masterplan
Müllerleile Family Reunion
O
ur reunion last year was in the Seattle Southside area of Washington State. The family is spread throughout the US and Germany, so getting together every few years is a special treat. The goal was to organize a reunion every five years in both Germany and the US in the same year. After the first reunions in June and October 1997, it made more sense to alternate between Germany and the US every five years. The US has hosted three reunions – in Iowa, Minnesota, and Washington State. The town of Schuttertal in Germany has been the site of four reunions. The reunion in Washington state was the first I planned. Our US reunions had been three-day weekends in small towns and did not include many activities other than family-related visits – e.g., to a family farm, or to a cemetery where lots of family members are buried. It seemed logical that after spending the money to travel to a distant reunion, there should be options to see other sights as a group or suggestions about what is available to visit in the area. When I finally decided on the Greater Seattle Area as the reunion location, I reached out to the Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority for planning assistance. Meagan McGuire (VP Sales & Services) immediately began walking me through the process. She helped with finding the venue that would accommodate our reunion. She even accompanied us to scope out the best location within our budget. She sent me a list of transportation companies for day trips. The Seattle Express bus company gave us a very good price to handle all of our transportation needs. We were very pleased with our drivers. Since I live in Spokane, Meagan recommended a storage unit rental site to store our supplies before the reunion. Seattle Southside RTA provided a welcome packet for each reunion member, which included very helpful suggestions about sights to see, along with free shuttle service to nearby Westfield Southcenter for shopping. Once the reunion began, it was clear that all the planning effort had paid off. We hired a local caricature artist (Friday evening) and a magician (Saturday afternoon), and both were big hits (especially the caricaturist). Interaction with attendees and the local entertainment were great icebreakers. We provided time for a spokesperson from each family to tell how they are related within the family tree, or something about their family. We display the family tree so everyone can see how they’re connected. We always take a group photo at the end of the reunion. Since there are attendees who do not know anyone, or know
just a few people, I did not leave too much time for social hours, which can become uncomfortable and boring. The agenda included multiple stories of relatives migrating to Washington State, stories of family pets/animal companions (a hit with kids and adults), and local entertainment. There were door prizes for everyone. Door prizes for kids were lap-sized animal quilts I’d made. For adults, we had items purchased, handmade, or donated from the Northwest. Some of the group elected to extend the reunion and see more of the Pacific Northwest while they were here. Many members took a 7-day cruise to Alaska prior to the reunion. Day trips were planned for those who wished to participate in visiting local sites post-reunion, e.g., City of Seattle tour, Boeing Factory tour, Mt. Rainier trip, Museum of Flight tour. We took an overnight trip to Central Washington State – Quincy, Grand Coulee Dam, and Leavenworth – where some Müllerleile relatives first homesteaded in the early 1900s. Attendees had a great time, and feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. One of the attendees from Germany told me and others that “it was the best reunion the family had ever put on,” and she had attended all the reunions in Germany and the US. Another attendee said “the Oscar goes to this family reunion for creativity.” If I could do anything differently, I would have contacted the visitor center immediately after deciding that Seattle would be the site of the reunion, instead of trying to find a venue, transportation options, and hotel/motel accommodations on my own. It would have saved a lot of time and worry. Overall, the reunion was a success. It was exciting, fun, and meaningful for the entire Müllerleile family. Reported by Sue Müllerleile, Spokane, Washington 2018 REUNION CELEBRATIONS! v REUNIONS 31
