Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are the perfect time to host family reunions. The hosts want their guests to revel in The Great Outdoors—where children, dogs, and partiers can do their thing—without being underfoot in the kitchen. That wish requires almost-perfect weather, no rain ruining tables of food, no wind prying tablecloth fasteners loose, and sufficient cloud cover to protect against the midsummer sun’s heat.
Thankfully, the weather cooperated fully for the 42 partiers who attended Hofmann Family Reunion this July. The Texans escaped their 100-degree heat; Bavarians appreciated abundant outdoor seating areas to sit and chat; and the locals from Minnesota and Wisconsin loved playing Cornhole Bean Bag Throw for five days straight.
Planning your reunion: Planning for a meaningful, memorable and successful family reunion requires juggling a staggering amount of details. Gunter and I began planning a year in advance. In our case, the venue would be our lake property, Northern Bliss. Our first hurdle was to negotiate optimal dates for our four children, their children and their spouses. That took four months! We decided on five “scheduled event days” with the option of arriving three days before and/or staying up to one week after. The next step was to determine the maximum guest list by adding siblings and cousins. We e-mailed a SAVE THE DATE message promoting key activities, along with a graphic to gain attention. From that mailing, we hoped to obtain a rough count. We hoped that our property’s Big House and Cabin would fill quickly and we would need to reserve additional sleeping space at Forrest Inn in Amery. But how could we know with responses arriving at a tortoise pace?
A second mailing and a few phone calls helped. We provided an updated program that included activities for the key five days:
- For the Kick-off, a Saturday, we hired a caterer for brunch and dinner and an accordion player for entertainment. That added a “this is for real” certainty to the event.
- We promoted Sunday as a day to rest and relax at the lake, join us for an afternoon brunch-with-band at Dancing Dragonfly Winery, and/or take a an early-evening scenic Paddlewheel Riverboat Tour leaving from nearby Taylors Falls, MN.
- The following Regional Days would be hosted by three groups: Bavarians, Texans, and Wisconsinites/Minnesotans. Each group would provide all meals and entertainment and clean-up. I appointed two co-hosts to manage each day. As their individual programs developed, co-hosts were responsible for selecting creative teams and promoting “their day” to the attendee list.
Gunter and I did everything we could to ensure that the reunion would run smoothly. (Fortunately, my son Jeff surprised us by flying up from Texas a week early to help.) First, the three of us made space in our garage to accommodate an inclement weather back-up plan. Second, we set up separate shelves designated as Bavaria, Texas, and MN/WI so that co-hosts could send items ahead, such as table runners, flags, banners, paper plates, cups, prizes and booby prizes for games. Third, we organized a cabinet for plastic plates, cutlery, coffee cups, and tablecloths. Finally, we organized a game and watersport corner. The Amazon driver delivered orders almost every day that week!
Before the opening day, Jeff helped us rearrange refrigerators so that the smaller one in the garage held only beer and soft drinks. The other was used solely for reunion events, so that the kitchen fridge could be used for breakfasts and snacks for house guests. We rearranged and labeled our kitchen and pantry cupboards to allow others to work on their Special Days.
Gege, our caterer for the first day, delivered her supplies—table, tablecloth, and coffee urn—a few days in advance: A veteran of hundreds of weddings and other events, she provided a plethora of useful ideas for the days to come. One idea worked exceptionally well: “I know by now that I cannot provide coffee to please everyone, so please appoint the coffee snob in your group to handle purchasing and making the coffee for the entire reunion.” Immediately, I identified the perfect snob, Jeff, who promptly ordered Wisconsin-roasted coffee in bulk and set up his own coffee stand in front of the cabin where he was residing. Everyone loved his special brews!
Buy, borrow or rent? A few weeks before the event, I guessed at the maximum number of guests we would have for each day, and made an inventory of what we would need and then sourced it. For example, I determined we would need an additional 3×8 table and chairs for the kick-off brunch. We would need two foldable card tables with chairs to set up inside in case of rain for board games and puzzles. We would need a cantilever umbrella to protect against sun. I found that renting these products would cost more than purchasing them (including delivery and pickup in a rural area). We found most of what we needed at Wayfair online. Gunter and I already had a pontoon boat and a canoe. We borrowed two additional canoes from a generous neighbor and borrowed Cornhole, bocce ball, and lawn croquet games from relatives.
