Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with reunion

Where to host a party in Milwaukee?

InvestorMD — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:33:42 -0800

Milwaukee Filter: Where is a good place to host a get together for around 20 people with food for an average of 10-15 bucks per person? We've hosted our annual get-together at a Mexican restaurants and Olive garden's but are looking for something new. We prefer locations that are friendly to having the bill split up multiple different ways since handling a bill for 20 people is exhausting when there are mixtures of cash & credit. In addition, some people will add various mixed drinks and wines which makes splitting the bill evenly not fair.

We tried having a get together at Melting Pot but the price scared some people away, while some loved the new idea of fondue.

Atmosphere is important too. A loud bar where nobody can really talk to each other is not what we are looking for. Neither is a nice quiet restaurant since we all see each other once per year making us not the silent eaters.

These can extend to the suburbs too. Thanks!

I need a kind soul in South Korea to find school records of a woman born in 1937

cda — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:11:52 -0800

I need a kind soul in South Korea to find school records of a woman born in 1937, to help us begin our search for the birth family of our adopted cousin. Our cousin has asked for our help in finding her Korean birth family. I thought finding her mother's school records would be a good place to start. Her father was an American soldier stationed in Korea. Her mother was a Korean woman. In 1962 my cousin's father brought her back to America, without her mother, and she knows very little about her Korean family. Her father has passed away. We do have names and birth dates of her mother, her mother's siblings and for her grandparents. It's possible her grandfather was Japanese. The family lived in Seoul, although our cousin was born in Pusan for some reason.

If you or someone you know lives in South Korea and you have an interest in history or an interest in helping adoption searches please let me know. And failing that, if you know a private investigator in Seoul who speaks English, that would be helpful.

Post Y2K music suggestions?

cocoagirl — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:22:10 -0800

Music suggestions, please? I'm putting together the slideshow for my family's biennial reunion. For the last 20 years the music has been very Big Chill, since it's put together by the generation preceding mine. People are usually weeping by the end. Enough! My generation (Gen X and onward) has decided it's time to take back the soundtrack of our lives.

Since I only have a week to do this, I'm looking for music suggestions that bring us past the year 2000. No Pointer Sisters We Are Family. No Cat Stevens Father and Son. And for God's sake, no Clapton Tears in Heaven! I want fun (or funny), upbeat songs that reference family and make you want to dance. I'll entertain all genres. I don't mind a bittersweet tune for the start, but please, sung within the last decade. Discernable (and family-friendly) lyrics a plus.

How do we plan a high school reunion without having to put large amounts of our own money into the budget?

bristolcat — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:34:40 -0800

How do we plan a high school reunion without having to put large amounts of our own money into the budget? A classmate and myself recently agreed to plan our 10-year high school reunion. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We're both enthusiastic and have lots of good ideas, but our plans stalled out when it hit us that this isn't the kind of event that has a budget that we can just draw from.

There is no money, no alumni foundation to support us and the school can't offer anything except use of the gym. Neither of us feel comfortable fronting large amounts of money, but we don't exactly know what kind of plans can be made without dropping large deposits ahead of time. What to do?

A few reunion details:
-We live in a small city in a rural area. There is not a lot to choose from as far as dining and recreation options. Our ideal event weekend would include a Friday night adults-only "social hour" event with party food, adult beverages, a presentation and mingling. For Saturday, we would book a city park, provide lunch and have activities for both kids and adults.
-Our class is very small. We graduated with approximately 34 people, and after counting who all would probably arrive as couples and singles, we estimate about 60 people attending.
-This will be a late summer event, so we need to make solid plans as soon as possible.
-When we checked with classes that graduated a few years prior to us, we learned that none of them had actually had reunions, so no help there.

My co-planner is very budget-minded, good with money and has lots of great ideas on how we can make this event as reasonably-priced as possible. The park would be free and we found ways to ensure that the Saturday lunch would cost very little. It's the more formal event on Friday night that is problematic, as well as some of the side items that will cost money - invitations, programs, decorations, etc.

So, have you ever planned a high school reunion? How did you do it? Should we just suck it up, eat the deposits and costs ahead of time and then sell tickets as early as is reasonable? Is it reasonable to ask banquet halls or party rooms about having our attendees pay at the door?

