This past weekend, our family attended the Ben Elston reunion in DeRidder. Instead of giving the basis for the reunion, I’ll just point back to a previous post that I made in 2004. It seems that this year the attendance was a little lower than in past years. There were still a good number of people there and it was nice that the McReynolds were well represented. The kids already know most of them, so it was instant fun for my kids.
There’s been some debate about how long this can go on. As the younger generations get further disconnected from the past, it’s difficult to convince them to make a significant effort to attend. That may or may not be true, but time will tell. I think those questions tend to answer themselves. The thought of spending a weekend at a youth camp was a lot more appealing when I was younger. Not so much now. I’m glad we did though.
Regardless of motivation, I had a great time. I really enjoyed visiting with not only close relatives, but those that I haven’t seen since the last reunion four years ago. We got in a lot of swimming, singing (from the blue book) and story telling by the older members of the family. I even got to visit with a significant number of members of my own family (I grew up in the greater DeRidder area). Of course while we were in “the country”, we had to bring our firearms for some target practice. The Elston/McReynolds families are full of great people and I’m fortunate to be married into the group.
I lived in DeRidder fron 1935 until 1945. I was well acquainted with the Elstons, McReynolds and Forcades. I occasionally crossed paths with Lois McReynolds after moving from DeRidder, she was a great gal.
Chuck, are you related to Jess Buchanan? When I attended 3rd Street Church of Christ, I got to know him. Excellent gentlemen he was. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.