Western Style Family Reunion
Get your “Ye Haw!” on with an Old west theme for your family reunion this year. It’s a classic for family photos and there are lots of cute activity options for kids. You can even tie in some family history if you know that Great-Great Grandma was a settler or Great Grandpa was a cowhand. This is a fun and easy theme for big busy families. Flower print dresses, plaid shirts, and cowboy hats never go out of style.
Food: You might get a hankering for BBQ or even a pig roast with this classic American family reunion theme. Corn on the cob, potato salad, and some baked mac ‘n’ cheese complete the down-home ensemble. If you want to make it a little more fun for the adults in your family you can offer craft beers, or have a chili cook-off. Decorate the tables with lots of burlap and bandanas and you’ve got a recipe for fun!
Activities: Pool noodle pony races are great for all ages, and PVC pipe bows and arrows are fun for kids. For the grownups, you might indulge in a poker tournament. Music is key to the ambiance, and singing country-western karaoke can be a blast. From Johnny Cash to Dolly Parton there are so many songs to choose from. Don’t forget the line dancing!
Dress: Plaid shirts, denim jeans, and ten-gallon hats make a big old west statement. For the fillies, floral or gingham dresses with or without puffed sleeves are perfect for the day. Cowboy boots for everyone, of course, and if you want you can get a little fancier and choose a specific time period like 50’s style retro west, or victorian era old west. If you want to get really wild you could even go steampunk and add in some steam engines and clockwork to your decorations and clothes.
Slogan: “The (your family name) Roundup! A Gathering of the Herd”
Sports or Olympic Themed Family Reunions
If you have an active family that likes to move, a sports or an Olympic-themed reunion may hit the spot. This is a great theme to get everyone of all ages involved in activities and keeps things interesting with a minimum of downtime. Make sure to have lots of sunscreen on hand and keep hydration stations near activities.
Food: Think high-protein snacks, smoothies, finger foods, and sandwiches for your Olympic-style family. You can go keto if you’ve got some serious health buffs, but it can also be fun to make creative smoothies on demand. Let individuals choose their mixes and toppings. Keep the sports drinks flowing to keep everyone hydrated and consider setting up a cooling station near the food for anyone who’s gotten a little too into the competitive spirit.
Activities: Take the leap with soccer, volleyball, whiffle ball, or softball. You can have cheerleading contests or sports-themed trivia contests for those who aren’t quite as sporty. If your family isn’t so into team sports consider doing a field day event for a more Olympic style. Instead of dividing into teams, set up stations for water balloon tosses, sack races, hula hoop ring tosses, tug-of-war, and fifty-yard dashes. Hand out awards for the most valuable player and make sure there’s plenty of medals for all the kids. Songs like “We are the Champions.” and “We will rock you” will get everyone into the team spirit.
Dress: Sports jerseys, fitness wear, and casual clothes are just right for this active theme. Make sure to tell everyone to wear tennies or athletic shoes to your sports-themed family reunion.
Slogan: “One team, one family, one win.”
Family History & Heritage Themed Reunion
Dig into the past with this fascinating theme. Get your detective on and share your genealogy research, or pick a time period to center your reunion on if you have a lot of history from a particular period. You can even dress in costume if you want. If your family is into books and research this might be the right theme to keep everyone interested and engaged.
Food: Ancestral food is perfect for this style of reunion. Make what Grandma made! Whether it’s perogies or pasta, look to the past to inspire your food choices. Sometimes old recipes need a bit of an update for kids, so make sure to have foods that everyone will like. Your uncle’s blood soup isn’t for everyone. Old fashioned desserts are perfect too, and depending on where your family is from, can mean cream puffs or blinis. It’s a nice touch to print out recipe cards just in case everyone doesn’t have a particular family recipe.
Activities: Create a wall chart family tree so that everyone can help create a visual representation of your family. Put up extra paper so that the littlest family members have somewhere to draw that won’t wreck everyone’s hard work. Share old family memorabilia like letters, bibles, or photos. Consider making copies of the originals, or making everyone wash their hands before touching them to preserve your precious heirlooms. Make a family time capsule so that your descendants will have a picture of who you all were when they open it in the future.
Dress: Wearing your traditional costumes from the “old country” can be a lot of fun. Even a scarf or a shirt can be the plaid of your clan or a Russian floral print. A costume contest can up the excitement with prizes for the most authentic clothes, the most interesting folk costume update, and the most fun outfit. For a really spectacular photo opportunity, get everyone in the family to dress in a specific style of folk costume so that you all match. You may want to bring a few extra embroidered blouses for those who forget.
Slogan: “Getting back to our roots”
Family Circus Reunion
You can run away to the circus as a crowd with this fun circus-themed family reunion. This theme is all about the fun, it’s crazy and kooky and a little bit weird, so if that sounds like a good fit for your family, take the leap into the three ring circus. The carnival atmosphere is just right for both young and old and has lots of opportunities for tasty treats and fun activities to help make some new memories for your loved ones. Red and white striped draping can create a circus tent or you could do black and white stripes for a more gothic night circus look.
Food: Carnival food is a must. Think caramel corn, elephant ears, and cotton candy. That’s a lot of sugar, so balance it out with some burgers, nachos and corn dogs. Lemonade and soda are both classic circus beverages but you might also want to have water on hand. Some fun circus-style cocktails can add a little zing to your parade for the adults in the party.
Activities: Start the reunion by having everyone guess how many animal crackers are in a cookie jar. You can follow up with a bouncy house, and carnival booths staffed by family members with face painting, fortune telling, carnival games, and contests. Balloon animals are super fun if you have a family member who is up to the task. A circus talent show is a great way to have your very own performance to watch and share. Magic tricks, gymnastics, singing, and jokes are all great circus-style talents to share. Give your family a heads up if you decide to go with the talent show. They may need a few weeks to prepare for their world-famous performance.
Dress: Clown noses, big bow ties, crazy wigs, and bright clothing are de rigueur for a circus. You can go for a more carnival effect with masks, and face painting will be a sure success with the smallest family members.
Slogan: “This is my circus. These are my monkeys. Enjoy the show.”
Ready to Book Your Family Reunion?
Country Barn Estates near Henderson, Michigan would love to host you and your family for a family reunion. Contact us today to create priceless memories with your family.
