Ways to engage family members in family history
UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG) met via Zoom for two presentations on ways to engage family members in family history.
Ways to engage family members in family history
Wed, Feb 15 2023, 10am
UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG) will meet via Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 15, for two presentations on ways to engage family members in family history.
Donna Weispfenning is currently working on a graphic memoir inspired by a visit to her grandmother in 1976. Donna will show us an eight-page draft of how she is transforming images from black and white photographs into drawings, paintings, and woodcuts to recapture the spirit of her time with the then-82-year-old family matriarch.
Jan Morlock and her brother, Jerry Morlock, will describe their efforts preparing for a major family reunion. Here is Jan's short take on the experience:
"It’s one thing to enjoy the solitary hours of research into your family’s history, but another thing when you need to find a way to share that enthusiasm with 100 members of your far-extended family—most of whom aren’t interested in the humdrum details of family records, or maybe not even in how they are related to each other and YOU! That was the challenge in front of us when Jerry and I, along with two cousins, found ourselves named as the History Committee in preparation for the 100-year family reunion of my mother’s family. At the February FHIG meeting, Jerry and I will show some of the things we cooked up to engage our diverse and distant relatives in learning about how we all are connected to each other."
A Zoom link will be sent to all UMRA members about two weeks in advance of the February 15 meeting. Please contact Lynn C. Anderson or Craig Swan if you have questions. We hope you can join us!
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.