Where should we have our family reunion?
May 26, 2012 8:46 AM Subscribe
Where should we hold our family reunion?
My family has a somewhat unusual situation. My grandmother was one of eight children, all of whom married and had their own (sometimes large) families. Every other year for about the last fifty, we've gathered together for a reunion. We've been meeting at a church camp in southern Idaho that my great-grandfather helped found, but that situation isn't going to work for much longer. The central reunion-attending population is aging, and the camp is becoming less comfortable for that group. The next reunion (in 2013) will be there, but we need to find someplace new by 2015.
Here's the stuff we'd like to keep about the current situation, and some relevant info:
- Three-day event
- Attendance averages about 80, with about 60 staying onsite and 20 coming for single days.
- We've generally made all our own food.
- The campsite allows for a variety of activities -- people talk, play cards and board games, go fishing, hike, golf, cook together, knit, make music, chase babies, dance, share pictures, paint watercolors, etc.
- Central meeting space. We like that families sleep in their own separate spaces, but everyone can gather in one space for meals and activities.
- Cheap! People generally spend <$100/person for the entire three days (not including travel costs). We recognize that this is outrageously inexpensive, but keeping costs down as much as possible is important.
Here's the stuff we'd like to change, most of which is to accommodate an aging population:
- The camp is remote -- a few miles up an unpaved road, an hour's drive away from the nearest town with hospital, zero cell phone service, etc. (People are divided on whether that last one is a plus or a minus.)
- Sleeping spaces are concrete-floored cabins with plywood bunk beds and foam mattresses. Some folks tent-camp or sleep in RVs.
- There's one central bathroom facility, which even some of the younger older people find difficult to navigate to in the middle of the night when the generator's off.
- Accessibility is generally poor -- some wheelchair or walker-bound family members are obligated not to attend because they simply can't get around.
We are aware that many families simply hold their reunions in one day in hotel ballrooms or parks or whatever. But we (mostly) LIKE spending several days in each others' company, and those of us involved in more organizational roles are concerned that people won't travel for a one-day event.
There is a small amount of money (four figures, I think) set aside for deposits and major expenses -- in the past, we've been able to do things for the camp like build a new front porch on the lodge (with ramp), add ramps to the bathroom entrances, and buy a new generator.
We are interested in moving the event geographically -- Oregon is much more central than Idaho at this point, so we're looking in that direction. But we're totally lost about ideas! Few of us have the kinds of connections to church or community facilities that the oldest generation had.
Lend me your ideas, O Wise AskMe. Where in Oregon or the PNW can we get ~75 people together for three days on the cheap with a good deal of accessibility?
My family has a somewhat unusual situation. My grandmother was one of eight children, all of whom married and had their own (sometimes large) families. Every other year for about the last fifty, we've gathered together for a reunion. We've been meeting at a church camp in southern Idaho that my great-grandfather helped found, but that situation isn't going to work for much longer. The central reunion-attending population is aging, and the camp is becoming less comfortable for that group. The next reunion (in 2013) will be there, but we need to find someplace new by 2015.
Here's the stuff we'd like to keep about the current situation, and some relevant info:
- Three-day event
- Attendance averages about 80, with about 60 staying onsite and 20 coming for single days.
- We've generally made all our own food.
- The campsite allows for a variety of activities -- people talk, play cards and board games, go fishing, hike, golf, cook together, knit, make music, chase babies, dance, share pictures, paint watercolors, etc.
- Central meeting space. We like that families sleep in their own separate spaces, but everyone can gather in one space for meals and activities.
- Cheap! People generally spend <$100/person for the entire three days (not including travel costs). We recognize that this is outrageously inexpensive, but keeping costs down as much as possible is important.
Here's the stuff we'd like to change, most of which is to accommodate an aging population:
- The camp is remote -- a few miles up an unpaved road, an hour's drive away from the nearest town with hospital, zero cell phone service, etc. (People are divided on whether that last one is a plus or a minus.)
- Sleeping spaces are concrete-floored cabins with plywood bunk beds and foam mattresses. Some folks tent-camp or sleep in RVs.
- There's one central bathroom facility, which even some of the younger older people find difficult to navigate to in the middle of the night when the generator's off.
- Accessibility is generally poor -- some wheelchair or walker-bound family members are obligated not to attend because they simply can't get around.
We are aware that many families simply hold their reunions in one day in hotel ballrooms or parks or whatever. But we (mostly) LIKE spending several days in each others' company, and those of us involved in more organizational roles are concerned that people won't travel for a one-day event.