Implementing Your Reunion Plan: Because he helped us set up, I appointed Jeff as my go-to person to answer those Where-is-? questions. I hired my great-grandson Tristan and his friend, Liam, to help park cars, set up tables and chairs, buy ice, fill and replenish coolers, and help anyone who needed it, and empty trash. Gunter and I bought enough food and beverages for the first two days, then supplemented what the Region hosts provided for the next three days. For example, we provided a help-yourself-breakfast bar with yogurt, cottage cheese, muesli, granola, and nuts for house guests.
It was probably better that the Region Days were not overly organized. As the reunion gained steam, these “ethnic groups” transformed into competitive teams. They tried to outdo each other in their decorations, their games—and especially—their choice of menus.
So much for DYI breakfasts! The Bavarians laid out a magnificent spread of cold cuts, cheeses, and breads, with delicacies such as pickled herring and obatzda (Bavarian beer cheese dip). Koffeeklatsch was streuselkuchen made with my own freshly-picked black raspberries. Dinner was pork cutlets, brats-with-sauerkraut and German potato salad.
Texas Day began with biscuits-and-gravy with Texas burritos. No muesli or granola for them! You’d expect brisket-and-beans for dinner, but just when you thought you couldn’t eat another bite, they brought out banana pudding and the richest dark-chocolate brownie cakes I’ve ever tasted.
The Wisconsinites served a sandwich-and-salad bar for lunch. But dinner was a burger bar replete with all the usual trimmings. But then they added a pot-luck brought by their Minnesota relatives that blew my mind—sunny broccoli salad, calico beans, deviled eggs, frog-eyed salad, cheesecake, and pies.
Let the games begin! The games began on Kick-off Day and continued throughout the regional days. Cornhole was the most popular. Almost everyone—men and women, old and young—practiced and participated in the Wednesday playoffs. Prizes and booby prizes were provided by the hosts.
Bavarians took the lead in regional games with the best spectator sport. We played Steinholding, a traditional Bavarian strength contest in which competitors hold a full one-liter beer stein (Masskrug/Mass) out in front of their bodies with a straight arm, parallel to the ground. The last person holding with good form is the winner. Both women and men played, and surprisingly, we found that the ones with the shortest arms tended to win.
A Texas 1000-piece puzzle was placed on one of the 3×8 tables on Texas Tuesday and stayed there throughout that day and the next. What a clever way to teach the others about the great state of Texas! Added to that was a Texas Facts presentation.
Touring. During Wisconsin/Minnesota Day, I brought one group to nearby Glenna Farms. We didn’t wear overalls, but boots would have come in handy when touring the barn of this modern dairy farm. Here, Holsteins listen to classical music or jazz while they visit their friends and graze the buffet whenever they choose—all to improve milk production. We enjoyed the tour of the 80-acre wonder that contains 1,000 sugar maple trees, 300 of them producing every season.
Reunion Dress Code and Decor. We had no specified dress code. But that didn’t stop the group from promoting their own local customs. On Bavarian Monday, most of their group wore traditional Bavarian dress while they quizzed us about Bavarian history and customs. Honoring their day, Jeff wore a Bavarian shirt and placed a collection of Bavarian miniature dolls (purchased from EBay) on their table. On Texas Tuesday, not to be outdone, John planted a state banner and hoisted a Texas flag. Their table was replete with a Texas centerpiece, banner, paper plates and cups. Jeff wore a Texas-themed shirt with Don’t Mess with Texas emblazoned on the sleeves. On Wednesday, the Minnesotans and Wisconsinites, who had worked the previous two days, arrived in their usual summer shorts and shirts, but brought both Wisconsin and Minnesota flags. To compete with the previous days’ Trivia Games, Ole and Lena took to the stage with Sven to tell Swedish and Norwegian jokes.
Evaluating Your Reunion: This was “not our first rodeo.” We’d hosted a wedding reception, memorial service, and many other reunions at Northern Bliss. But I do believe that it was our best, due to careful planning and a wonderful group of family and friends. Everyone from 8 to 88 had a rollicking good time! This outcome was just what we wanted when we purchased and renovated this one-acre property in rural Northwest Wisconsin.
About the Author: Lois and Günter Hofmann lived their dream by having a 43-foot ocean-going catamaran built for them in the south of France and sailing around the world. Learn more about their travel adventures by reading Lois’s award-winning nautical adventure trilogy. Read more about Lois and her adventures at her website and stay in touch with Lois by liking her Facebook page. Lois’s books can be purchased from PIP Productions on Amazon and on her website.
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