These great warm summer weekends are the time for family reunions. After the happenings of Sept. 11, there is a sense of urgency to connect with family again.

Summertime is a great time to gather outdoors and reconnect with one another and slow down ourbusy schedules.

Todd Park is an ideal place in Austin to have a get-together. The pavilions fill up quickly with picnickers on warm sunny weekends. The pavilions areopen to the public and they are first come, first serve. To insure you thatyou can get a pavilion for a family gathering it is best to arrive at the park around 7 a.m. to stake your claim. The Izaak Walton Cabin at Todd Park is usable for family gatherings and must be reserved ahead of time for a fee. This facility has a kitchen, hot and cold running water bathrooms and tables and chairs.

Another place in Austin to have a gathering is the old St. Paul Church by the band shell. It is available for a $100 rental fee.

There are bathrooms here and renters can bring their own grills.

Family reunions are a time for eating and reminiscing. It is not enough to send out invitations and have good food to eat. Family get-togethers do not have to include second and third cousins, they can include immediate family members. Good planning is necessary

to ensure that the gathering is fun and memorable.

Sara Wonderlich, of Blooming Prairie, said her family travels to Keokuk, Iowa every three years for a family reunion. No one person is in charge. The cousins trade off planning the gatherings by choosing three different cousins each time to chair the reunion. This way no one is over-burdened and the cousins all have equal time to come up with ideas for the get-togethers.

"One year one of the cousins made up a map of the graveyards in the area where we had family buried," Wonderlich said. "The gravesites were clearly marked. Everyone liked having these maps. We usually have a potluck dinner the first day we

gather. Later on we all meet for supper at a restaurant and on Sunday morning we all go to church service in the home parish."

Steve Seykora, of Blooming Prairie, said his family heads over to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a reunion at his grandparent’s farm. His father, Randy has four brothers and one sister and they all gather for one weekend every July.

"My grandma does all the cooking the first day we meet. She makes a Thanksgiving style dinner, turkey, mashed potatoes and all the regular food you eat at that time. After dinner, my uncles and dad hide money in different areas in the yard and all the cousins search for it. They hide 50s, 10s, fives and one-dollar bills. They make a map so they can remember where every bill is hidden," Seykora said.

The children always go for go-cart racing at the reunion and they stay up late playing Trivia Pursuit and watching videos. Everyone spends the night at Steve’s grandma’s house, sleeping wherever they find space.

"It is so much fun getting together and finding out what is going on with

each person," Seykora said. "We all go out for breakfast each morning and we look forward to that too."

Keeping groups entertained is one of Bev Groh's talents. Groh, of Austin, has a home business called Special Events. She does skits and dresses up as different characters. If someone wants to roast an individual she gets details about that person and comes up with props that are appropriate for that person’s personality.

At one gathering a person had cut the tip of his or her finger off so Groh cut up a latex glove and put the fingertip

of the glove in a box and presented the person with the new "finger."

"I come up with all sorts of silly ideas and make goofy props. It is all in fun and everyone loves it. These skits and props are a fun way to get people to relax and open up. Everyone likes to have attention and this is a good way to do it," Groh said.

If you are thinking of having a gathering and are short on ideas give Groh a call at 437-6201. She can help make your party successful and memorable.

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at :mailto:newsroom@austindailyherald.com