I can't help but think that we're not the only people who have been caught in this situation before, so hopefully AskMe can come to our aid! Any tips on how we can best do this would be very helpful, as well as any reunion planning tips you might have. Thanks in advance!

Prank a high school!

storybored — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:20:18 -0800

Do you have any ideas for a prank against a rival high school at our reunion? Our grad class is having a high school reunion. There is a longstanding rival high school which is about two miles away. Our class plans to walk over there and -----------.

Can you fill in the blank with a fun, harmless and neato idea?

How did Reunion.com know we were related?

CancerMan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:56:10 -0800

My wife discovered our names and "locations" (defined here as city and state) on a shady website called Reunion.com (Wikipedia). I know we've probably been scraped from a variety of online resources, but her so-called "profile" includes the names of her parents and siblings, as well as my parents and my brother. How did Reunion.com make this association? I know that data about me exists out there, including my address, because I have purchased things online. A Google search has turned up numerous complaints about Reunion.com, citing a lack of privacy and lack of consent to publicly display personal data.

What I am interested in is how Reunion.com seemingly knows who we are related to. Is it a case of someone falling for the trap of registering and filling in the blanks? Each relative has the correct location, and in some cases, age. I don't know of any relative on either side of the family who has extensive knowledge of the other, at least as far as knowing ages and locations. There are dozens of people with the same name, but while they are listed in a sidebar of "similar matches" they are not in the person's profile under "relatives."

It doesn't appear to be the case of my wife having my last name, because she found herself under her maiden name. Yet under her profile are my relatives. Did they dig through the trash to find an old wedding invitation? How did they associate her with my brother?

In retrospect, Reunion.com does not state that Name X under my wife's profile is her brother-in-law. Still, the fact that he is listed there indicates there's some weight attached to his name in terms of proximity to my wife. My name is not under her profile, but I do appear to have my own profile with no relatives. Reunion.com apparently believes I am not related to anybody?

I first thought that perhaps my name is too common for Reunion.com to make any association, but my dad's name is just as common, and yet he's connected somehow.

Related to this is how one would remove themselves from this public listing, without having to contact the company and essentially confirm the veracity of their data, since I wouldn't want to give the false impression that I am a member of their site.

Seeking Family Reunion Destination Ideas

jeanmari — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:24:37 -0800

Seeking family reunion location ideas in the Mid-Atlantic states for crazy Irish clan. There are specific requests that folks are making... My mom's family is going to try for their first family reunion ever that doesn't involve a wedding. Because folks are scattered from New York to Florida, they'd like to find something in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.

Around fifty people, adults and kids.

This is a very diverse group in age...from newborns to folks in their 70's. While no one needs handicapped access, sprints up a mountain are probably out for some.

Would like a wide variety of activities that would include being near some kind of water (ocean, lake) as well as being near golf. Everything else is negotiable.

Some will rent houses and stay for a week. Some will want to stay only a weekend and just use a hotel or a B&B. Indoor plumbing is a must for these folks. Their version of roughing it is staying in a Motel 6.

This is during the summer.

Restaurants nearby are preferable, but it is possible that they'd consider a "rent a family camp" situation and hire their own cook for the week.

Oh help me Hivemind! And prove to my mom that my internet addiction can actually be useful.

How to make a family reunion fun!

ReneeOg — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:11:03 -0800

Any suggestions for games/activities for an all adult family reunion? There will be 30 ish people from my husband's family at a weekend family reunion in Manistee, Michigan at the end of July. We're looking for games/activities for three generations, ages 20-82, to prevent us all from sitting around and around talking to our own nuclear families. In the past when we've got together for a 1/2 day reunion for a quick lunch every couple years, it's been rather awkward. The oldest generation are close. The second were close as kids, but not since. The third generation are pretty much strangers. Help!

How do I find an old Penpal I haven't written to in ages?

h00py — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:51:12 -0800

How would one go about trying to find an old penpal who would no doubt have internet access but whose last name I can't remember and who also I haven't written to for about 15 years or so? Also, she would have changed address since the last one I can remember. So I had a really fun correspondence happening with Nicky from Mistley, Manningtree in England in the early 90's which this comment reminded me of. I'd love to find her and catch up. How would I go about doing that?

