reunion, some will come to that kind of event once, and others not at all.

The previous two reunions (2001 and 2006) were planned with a historical and genealogical emphasis. That is a great foundation, and each of those reunions was very successful for its intended purpose. However, the reunion attendance numbers indicate a trend toward smaller reunions if they continue to serve only those with an interest in genealogy. We also saw some people who might want to be more selective about the events they attend.

There is some talk now about expanding the next reunion to become a larger and more inclusive family event. In some respects, making it more like a traditional family reunion, with games and events intended for family fun. I happen to agree with this line of thinking. However, I think it is possible to have both...

There remains a strong genealogical interest in this family. How else would we have such a well-rooted family tree? It is possible to think about that in terms of smaller genealogical events, like mini-reunions, or weekend trips back to the Kentucky home places. And to other places. Like planning a weekend trip, but with a group of people who share your interest. It is also possible to do the same thing in the context of a larger reunion.

Communications technology in general and this website in particular make it possible to coordinate any number of diverse events, bit first it requires that someone must

 

so if you have an idea, let the webmaster know and your proposed event can easily get its own category in the forums. If your group stirs up some interest, then you might get your own web page on this site to promote the event.

Thinking back to the larger reunion idea, there could be one larger reunion planned with the separate interests in mind from the beginning. We know that some people did not come to the reunion this year because they only get one family vacation each year. Okay, so lets make our reunion something they will want to come see. Moreover, since this web site represents your interests, get involved now and help plan the next reunion so that it will include events that are of interest to you.

Imagine that some events would be specific to the historical interest, and other events could be geared to other interests to form a reunion that could manage to serve the interests of the entire family. It would present something attractive to everyone as a vacation alternative. Think about some of the great opportunities that are available in a given area. Just pick one and invite others to join you there. Then you have effectively created a new reunion event.

In addition to special interest events, there should be joint events to bring everyone together. This means that any place chosen should also have the historical interest that would appeal to the genealogists, and also have the family fun that would appeal to just about everyone. We are not talking Disneyland here, so think about such fun places as Frontierland, and other places located nearby our own historical home places that have also grown up to become vacation destinations.

Honestly, there was much in the Hustonville and Danville area that we never incorporated as reuntion events. There was a Living Museum at Perryville, the Shaker Village experience. Only a few days earlier and there was a Brass Band Festival, and a Bluegrass Festival. Similar attractions and events make scheduling for a larger group more difficult, but we should consider them for next time so that everyone can make their plans accordingly, wherever we end up.

I mentioned that we would need some common events to get everyone together. Such events could include a barbecue like we had in Kentucky, or some other event planned around a meal. Such a large group gathering would also afford an opportunity to create several truly special group photographs. How rare might it be to see so many Carpenters in one place!

The idea behind this larger reunion concept is to create something at once diverse enough to attract a larger group, and also keep the planning simplified. it will require some creative thinking, but there is plenty of time to find a place that will serve as a ideal location for such a reunion. Just imagine that is is possible, then go find a way to make it happen.

Obviously it costs money to organize and provide food for any given number of people, so they will have to commit to some cost in advance, but it is possible to make that a more selective process. E.g. "I want to go to this but not that..." We had some of that this last time, but the logistics are challenging. Most caterers will not schedule an event without a minimum number of people, and they invariably requre a deposit. Nothing like that can be left for the last minute, but it is possible to figure all of this out.

Keep in mind... Wherever we go, you can focus on that thing which you like best. If there is enough interest in your thing, you can recruit a planning group to brainstorm ideas and see if they can generate enough interest.

There are vacancies for the Reunion Planners job for the next reunion. If you would like to participate in the discussions about the next reunion, please contact the Webmaster, Joseph W. Carpenter. He will put you in touch with whomever is most likely to know most about that.

To see the information for the previous reunion, see the Reunion 2006 page.