We have received many emails asking when the next MD to KY reunion will be held.
June 13-15, 2014
Please see 2014 MD to KY Reunion for more information.
- – - – - – -
UPDATE September 24, 2012:
A small group of people are meeting in Kentucky the weekend of September 29-30, 2012, to have a preliminary discussion about a reunion to possibly be held in 2013 or 2014.
If you are in or near Kentucky and interested in helping to organize the next reunion, please leave your name and contact information in a comment to this post or send an email to the email address listed in the right hand column.
- – - – - -
What is needed is one or two people who are willing to coordinate and get and keep the ball rolling for the next physical reunion.
Please note that this is not a task for the half-hearted or disorganized. Anyone who has been involved in event planning can tell you that to put together a 2 or 3 day reunion with between 200 and 500 attendees is a daunting task.
The long answer is this: in June 2010, at the last MD to KY Reunion, it was announced that the 2010 Reunion would be the last unless others stepped forward. The core group of volunteers – in KY and in MD – who had organized and administered the Reunion for many years felt they had done their fair share and they no longer had the time or energy to continue, and, as importantly, felt that it was time for others to come forward and take on the responsibilities for future Reunions.
Several people did come forward. One of them, Chug Roberts, volunteered to set up and maintain a “virtual Reunion”, i.e., this web site. However, Chug was clear at the outset that his business and professional responsibilities did not allow time for him to take on the large task of organizing a physical Reunion.
The bottom line is that organizing and running a physical MD to KY Reunion is a LOT of work, and although there seems to be a lot of interest in continuing them, no one nor any group of people has stepped forward to continue doing the serious work necessary to make a physical Reunion happen.
If YOU are interested in working on a physical Reunion, please leave your name and contact information in a comment to this post. Then those of you who are interested should contact each other to get the ball rolling.
Based on previous Reunions, the main organizer(s) should live in the community where the physical Reunion is held.
Previous Reunions have been held in Kentucky and in Maryland. Past Reunions have attracted between 250 and 600 people, and that is a serious-sized event to design, organize, and administer.
The bottom line is that if YOU want a physical MD to KY Reunion to happen, then YOU or someone like you must volunteer to organize and coordinate the work of a large and serious undertaking. (Chug will help with Internet, database, and web matters if needed.)
So, if you are interested in helping with the next MD to KY Reunion, leave your information (name, phone or email, city where you live, what you are willing to do, and family names) in the comments to this post and then ya’ll contact each other. Self organizing works, but only if there are enough interested people.
Please do not leave comments suggesting how to go about this – only leave your information if YOU are willing to get involved and do some work. (Comments to this post that do not contain this information will be deleted.)
Thanks.
The internet makes it so much easier to gather and trade information – that some folks might not even see a need for a “physical” reunion. Through the years I made a lot of friends at the MD to KY Reunions – and I have always enjoyed renewing those friendships. Meeting “cousins” in person adds so much more to whole genealogy experience.
Perhaps the success of the Reunions is now it’s undoing – as each new MD – KY Reunion became more organized and more”polished”. It would be dificult for anyone to step up and to host a reunion that “competed” with the last ones. However, I believe that most folks would just like to see it continue – if only in a simpler form. I am willing to help if there is a group of folks that feels the same way…
Wishing Everyone the Best! Mark T
Greetings! I will just start out with this. My grandfather x4 was BAsil HAyden sr. It was like this: Basil HAyden sr had a son named lewis, actually think it was his youngest son. Lewis had a son named john. John had a daughter named Crysostine ann Hayden hunter, my great greandmother! I grew up hearing about the special town of Owensboro, where my great grandmother was born and raised unitl she married. she went ot Mt St Joseph school, after her mother passed away. remained there until she married.
Oh geez, i could go on and on, buut I wasnt able to make the last reuion held in Bardstown. My cousin went and enjoyed it thoroughly. I would be very interested in helping to organize a reunion. I just said to my family and friends, we must preserve our history or it is lost forever. we have children who have NEVER heard about this rich catholic heritage of ours. We have family and friends who have never heard. SO Im in folks, intersted in helping Just contact me and let me know whats up, and I will do whatever I can to help. thank you and God bless all….
I have never attended one of these reunion, but had planned to attend in 2010 but a family situation prevented this from happening.
I would be willing to help with the next reunion, but don’t know where to start. If a group of people are identified as wanting to help to do a reunion, please contact me.
I am willing to physically work on a reunion.
so has anyone been contacted for this yet? I would love to help. This tradition must never be lost even if it is downscaled… in service ot the LORD first and then my family heritage, it would be an honor ot help put together or do whatever I am needed to do….look forward to hearing from someone soon. thanks and God bless you all.
I am willing to help in what ever way I can,let me know!! I have time and some skills that may be useful. First thing is to identify a central figure to whom everyone can respond…
ronable@verizon.net
I’m happy to help, but I’m in northwest Iowa. If those of us interested would say where they live.
And if they folks who did they work in MD, Washington Co, KY, or Perry Co, MO would make available their notes.
It’s a money maker for the hotels, hall, etc, who can handle this large group.
So establishing a place large enough, and making arrangements for meals, refreshments, having the list of people to contact to see if they can attend.
There must be many things to do, on the lists.
Please let me know what I can do, from Iowa. Thank you!
Marilyn Gappa
gappam@iowatelecom.net
MD to KY, Raney, Riney, Carrico, Cissell, Summers, Tewell, O’Brien, Moore, etc
You can count me in for the next reunion.. Bill Hardesty I live in San Diego CA. (wahardesty@aol.com)
Hi,
My brother and I attended the 2010 reunion in MD. It was a GREAT event. I am the president of the William Elder of MD descendants’ association. In July 2011 we held our first reunion in over twenty years. It was a great deal of work and I congratulate all of those individuals who have helped host the MD-KY reunions in the past.
The Elder Association will be holding our next reunion in Fancy Farm, KY the first weekend July 31-Aug 3 2104. One of the reasons we are holding in Fancy Farm is because a large number of Elder descendants (MD-KY) still live in the area. A second reason is that Fancy Farm has a world famous picnic that we are using as part of our reunion program. We will have other events before and after the picnic which is an all-day affair on Saturday.
While the MD-KY reunion has its own program it my help to piggyback the reunion on a similar event.
Just an idea.
Tim Gallagher New Market, Maryland
wmelder1707@hotmail.com
301-831-3994
I am a descendant of Thomas and Priscilla Riney. The surname changed to Raney in Indiana. I am planning on preparing a presentation for our local genealogical society (In Iowa) on the MD-KY Migration– I think these Norwegian Lutheran’s will relate well– as Decorah was the historic hub or the Norwegain-Luth. Church Much in the same way as St. Rose’s was to the Catholic Church when it first crossed the mountains.
I am also very interested in attending the 2014 reunion– where can I find the vital information on the happening?
I am music composer interested writing about family history et. al. Would someone out there Writer/dancer/performer/poet be interested in a collaboration to contribute to the 2014?