20th high school reunion. To go or not to go?

bondcliff — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:15:56 -0800

High school was traumatic and I had no friends. My 20th reunion is coming up. Is there any reason to go? I’m over all the trauma, no longer bitter, and totally happy with life and who I’ve become. I’m sure most of the rest have moved on as well. I wasn’t ready for the other reunions up until now. Now I’m ready but, other than a mild curiosity, I can’t think of any compelling reason to go. I’m happily married so I can’t even set the goal of scoring a divorced former cheerleader.

What the hell happens at these things? I picture a lot of people who were friends in high school sitting around in the same little cliques, hugging each other, talking about “the best years” of their lives.

Relevant: It’s local so other than getting a babysitter going won’t be a big inconvenience. Tickets are costly enough that it’ll be an expensive night to stand around talking to my wife.

I’m stressing about going because I don’t want those feelings of loneliness and rejection to resurface. I’m also stressing about not going for some reason.

Did you have a similar experience in high school (Mefites? No way!) and go to your reunion? What happened? I guess I’m mostly looking for reasons to go (or not to go) that I haven’t yet thought about.

High School Reunion - Planning Advice!

thankyoumuchly — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:08:17 -0800

I'm planning a high school reunion for my class and the two classes that graduated after me. Am I overlooking any planning details? It will be our 4th, 5th and 6th year reunions all happening at the same venue.

What I've done:
1. Obtained the mailing address of all class members
2. Reserved a location.
3. Written a 1 page invitation with details.
4. Assigned 1 class member from each class to serve as a contact.

I've pasted the contents of my invitation below. Please let me know what I'm missing.

What details/planning items am I missing aside from items that should be in the invitation? Planning aspects, things to "watch out for", overlooked positive outcomes, overlooked negative outcomes…

Thanks!

...

!#---BeginPasteOfInvitation---#!

High School Reunion!
This is a reunion for THREE classes at the same time.

Details we are providing to you, the alumni:
1.When: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 from 9PM – 1AM.
2.Location: [venue name]
3.Cost: $45 per person. Must be at least 21 years of age or older.
4.What You Get: Open Bar, Appetizers and a Live DJ from 9PM – 1AM.
5.Please visit [www.website.com] for directions, transportation suggestions and a virtual tour of the establishment–OR–MapQuest the mailing address below.

Details we ask you to provide to us, the alumni reunion organizers:
1.Please cut off and fill out the below RSVP form and place in an envelope.
2.Please include $45 per person. Make payable to “[venue]”. Checks or money orders only.
3.No later than November 1st, 2007, please mail the completed RSVP form and $45 per person to the following mailing address:

[address]

If you have any questions, please contact the alumni reunion organizer for your class:
• [contacts]

------c-u-t--h-e-r-e----------RSVP FORM----------c-u-t--h-e-r-e--------

CLASS REUNION RSVP FORM

Your name: add $45 ___
Guest 1 name: add $45 ___
Guest 2 name: add $45 ___
Total = ___
Your Phone#:
Your Email:

!#---EndPastOfInvitation---#!

Thanks again!

Ten years, now what?

hermitosis — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:55:40 -0800

What is a successful weirdo's best approach to a High School Reunion Questionnaire? My ten year reunion is in October. A work obligation will probably keep me from attending. I received the questionnaire, though, and as this may be the only contact I wind up having with my graduating class, I'd like to make a genuine effort. My questions:

1. Does anyone actually read these things?

2. Is "honesty" appreciated? I don't mean honesty about one's job and current life, a la Romy and Michele. I mean emotional honesty, when it comes to answering questions like, "Do you have a 'most embarrassing' moment from high school that you'd like to share?" and, "What have you been up to since graduation? Don't be shy. Tell us about any special experiences." And don't even get me started on, "Do you have a message you'd like to share with your fellow classmates?"

As a writer and storyteller, it is hard to fight the instinct to really knock it out of the park with these answers. While I'm not interested in telling off everyone who made my life miserable (that's what god invented MySpace for), I feel that there are things I could say now that would certainly clear the air regarding rumors and prejudices about me, both then and now.

