FRONT WORDS

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Reunion season is officially here. Memorial Day is generally acknowl-

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Reunions magazine So, lacking reports from reunions we’ve edged as the start of reunion season and now through Labor Day is officially family and class reunion season while military reunions proliferate right after Labor Day through early November. Well, at least that’s the way it went before the summer of 2020 so we’re eager to see if that’s the way it’s going to go this year.

We know many reunions have been disrupted the past two summers so we look forward to seeing how the season will work out and hope so many of the reunions cancelled or postponed will be able to meet this year.

While the postponement of reunions has disappointed members, imagine how disappointed hospitality industry venues and services have been. Reunions are big business in many areas aand while meetings were cancelled, they were sorely missed by the hotels, resorts, caterers, motor coach companies, attractions and so forth, who rely on reunions and meetings for their income. I’m sure those of you who are having reunions this year have found an enthusiastic welcome from all the venues and services. When the 2020 season was being cancelled, we did a survey to determine how reunions were being treated by those they had to cancel. We were overwhelmed at how reunions were treated. Some cancelled without repercussions. Many got full refunds without question. Many reunions merely moved their dates to the next date which meant the venues would be assured the business one or two years later. Like so many other aspects of what we called normal life, reunions and the hospitality industry rolled with the pandemic punches.

Now, we hope 2022 will be the year that we can begin to call normal for reunions and that most will happen without more drama. We hope!

THIS ISSUE

As you read this issue you will notice something very different: very few actual reunion reports. The lack of reunions over the past two years has finally caught up with us and no one is sending reports or stories about reunions because reunions have simply not been happening. I realize I don’t have to tell you that but, of course, I hope that dearth will be over this year. I recently visited the site of class reunion planner Varsity Reunions and see they already have almost 30 reunions on this year’s roster. That is great good news. Military reunions are picking up according the number of upcoming reunions registered on our website (www. reunionsmag.com/reunion-listings/). So, if you’ve not already done so, add your reunion now! www.reunionsmag.com/ add-upcoming-reunion/

And start now thinking about a report from your reunion or if you’ve made special or extraordinary plans, send a report now to be in line for the next issue. PO Box 11727 made this issue a planning guide to Reunion Milwaukee WI 53211-0727 Day and hope you will find answers to some call 414-263-4567 of your pressing questions. We’ve come up visit www.reunionsmag.com with some new activities, games for kids and e-mail editor@reunionsmag.com games for everyone at your reunion. We know the importance of goodie/welcome bags at most reunions so we’ve added ideas for assembling those souvenirs. You’ll find suggestions for family history/heritage touring which require special planning and arrangements if you hope to visit sites of past family history. The scrapbook section has the usual listing of upcoming reunion planning workshops — in person and virtual — that you’ll want to take advantage of. Hospitality Answerman, Dean Miller’s usual sage advice takes you through the site inspection that every planner should do before the big event. On a more serious note, we’ve included information about donor needs and Photo Reminiscence Therapy (pRT) that improves the quality of life for dementia patients. And there’s more. Impressive display suggestions for class reunions, a totally captivating talk at a ship’s reunion by a Vietnamese refugee who was rescued at sea in 1981 and some helpful suggestions for genealogy research in the Branch Office section. Finally, you’ll want to explore the special section from Vivid-Pix that suggests including a scanning party into your reunion and ways to incorporate story telling and improving your photo taking and much more. Regular columnist Lisa Alzo describes how she uses scanning photos to preserve memories.

FUTURE ISSUES

If you’ve thought about contributing a report or story about your family, class, military or other reunion, this year/season is the time to do it! We eagerly await news of your reunion, its activities, programs, surprises and plans. If you have questions and wonder how to do it, contact me and I’ll answer your questions and encourage you to celebrate your reunion in the pages of Reunions magazine! Send your questions and your reports to editor@reunionsmag.com. And do not forget to include pictures and videos. Pictures and videos must be yours to use and you authorize us to use. Send high resolution pictures (250KB or higher, if digital, and 300 dpi, if scanned). Please send videos as an .mp4, .mov, or .wmv video file via www.wetransfer.com (a free transfer service that allows up to 2GB to be sent). We are optimistic that 2022 will be a grand reunion season. We look forward to learning about your reunion and sharing your ideas that celebrate your reunion and inspire others to reunion success. EW