WHEN: The Hewitt-Matheny-Cooper Family Association annual Family Reunion will take place Sunday, August 4, 2024. It is always on the first Sunday in August.
WHERE:
IN PERSON At Maud Williamson State Recreation Site, 22500 Wallace Rd., NW, Salem, Oregon (between the cities of Salem and Dayton) at the intersection of Oregon Route 221 and Oregon Route 153.
ONLINE: The virtual event this year will be on Google Meet. The Virtual Reunion link is: https://meet.google.com/mko-brtr-iyu
The link will be available on Facebook HMC Family Group as well as here on the website, HMCFamily.org.
For Virtual Reunion support contact Melissa Gomez 503-851-4145 or melclark2@gmail.com.
SCHEDULE:
9:00 Visiting, family albums available to view, storytelling, kids’ games, The Daniel Matheny Hewitt Two-Hops-and-a-Jump Challenge (see below), and the Country Store.
New – Silent Auction
11:30 Virtual event begins online.
12:00 noon Potluck picnic followed by annual family meeting.
Elections this year are for two Council members from the Matheny branch.. You can volunteer or nominate someone at the meeting.
PROGRAM:
SPEAKER George Bailey and his family from Montana have gone back to Missouri from where the Great Migration wagon train our ancestors came west on originated, and have followed the Oregon Trail all the way out. They will be on hand to tell us about their journey and what the Trail is like today.
MAIN PROGRAM We all belong to a big, historic family descended from those who came on the 1843 wagon train, connected to those who had been here for centuries when the wagon train arrived, and expanded to those we have partnered with from around the world since then. President Merrilee will facilitate as we explore the ways the family links us, how and why it all came together, and how we spread out. Our historian, Brian Hewitt, will give background history. Come share how we connect to family in all our own ways and celebrate the sense of belonging.
WHAT TO BRING:
A potluck dish to share. Plates, utensils, water, and lemonade will be provided. Please join in to help with the cleanup.
For the silent auction, please consider bringing family heirlooms, historical items, and treasures that no longer have a place in your life but that you think will be appreciated by family members.
Donations for the Country Store. Bring items large or small that may be of interest to family members, including extra produce or canned goods from your garden, plants, services, books, household goods, handcrafts, art, etc.
We are once again updating our mailing lists. Please send your email and postal mail addresses to registrar@hmcfamily.org, or Melissa Gomez 503-851-4145. You can also put them on the list at the registration table when you are signing in at the picnic; or in the sign-in or chat if you are attending online.
Bring a spring in your step for the Daniel Matheny Hewitt Two-Hops-and-a-Jump Challenge. We have a special guest this year, Devereaux Clark, the all time champion of the event we have been holding for sixteen years. But don’t worry, there are a number of other age categories. You can enter at the picnic or try it wherever you are and post your results online. For the history and details of the event see Daniel Matheny Hewitt Challenge -Two Hops and a Jump in the page listings to the right.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE REUNION, contact Merrilee, our HMC president at merrilee.s.johnson@gmail.com or 503-550-9339.