This is a small graduating class in a small high school in a small town. They did not mean to produce the mighty pillar of flame you see before you today, in fact did what they could to stamp it out. Is it worth the effort to use a few well chosen words to illuminate the fact that I have found my place in the world despite all that and am not bitter? No really, I'm not.

I'm a pansexual philosopher-type living in pinko homo New York City. Even the most minimal candor on the most basic questions (such as "significant other") presents a challenge. If I'm going to be open at all, mightn't I just as well crack the sucker wide open, especially since I'm not planning on being there to follow up? Or is it just going to upset applecarts long since left by the roadside?

(If I do end up going, we should totally make a meetup out of it.)

How to have a Happy Happy Fun Family Vacation

gregvr — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:20:37 -0800

I'm trying to plan a reunion of 6 families. 2 families have no children. 3 families have one infant. 1 family has 2 kids under age 6. I'm having trouble finding a place that will make everyone happy. Because nobody will want to leave children sleeping in rooms while we socialize far away, we're realizing that we'd either require a very large house (we're a tall bunch, and would need 6 King/Queen beds) or some sort of cottage setup (or maybe a retreat center?) The goal would be to have all the sleeping rooms fairly close to each other and close to a common room where we can all socialize, and a kitchen where we can prepare baby-friendly meals. Can you recommend some websites where we can research these types of options?

We're also trying to figure out where to do this. We want to do it in the summer, and definitely want to have a lake/ocean nearby. 2 families are in Boston, 2 are in New York, 1 in Florida and 1 in Chicago. Rather than pick a place we'd all have to fly to, we're thinking we can pick something that's no more than 7 hours from Boston or New York, and local to an airport. Our Florida family is thin blooded, so we're ruling out anything North of Cape Cod.

Any other tips for planning large family reunions?

Have you ever planned a mass gathering? If so, pls hope me.

CunningLinguist — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 07:45:27 -0800

Hiya, I need help. I want to plan a reunion of a large number of disparate people next spring and I need advice and maybe a tutorial on this wiki thing I keep hearing about. So these are people of all ages, many of them with minimal internet skills, who live all over the place. I don't even know how to find many of them. (We all worked together in the early 90s in a somewhat remarkable place and everyone has since moved on.) I was thinking a website where people could post date suggestions and add contact info for the people they are still in touch with might be the way to go. Do I need a wiki? If so, what do you suggest? It would have to be extremely easy to set up (for me) and even easier to use (for them.) I don't need bells and whistles, just ease of use.
Or, have you got a better suggestion? I suspect an attempt at sending group emails will just get out of control and leave some people off.
Have you ever planned a sprawling gathering like this?

"So what are you doing now?" "Oh, nothing. How's the shrimp?"

kittyprecious — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:31:32 -0800

No job, family reunion. How do I deflect the inevitable questions? The short/quick/dirty details: am in my late 20s, finished a master's degree a year ago, took a few months off, did an internship over the winter that went nowhere, have been temping since then. The day before I leave will be the last day of my current assignment, which is in a field unrelated to my interests but has been paying the bills. I have been applying for "real" jobs, but my interests are a little diffuse and my search consequently has not been very focused, which I'm working on. I'm unhappy that it has taken this long, but that's not the immediate problem.

I leave in a couple of days to go to a four-day extended-family reunion. I anticipate that I'll be asked a few dozen times by various relatives (some of whom may have only heard of me in the context of my father talking about how smart I am) about what I am Doing Now; short of handing out preprinted copies of the preceding paragraph, I have no idea how to respond that is (a) honest, (b) not rude, (c) quick, (d) dignified, and (e) doesn't bring conversation to a screeching halt...although I could probably bend on point (a) somewhat if necessary.

NashvilleFilter: Help me reconnect with my family in Nashville, TN.

