2014 Registration & Fees

The completed 2014 registration form and reunion fees are due by April 1.  If you did not receive your form, please email bulgarianreunion @ yahoo.com.

2014 Is Here

2014 has arrived which means we are now less than six months away from our annual reunion in June.

Strangely enough, Yvonne and I both had the urge to get in touch with each other yesterday to start setting the wheels into motion for our weekend in Ohio.  I guess great minds think alike.

In the next several months, there will be updates here on the blog as well as news sent via our group email list.  If you want to be added to that list, please let us know.  You can send us a message at bulgarianreunion @ yahoo.com.  We'd also appreciate preliminary word from all our families on whether or not they plan to attend the reunion this year from June 20-22 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Happy 2014!

Accessibility for Attendees with Physical Disabilities

Based on our experience with the 2013 reunion, we would like to provide some information regarding our location and activities for families who may have members with physical disabilities, including those affecting their mobility.  We hope that this information will be helpful to you in determining whether or not our event is a good fit for your family.  In 2013, we had adults and children with a variety of physical disabilities successfully navigate our reunion grounds, but we understand that no two people are alike and what may be feasible for one person may not be so for another.

Hamilton County Parks in Cincinnati, Ohio have a four-level classification system for accessibility as follows:

·         Level 1: Considered fully accessible and meets architectural standards for handicap accessibility. Level 1 sites include Visitor Centers, Ranger stations, snack bars, restrooms, numerous picnic areas and paved trails. There is at least one Level 1 facility at each developed park.

·         Level 2: Usable to disabled persons, but may include inconveniences.

·         Level 3: Difficult to use by disabled persons; assistance may be required. These sites include facilities which are located in difficult terrain.

·         Level 4: Undeveloped section of the park; inaccessible to most disabled persons.

Winton Woods Park Campground  in the Hamilton County, Ohio parks system has a Level 1 handicap accessible public restroom which is found about 530 feet from our reunion grounds.  You may drive or walk to this restroom on paved roads, including a slight hill up/down.  There is also a fully accessible cabin with a bathroom located directly on the reunion grounds.  If you let us know ahead of time, we will try to make arrangements with the family renting this cabin to allow use of their bathroom for your family member with a physical disability if this would be preferable to you.

This is the hill connecting the main road with the reunion grounds.  While it is difficult to capture its grade of steepness in photos, here it is pictured from two angles:

The Level 1 restroom and shower at the Winton Woods campground:

If you use the shower house and restrooms designed for the general public, this is what you will find:

 This is the Level 1 handicap accessible cabin located directly on the reunion grounds:

As reunion organizers, we will make every effort to arrange for a parking space for families affected by physical disabilities directly at our reunion location.  There are two larger handicap parking spots available and we will prioritize them for attendees with mobility issues.  Just let us know prior to the reunion that you would like one of these spots and we will assign them on a first come, first served basis.

The surfaces you will find at the reunion grounds include paved roads and grassy areas.  The paved roads are smooth, however, the grassy areas are somewhat uneven.  There is a maximum of a 3 inch, ungraduated step down from the road onto the grassy areas where we we serve and eat our meals and hold most of the activities.

Considering the wide spectrum of special needs represented in our group (anything from limb differences to hearing impairments to cognitive/developmental disabilities), we understand that not every child is going to be able to participate in every activity that we provide.  However, we are and have always been committed to making sure that each child will be able to be a part of at least one game and craft on each Friday and Saturday should he/she so choose.  While many of our young attendees enjoy being on the move, we also offer seated activities that may include t-shirt decorating, a variety of arts/crafts, face-painting, cultural presentations, and card games.  For more information on next year’s reunion activities, please check our reunion blog in the coming months.  If you have ideas for activities suitable to children of all abilities and ages, please feel free to leave a comment here or email us at bulgarianreunion@yahoo.com.

Many of the children and teens attending the reunion enjoy riding bikes, tricycles, skateboards, etc. on the reunion grounds.  We do realize that this causes some dangerous traffic conditions, particularly at meal times and while activities are in progress.  Therefore, the 2014 reunion will feature certain hours during which these activities will not be permitted on the reunion grounds.  This new arrangement should make things safer for all of us, including those with physical disabilities.

