We had a wonderful time at the 2010 Mantay Family Reunion (my mom's side) this past weekend! It had been 10 years since our last one. It was so nice to see everyone who could make it! There were 36 of us from Grandma Mantay's family at the reunion, plus Grandma's sister, Leona, and five others joined us for supper on Saturday. Unfortunately, three of my cousins (and their spouses and children) were unable to attend.
Our reunion was held at the South Weyburn Community Centre, 8 km south of Weyburn. What a great facility! It consisted of an old schoolhouse with a kitchen and bathroom, a fantastic rectangular gazebo with a concrete floor and several picnic tables, a double outhouse, a large fire pit, and a whole bunch of play structures for the kids. Plus, the property is completely isolated and private which was nice.
The weather was sunny and hot (30+) all weekend -- perhaps on the verge of being too hot and muggy at times, but still so much better than a lot of other weather possibilities! Amazingly, there was just one gentle rain shower on Saturday afternoon that lasted about 20 minutes.
Arrival and set up began mid-afternoon on Friday, August 6. Neil and I immediately set up the Big Green Egg. Neil cooked bison roasts on low heat (250 F or less) with a little pecan smoke and they turned out very well.
The kids splashed in our wading pool as soon as we got some water into it (thanks Mom for suggesting this!). We also had the Rider game via satellite, a great supper, lots of visiting, games of Bocce Ball and Horseshoes for some, and singing around a campfire, led by my cousin Jayne and her husband.
On Saturday, everyone did their own thing for breakfast. We ate at Mom and Dad's house in YG as we stayed there both nights. A few people went to my parents' farm to see the bison in the morning. We went to the reunion site since we have other opportunities to see the bison. The girls and I worked on making lemonade for lunch.
For lunch, we had a make-your-own sandwich buffet, vegetables, and more. The afternoon was fun and relaxed. Everyone was free to do what they wanted. Many people enjoyed playing games during the afternoon and evening: Bananagrams, Cribbage, Horseshoes, and Bunnock (a game from Neil's family). I enjoyed watching my Grandma play Crib with several people over the weekend.
In the schoolhouse, there were several albums of wonderful old photos to peruse at any time. Thanks to Mom and all of my aunts for bringing these treasures!
Throughout the day, the kids blew bubbles, played on the playground equipment, dipped in the wading pool, and slipped on the slip-n-slide (thanks to Rob & Robyn for bringing this)! They had a blast staying cool in the water. Those were the best things to have in this weather. They also enjoyed playing with the three dogs in attendance: Buffy, Maggie, and Moses.
Saturday supper was catered by Western Prime Meats. They roasted a whole pig on site, behind the gazebo, and it was very good and tender.
In the evening, Sophia and Madeline performed a few Irish dances, and then we made hand-churned vanilla ice cream -- thanks to my Aunt Val and cousin Carolyn for this treat! Fresh saskatoon berries and strawberries were served, too. Yum!
Also, later in the evening, my cousin Richy did some magic tricks for the kids. He was such a good sport to entertain the kids after doing two performances daily at the Queen City Ex! Just before everyone called it a night, we made a few s'mores over a campfire. What a great day!
Sunday morning, we gathered for a group photo before having a great brunch with eggs, sausages, bacon, and pancakes. Richy made balloon animals for the kids before heading back to Regina for more performances at the Ex.
In the schoolhouse, we watched a digital slide show of some very old family photos and then a couple reels of (actual) slides taken by my grandparents. Thanks to Bev & Preston for doing this! Names were drawn for two beautiful quilts that my Grandma Mantay (who is 90!) made this year for the reunion. My brother Rob and cousin Jayne were the lucky winners!
We started the clean-up process soon after the slide shows. My kids soon became restless as it was very hot out (about 32 C) and all of the other children had left. Thankfully, we were able to go swimming at the Ramada where several of our relatives were staying. I'm grateful to my Aunt Janet for suggesting this and taking us as her guests!
For an early supper, we had a wiener roast and leftovers. Those of us remaining at the site finished cleaning and packing up (and were the happy recipients of Grandma's Gum Drop Cake!). We all drove away just after 7:00 p.m. -- before any thunder showers hit. Very lucky!
What a fantastic weekend! Many thanks to everyone who contributed their time and effort to make the reunion a great success! It was very well planned and executed. Also, thanks to Neil's parents for keeping Dash all weekend; it really made the reunion easier for us (and quieter for everyone else).
