For those of you who weren't there, I thought I would give a brief summary of the events. Lunch was scheduled for 11:30. So people arrived before that, some having food preparation to finish. People also brought in items for the auction, which was to take place after lunch. Those who didn't have work to do stood or sat and visited with others. There was a buzz in the room, and groups of people exclaiming as they viewed some auction items. I'll tell you more tomorrow about what was causing the big buzz.
Once the tables were groaning with food, the people lined up on both sides to fill up their plates. The local crowd had prepared hot food and most potluck contributors brought cold vegetables/fruits and desserts. Believe me, if anyone went hungry, it was because they chose to. After lunch, ice cream sandwiches were handed out.
I spoke briefly while people were finishing up their meals. I told a bit about the immigrant Hostetler family to the US, and had a handout available with a brief recounting of the Hostetler massacre and a couple of Web sites where people could look up more information. Some people who spoke with me afterward had not known any of this history. A couple of people, Uncle A.'s sons, knew more than I did -- they should have been the ones in front of the microphone! In fact, the A. who is organizing the next reunion has visited the old homesteads of Jacob Hochstetler and his son, John, in Pennsylvania twice and is, I think, a member of the Hostetler Association. He also has some artifacts from that time. And he knows the line of male descent by heart.
I think it would be fun the next time to have more visual information available on the family's history -- maybe a map of the area in Pennsylvania where the Hochstetlers settled. Will have to think about other possibilities.
A vote was taken on whether to have the reunion every two years or three years. Two years won out.
And an auction was held to raise funds for the reunion's expenses. The auction raised about $1200. The expenses for this reunion were about $300. So that was a good plan. The organizer for the next reunion will have some funds to work with right off the bat.
I wasn't really too keen on the auction until I saw the creativity and love people had put into the items presented. Uncle A.'s wife made two Amish dolls which, I understand, a grand-daughter bought. There were homemade pies, gift baskets thoughtfully assembled, a lovely handcrafted wooden shelf, etc. And there was so much good will shown. I saw one cousin bid against herself to raise the price on an item she wanted to buy. Another cousin who was flying home bid on and won some items that she was certainly not going to be taking on the plane with her. This is not to say that people deferred to others. There might have been some of that, but there was some fierce bidding, too, on items that people really wanted.
I didn't see the bidding on the items I really wanted because I had a phone call from Uncle J. He was on the road in Tennessee so he couldn't make it. We had a nice long chat until the phone ran out of power!
There was some threatened intrigue during the auction, too. There was one item my sister and I both wanted, but had figured out a way to share the cost and the benefits of the item. So we decided to pool resources and not bid against each other. (I've never bid on anything at an auction, and think I've only been to one in my life. She, on the other hand, finds this a form of entertainment, and had been to one just the night before.) We were discussing this in the food line near a cousin who, as it turned out, was to serve as the auctioneer. He listened to our plan, then informed us he was going to bid against us. Imagine our dismay when it turned out he was the auctioneer! He didn't bid against us personally, but one of his brothers won the main item we wanted. So maybe he did bid against us! And won!
So by the time I got back from the phone call, the main item had already been bid on, and I think the secondary item, too. There were a few items more, and then it was all over. People were packing up to be home by supper time. Too short!
And we were on our way to the first stop on the trip back home. Tired but happy. And DH was happy that my uncle had called during the auction and kept me away from bidding on stuff. Well, I would have wanted to bid on some things before the main item came up, but I was saving my money for that item. In vain, as it turned out.
Tomorrow I'll tell you what caused the buzz and what the "main item" was. (And anything else that comes to mind about the reunion that might be of interest.)
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