Our reunion weekend always features family time from about noon to 4:30 pm on Saturdays.  Families use this time to rest, have lunch, and explore the park.  Many families visit the wet playground at Winton Woods, but you are in no way required to participate in this activity if it is not suitable for your family.  Instead, feel free to check out the other playgrounds at the park or explore the two easy, paved trails that are Level 1 accessible (Harbor Trail and West Loop) and on which (power-driven) mobility devices are permitted.  For more information, please visit http://greatparks.org/activities/trails.

If you have any further questions regarding access or activities, do not hesitate to contact us directly at bulgarianreunion@yahoo.com.  We, the organizers of this reunion, are parenting children with physical and developmental disabilities ourselves and will try to address any concerns on these matters.  However, please understand that we do face certain locational and financial limits in what we can do to accommodate each attendee's individual needs.  It's up to each family to decide if our reunion is a good fit and how to make the most of it for its children.

Silent Auction

Just a reminder that we are planning a silent auction to raise funds for next year's reunion which will help keep costs to our families as low as possible in an economic climate that is tough for sponsorship.  So far the following items have been offered for auction:

Nicely Family - handmade bracelet
Villemure Family - movie basket
Horn Family - handmade bandana skirt with matching t-shirt
Bromund Family - gift card
Martini Family - toddler fun basket
Larsen Family - summer fun basket
Perkins Family - framed original photograph from Bulgaria
Santor Family - loaf of homemade bread and a dozen homemade cookies x 2
Brooks Family - lotto/scratch off tickets
Mandeville Family - 3 Romany cook books


If you would like to contribute an item that showcases your talents or put together a little basket, please let us know and I will add you here.

Going Greener

In a small effort of trying to make our reunion be a little more environmentally friendly, we have ordered BPA-free plastic stadium cups this year to be used and re-used at our lemonade, water, and iced tea fountains.  It broke my heart last year to see all of us grabbing a new cup just about every time we wanted another drink.  We generated way too much garbage.

So, this year, there will be one stadium cup per person in the family welcome bags. The cups have a custom design on them that provides a line on which to write the owner's name (we will have sharpies at the ready when you check in).  Hopefully this will help us all in keeping track of our cups.

If you lose your personal cup or want extras to take home, we will have a limited number of additional cups for sale at the price of $2.00 each.  Proceeds go into the coffers for next year's reunion expenses.  Families are also encouraged to bring reusable water bottles or other environmentally friendly vessels for their drinks.

Na zdrave -  to your health!

Pot Luck Sign Up

Potluck Items


Ethnic Bulgarian Dishes

Villemure Family - shopska salad

Stankov Family- Banitza, Luitenitza, Sirene and Other Bulgarian Goodies



Meat  (grilling meats)

Haven Family - hotdogs

Bodell Family-Smoked Pork

Boman-Plance Family - hamburgers

Brooks Family - hamburgers

Horn Family - hamburgers

Dunham Family - hamburgers

Nicely Family - hot dogs

Collicot Family - 100 buns for hamburgers

Cox Family - 100 buns for hotdogs



Salads

Cox Family - Potato Salad

Van Roekel Family - Fruit Salad

Stewart Family - Bean Salad

Haven Family - Lettuce Salad

Brooks Family - Broccoli Salad

Dunham Family - Oriental Coleslaw



Other Sides

Martini Family - hummus/ gluten-free tortilla chips

Korich family-Pasta side dish

Stewart Family-Cheesy Potatoes

Perkins Family- Chips

Larsen Family- Wisconsin Cheese Tray

Rowe Family - Veggie Tray

Sallot Family - Mac'n Cheese



Fruit

Rickenbach Family-Watermelon, Jello/Fruit Salad

Van Roekel Family-Fruit Salad



Desserts

Martini Family-gluten-free/dairy-free lemon pie

Cox Family- Cookie Assortment

Stewart Family- Cake

Rickenbach Family- Jello/Fruit Salad

McCulle Family- Fudge & Brownies

Gillian Family – Cupcakes

Parks Family - Chocolate chip cookies

Boyd Family- Sliced Apples, Dessert



Condiments

Larsen Family-ketchup, mustard, pickles

Villemure Family-hamburger fixins tray-lettuce, onion, tomatoes



Drinks

The reunion provides for Country Time Lemonade, Lipton Iced Tea and Drinking Water for the weekend.   If you do not like the drinks provided than this will allow you to plan to bring drinks for your family.  Though juice boxes are fun for kids, I hate for some kids to get them and not others.