There is a small amount of money (four figures, I think) set aside for deposits and major expenses -- in the past, we've been able to do things for the camp like build a new front porch on the lodge (with ramp), add ramps to the bathroom entrances, and buy a new generator.
We are interested in moving the event geographically -- Oregon is much more central than Idaho at this point, so we're looking in that direction. But we're totally lost about ideas! Few of us have the kinds of connections to church or community facilities that the oldest generation had.
Lend me your ideas, O Wise AskMe. Where in Oregon or the PNW can we get ~75 people together for three days on the cheap with a good deal of accessibility?
Are you familiar with the Menucha Retreat Center on the historic Columbia River Hwy near Corbett? It's only about 35 or 40 minutes east of Portland via paved (sometimes twisty) roads, but it feels wonderfully remote. It's a religious-affiliated center, but they also allow others to use it. I've been there for a professional event. They have bunks with mattresses, and the buildings have bathrooms in them.
I think you do have to use their dining facilities but otherwise it might meet your needs. It is truly lovely there.
Blasdelb's suggestion made me remember something else: sometimes colleges and universities rent out dorm rooms for conferences and other events during the summer. Portland State does this. It looks like a room with two single beds is $40-50/night, and in a dorm, you might have access to a kitchen. You'd have to find out about a central gathering place, but of course being downtown would give you easy Max and bus access to all sorts of interesting places, and campus should generally be ADA-compliant.
You might search around for something similar at OSU or UofO or private colleges in the area to see what options they have.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:13 AM on May 26, 2012
I think you do have to use their dining facilities but otherwise it might meet your needs. It is truly lovely there.
Blasdelb's suggestion made me remember something else: sometimes colleges and universities rent out dorm rooms for conferences and other events during the summer. Portland State does this. It looks like a room with two single beds is $40-50/night, and in a dorm, you might have access to a kitchen. You'd have to find out about a central gathering place, but of course being downtown would give you easy Max and bus access to all sorts of interesting places, and campus should generally be ADA-compliant.
You might search around for something similar at OSU or UofO or private colleges in the area to see what options they have.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:13 AM on May 26, 2012
Response by poster: Retreat centers! College campuses! These are great ideas!
posted by linettasky at 4:22 PM on May 26, 2012
posted by linettasky at 4:22 PM on May 26, 2012
I would just like to say, this sounds awesome & I'd like to join your family.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 6:12 PM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 6:12 PM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
-The conference services are pretty flexible with time.
-A soup building or two could accommodate everyone
-Each suite has its own full kitchen for cooking, though you might need to negotiate for the stoves being turned on, and that might not be available.
-The campus is in the middle of more than 1000 acres of temperate rainforest, with miles of well maintained trails, a couple miles of beachfront, a recreation facility with all the equipment a college full of hippies could want, and a working organic farm that loves visitors to educate. It is a pretty magical place for kids.
-Having a central meeting place might be the biggest challenge, but there are plenty of options, including the longhouse that is the seat of international negotiations between the State of Washington as well as the Federal Government and local tribes. It is gorgeous.
-You will likely need to spend a bit more than $100 per person, but you'll be doing that just about anywhere, and it won't be that much more.
-The college is still in the middle of NATURE EVERYWHERE, while still being about six miles from town, and it is an awesome town for kids and family stuff. The Capitol Medical Center ER is 3 miles away on excellent roads, and there is an urgent care facility right near it. The fire department is also less than two miles away and they are almost always on campus practicing something during the summer. In terms of cell phones, it makes for an excellent compromise, only those that use Verizon will work.
-The dorm rooms each have a reasonably comfy mattress and bed, either hardwood floors or good industrial carpet, a desk, a nightstand, a closet, and a chest of drawers. There are no RV hookups on campus but you wouldn't be harassed so long as you didn't make trouble. Also, camping is expressly forbidden but that is impossible to enforce and tacitly ignored, so long as you don't make trouble.
-Every suite has a bathroom with a shower, a giant mirror, and a bunch of sinks.
-The entire campus is ADA compliant with lots of paved interesting paths and good road access. There is specifically ADA compliant housing available for no extra charge.
There is an insurance requirement, but with such a large family someone is likely to have homeowner's insurance with the necessary minimum that could cover you. You'd be surprised, most good policies should be able to do this.
It is just off of I-5, and way before you'd hit anything like Seattle traffic.
I was the Co-coordinator for a 170+ person biannual scientific conference at Evergreen and have a lot of respect for the folks at conference services, they won't give you a hard sell and will work hard to meet your needs if it makes sense.
posted by Blasdelb at 9:50 AM on May 26, 2012