It happened!

The first Radding Family Reunion actually did happen Aug. 2-5 at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville, CT, and it was great. Thanks to everybody who made it happen, including Pearl Radding Carpenter, Fay Radding, Cathy Radding McElligott, Eva Radding, Steve Greenfield, and Edward Radding. My apologies in advance to anyone else I should have named but inadvertently forgot.

We initially thought 50-60 people might show up. A week before the event, it looked like 75-80 people would come. By Saturday afternoon, 95 people had arrived! The sudden rush did cause a few logistical complications, but everything was resolved.

Mark your calendar for the summer of 2009, the likely date of the second Radding Family Reunion. A survey will be circulating to determine preferred dates and locations. Judging from the preferences expressed at the breakfast on Sunday morning, it looks like it will be held on the west coast. Those who want to volunteer to help organize the event—and help definitely will be needed—please contact Steve Greenfield (stgreen@omsoft.com).

For those who couldn’t attend, here is a brief and highly subjective recap. Feel welcome to add your own impressions of the reunion in the comment section directly following this posting. To post a comment you will be prompted for your name (your email address) and your password (give yourself a password and remember it).

The children liked the ice cream social on Thursday evening while many adults avoided the extra calories. But it kept the children busy while the adults talked and mingled. Jacob Knop, Julia Radding Knop’s son, took on the much appreciated task of assembling name cards and badges; at that time there were about 85.

Friday was an unusually hot and humid day for the Berkshires, even in August—a perfect day for relaxing in the shade, at the pool, on the lakefront, or in the water. In the evening we switched ice cream for alcohol and had a cocktail party which flowed right into a buffet dinner. We all shook so many hands we must have looked like a pack of presidential candidates campaigning in New Hampshire. The cocktail party also provided an opportunity for those who wanted to gather and welcome Shabbat (the Sabbath) with candle lighting, wine, Scotch, and challah.

The hot and humid weather moderated a bit by Saturday. It turned out to be a great morning at the lakefront. By mid afternoon everyone had gathered for the genealogy session led by Pearl and Cathy. With the arrival of the day trippers our numbers may have climbed past 95. Earl Radding, the oldest Radding present at 95, drove up from Delaware with his son Peter from South Carolina. As it turns out, every family there was descended either from Joseph or Jerome Radding, both of whom arrived in this country around the turn of the 20th century. Eva Radding had tracked down an earlier common ancestor to them—Wolf Rakishki, from Zagare, a small town in what is now Lithuania. We can refer to future reunions as the gathering of the Wolf pack.

The centerpiece of the genealogy session was the Radding family tree produced by Edward Radding on two long strips of vinyl, one representing the line of Joseph and the other of Jerome. The strips were spread, side by side, across five tables, allowing people to view each tree. A PDF file of the family tree will be sent to everybody on the mailing list once Eva makes the corrections collected at the reunion.

After the genealogy session people gathered for a group photo and later assembled in a tent for a cookout. This was followed later still by a bonfire at the lake. Fire toasted marshmallows and Smores (toasted marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers) were the fare for that event. The sky over the lake was crammed with stars, which provided the opportunity for those who wanted to end Shabbat with a brief Havdallah program including more candles, the sweet smell of spices, and wine.

The next morning those who weren’t dashing off to catch an early flight enjoyed breakfast together followed by the family meeting that recommended the summer of 2009 and the west coast for the next gathering of the Wolf pack.

Check out some photos from the reunion in the following blog posting.