Serving Products-

Bodell Family - all paper products

Mulroy Family- all plastic cutlery

Brooks Family - napkins


Other

Conger Family - icecream toppings for Friday night

Santor Family - smores supplies

These families were TBD and waiting to see what was needed… which I appreciate.

Hanka Family - TBD

Rieben Family - TBD

Buchanan Family - TBD

Montes Family - TBD


**Deluxe cabins have full size refrigerators, Viviane and Yvonne's will have many supplies for the weekend but you are welcome to use them until they are full.  We hope some of the deluxe cabin attendees will offer space as needed to keep thinks cold until the potluck.



In a large group like ours, there will certainly be people who have food allergies or food intolerances/sensitivities. We ask that families mark and/or limit items with nuts.  We hope to  have a separate table for these specialty dishes (please provide ingredient list).



Lastly, we ask all of our parents and parents-to-be please do not feed any children that are not your own. Children do not always make responsible choices when offered a food or may not even know what's safe for them to eat and what isn't. Dangerous reactions can occur from a simple piece of candy or even a slice of bread, so please be aware.

Fees, Forms and T-shirts

Where in the world did February, March and April go?  I was commenting yesterday to Viviane that it felt like it was the beginning of March here in Southeastern Michigan.... maybe that is because of our cold and crummy weather... we are just this week having a solid week in the 50's... just yesterday I had to scrape a frosty snow layer off my car.  I want to cry... it is just not far to be so cold for so long!!!! I am over cabin fever and ready for our camping weekend!!   Maybe we will be fortunate that June will prove to be a beautiful balmy month and not quite the sauna from the past two years.  :)

So Topics of today-

1. FEES- The deadline for Reunion fees is May 1st.  Please keep this in mind.  I am open to Paypal or checks in the mail... whichever is easier.  I can tell you guys that Viviane and I cannot move forward right now until the fees are in.  We are dead in the water (because we have received a limited # of fees) so please get them in so we can make this a successful event!! If you have sent your fees, thank you!  If you haven't please, please send them today! 

2.  FORMS- Thank you to those of you that have sent me your forms either in the mail with your payment or electronically.  These forms help us immensely.... if you haven't signed up for a potluck item, let me know and I will give you a few ideas of what may still be needed.... pretty sure we still need hotdogs and hamburgers! (Hotdogs, hamburgers, smoked pork and buns are now covered though it would help with costs if another family or two would sign up for hamburgers.  If anyone wants to bring chicken, please remember to pre-cook it.  We could use another green salad - Yvonne is making shopska- and possibly a tray of hamburger/hotdog fixings like tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, and condiments.)

3.  T-SHIRTS- We will be ordering the shirts earlier this year, the past two years we have cut the deadline close.  My t-shirt guy has been wonderful to give us a great price because he adores my little ladybug (Thanks Nicky Minaj for changing the way that sounds in my head!!) Anyways, Tom is a wonderful guy and tells me every time he sees me that I did such a wonderful thing in adopting Elina... boy I have him fooled... I'm the lucky one to have such a spitfire.  So getting to the point, in the past 2 years I have allowed people to order t-shirts almost up until the week of the reunion... this equals a very frenzied Momma trying to pick up t-shirts the day before leaving and Tom with his gravel voice saying... "Yeeee---vonne, I pulled it off but you need to give me more time girl."  In an effort to preserve both my sanity and Tom's I am ordering the t-shirts the first week of May.  This means that I need the t-shirt sizes ASAP... send me your forms so I can organize this! 


***NOTE: If you are a family that is still waiting for travel dates and are putting off sending fees, please contact me ASAP so that we can work out  the t-shirt order.  I can always ship your t-shirts to you if you are unable to attend.  But I would really hate for anyone to not have the reunion shirt for our pictures! BTW, I will not be ordering extra t-shirts this year.  Last year I ordered extra and we still have a few left.  If you are interested in purchasing a 2012 t-shirt for $5, please e-mail Viviane for the sizes that are left! ***



Now, send fill our that form, open PayPal or pull out an envelope and stamp and help make the Reunion a success! :)