Update on 2023 Reunion
2023 marks 100 years of this family gathering. So this year, we are celebrating in a big way -- two days - August 4 and 5 in Livingston, Wisconsin. The days are packed with events as you will see below! There are two sections to this message - reunion news and other news -- so be sure and read through to the end.
FRIDAY EVENTS
On Friday, August 4, we will need help around 9:30 to set up the rooms in the Livingston United Methodist Church for the two days. Come early if you can. The gathering will start at 12:30 in the community room (same place as we have met over the years). Some things we are covering that day include:
history of the Grant County and Wisconsin during the time our ancestors came
history of Crow Branch Mine, the mine that many relatives worked at when arriving
history of Rock Church and plans for the future (if weather permitting we will go to Rock Church, a short drive from Livingston)
stories about different ancestors who are buried at the cemetery (if weather permitting we will go to Rock Church and walk the cemetery)
The evening will be free for you to visit local eateries depending on where you are staying. We can provide suggestions before the day ends. We will need some volunteers to help set up for Saturday evening's event.
SATURDAY EVENTS
Saturday, August 5, the Livingston United Methodist Church will be open by 9:30 if you want to drop off your food for the potluck luncheon. Please put food in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counters and plug in any crock pots to keep the food warm.
The memorial service starts at 10:00 at the Rock Church Cemetery which is west of Livingston off Cty Hwy E turning right on Rock Church Road. If any ancestors have passed away, please email us (Livingston.Watson.WI@gmail.com) their obits before July 1 so we can recognize them at the memorial service.
Registration starts at 11:30 at the Livingston United Methodist Church. Membership dues are $5 per person or $10 per family living in the same household. Please bring exact change if possible. We cannot accept payment for several years to cover registration. If you wish, we can accept it as a donation. The potlunch lunch will follow. Please volunteer to help in setting up the food and cleaning up afterwards.
Afterwards, the program contains:
guest speaker talking about Sam Livingston's life, including his journey West with Hugh Livingston (they were first cousins)
discussion on future reunions - how frequently, use of Zoom, etc.
election of officers - current officers have been facilitating the meetings for 10 years so we will be looking for others to step into their shoes
photo booth - individual and group shots
viewing the display booths
This portion of the agenda should end around 4:00 where we will need to clean up the building and put everything back in place so all hands on deck at that point!
At 5:00 we will move to the Montfort Community Center (across from the swimming pool) in Montfort, Wisconsin. There we will:
have a catered meal (more details when the registration slips are sent to you in June. We will need to know ahead of time who is staying for the meal and music.)
Iisten to an Irish music group and if anyone wants to dance...
plenty of social time including games to get to meet others
The evening should end around 8:30 with -- unfortunately -- another clean up event .
We hope this agenda will inspire you to come to this historic event!!! It will be wonderful to see familiar attendees and family members we haven't met yet. So talk to your parents, siblings, or other cousins and come as a group.
Remember -- we are looking for volunteers to highlight one of their relatives buried at Rock Church and sending me copies of obits for this year's memorial service. Watch for a message in early-mid June for registration information. Feel free to contact us if questions arise.
It is recommended to book your hotel reservations now. For the last two years, work crews for several utilities (solar farm, windmills and transmission lines) have filled the hotels in Grant County during the summer. Even if you aren’t sure yet if you can make it, make the reservation and ask about the cancellation policy.
We hope you come to this historical event! Contact us at Livingston.Watson.WI@gmail.com to let us know!
Statue of Sam Livingston
Seen in Calgary's airport. Sculptor: Alan Handerson. Source: Wikipedia.