ZakDaddy — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:36:35 -0800

NashvilleFilter: Help me reconnect with my family in Nashville, TN. I'm currently deployed to Iraq with the Tennessee Army National Guard, and we're coming home soon. I've been away from my family since June 2004, and it promises to be a bit of a shock to everyone when I come home, especially my 4 1/2 and 7 year old daughters (the 9-month-old won't even notice I was ever gone.) I'm looking for input on things to do and see within 30 minutes of downtown Nashville that I can take them to for what we call "Daddy Time," with the goal being (1) the creation of happy memories, (2) an opportunity to reconnect, and (3) give poor mommy an extremely well-deserved rest. I intend to spend some time with them together as well as one on one, and I have about ... let's call it 30 days before I have to return to my civilian job. Oh, and I expect I'll be taking the baby once or twice so that mommy is completely alone. She'll be delighted, I'm sure. :D

Overnight is possible, as is longer travel for particularly worthy destinations. Thanks in advance!

High School Reunion Websites, Experiences with creating them and potential costs

huy_le — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 16:35:08 -0800

I have a 10 year high school reunion in 5 years. I am wanting to create a full service website that'll link everyone up together with information, email, pictures, etc. Has anyone put together a portal together where people can create profiles and share in discussion? What are the costs and technical challenges? Essentially, I want a website where former high school graduates can create a profile and post their up to date lives and information. I want the site to be secure and for graduates to maintain their profiles. I've researched nuke PHP and such, but I'm note sure if that's the best solution. I'm hoping people can use this a point of reference for the actual high school reunion.

Does anyone have experience with H.S. reunion websites and how'd everyone's 10 year reunion go? Would this be useful for you as an adult? Thanks for the help!

Hooking up with old friends

ValveAnnex — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 21:34:15 -0800

How are you about being contacted by old friends? Not in the singles scene kind of way, but in the "old friends" kind of way. A general question - not really seeking insight or advice. For example, maybe you're married, have kids, or you've switched genders, or maybe sold the farm and moved to Alaska. Recently out of prison. Maybe you've bartended at the same place for 10 years, or still live in that corner apartment after so many years. Suddenly, you get an email or phone call from someone you last spoke with 20 years ago who is just saying hello. Maybe they live in your city. Maybe you couldn't stand them. Maybe you had sex once. Maybe you worked together. What's it like to open that email or take that call, once you've skimmed formalities, and consider reconnecting? Are you glad? Afraid? Skeptical? Excited?

Why I ask: I've contacted a considerable number of acquaintances over the past 5 years, mostly from high school, but also from college. Some people are receptive, but others are understandably stand-offish. I guess I have a hard time letting go of relationships. I like to pop in and find out what's up. I take friendship very seriously, and value lasting relationships. I'm not the stalking type (happily married, family, etc.).

But it's so easy these days to think of an old friend, Google them (or Zaba-ping them), and want to just know what they're up to. Is this the fine line of stalking? Am I unfulfilled in my current relationships? Am I seeking the ultimate friend? Am I stuck in the past?

Am I normal?

Holy Sh*t! Dinosaur Jr.?!

emptybowl — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 06:41:10 -0800

I just found out that Dinosaur Jr. a) just got back together with their original lineup and b) played on the Late Late Show the other night. Anyone know where I could find a video of said performance? Also, they must have really buried the hatchet to get back together. I remember reading an interview with Lou Barlow a few years back where he said his dream was to play on SNL and behead J Mascis with his guitar before killing himself live on TV.

Gay divorcee?

Futurehouse — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 09:04:58 -0800

I am a gay man who recently broke up with my partner of 15 years. I am about to head off to my 20 year high school reunion. I haven't seen any of my classmates since graduation. How should I refer to myself? Divorced? Separated? Divorced seems more accurate, even though we were not actually married, since we were together for so long. But I don't want to be in an awkward, "Oh, I'm divorced...from a man, baby!" place either...any advice would be appreciated.

High school reunion

NotMyselfRightNow — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 12:04:05 -0800

Did you go to your high school reunion? I just got invited to my 5 year high school reunion, and I’m debating if I want to go or not. Part of me says that I want to leave it in the past; another part of me says I still have a few people I want to tell off…

What'd you experience at yours? Was it worth it?

Was it worth it to go to your (5, 10, 20) year high school reunion?

mecran01 — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 09:13:29 -0800

Was it worth it to go to your (5, 10, 20) year high school reunion? All I'm really curious about is who got those cheerleaders pregnant, but if they didn't tell us then they probably won't now.