Whether your family is gathering for the first time or the 50th, follow these seven strategies to raise the roof and hold a memorable reunion.
On July 4, 1967, my mother’s sister Gerry and brother John, along with their spouses and children, packed a picnic basket and headed to South Park in Pittsburgh for Independence Day. Along the way, they also invited Mom’s other sister, Margie. Despite the unusually cold and rainy summer day, the family had fun just being together—so much so that they did it again the next year. The small gathering grew each year until all seven siblings and their families joined in.
My Uncle John, a commercial artist, designed a logo, and we coined an acronym from the siblings’ last names: ALAFFFA, for Abbott, Lizanov, Alzo, Figlar, Figlar, Figlar, Augenstein. A tradition was born, with the promise to reunite yearly as a tribute to their parents, John and Veronica Figlar, who taught their children the importance of family.