Bender Family Reunion – Conclusion

I have fond memories of the Bender Family Reunions from when I was a kid. Most were warm summer days spent hanging out in the shade with family, some of whom I only saw once a year. Thoughts of gathering for family photos, flipping through photo albums from previous years, penny/candy scrambles, egg and spoon relays, wrapping family members in toilet paper (Jack Feaser I believe there is photo evidence of this somewhere), birch beer by the keg, BINGO, and the Chinese auction. Oh, and let’s not forget about all the food and ENDLESS desserts.

As most things go in life you don’t realize what you have and how lucky you are when you are in the middle of something. But as you get older and start reflecting on “the way things used to be”, it becomes clearer and we often long for those days again.

I say all of that, to say this.

A lot of thought and discussion has gone into this decision between Bonnie and myself. We have decided that the 2023 Family Reunion will be the last one we organize and run. We put a lot of time and effort into this picnic each year and we just can’t seem to increase attendance. And without the attendance, this event is no longer sustainable.

Moving forward if there is an interest we could do a simple Sunday brunch or a coffee and dessert Saturday. Maybe even an annual dinner out to stay in touch. I’m open to any ideas!

On Sunday, June 11th, Bonnie and I will be meeting at the Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel at noon to discuss the details of this year’s picnic. If anyone would like to join us, just let us know.

See you ALL in August! Let’s go out with a BANG!
(but not the explosive kind, we want our deposit back)