July 21st and 22nd, 2006
Hampton Inn
4815 University Drive
Huntsville, AL 35816
(256) 830-9400

Make plans now to attend the 27th annual Dingler family reunion in Huntsville, AL. When making reservations, please specify that you are with the Dingler reunion to receive the special rate of $66.60 plus tax. The Hampton Inn provides a complimentary breakfast buffet, as well as a room that we can use as a hospitality room. We have a dining room reserved for our group at the Green Hills Grille, a nice restaurant located adjacent to the hotel. We will have our Saturday night meeting at the restaurant in conjunction with our meal. Selma Dingler Smith has made all the arrangements. Thank you, Selma!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Huntsville. We often drove through the city on our way to visit our son in college in Tennessee, but never had time to stop. Huntsville has a number of attractions. The U. S. Space and Rocket Center is a noted tourist destination. Yet the city offers a number of historical attractions, as well, including the Huntsville Depot and the Alabama Constitution Village. The Huntsville Botanical Garden and, of course, the Huntsville Speedway round out the area’s offerings. Check out Huntsville, Alabama online at http://www.huntsville.about.com.

Nearby Tuscumbia, Alabama—located 70 miles west—is the site of Helen Keller’s birthplace and home, the Belle Mont Mansion and, of all things, the Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard! Sallye and I have enjoyed stopping at Falls Mill, a working 1873 gristmill located in Belvidere, TN (35 miles northeast of Huntsville, just north of Hwy. 64 before Belvidere).

No specific activities are planned for this year’s reunion—just relaxation and time for lots of visiting. See you there!

by Terry Cowan

If you are planning to attend the reunion, please let us know. You can either click the Add a Comment link at the bottom of this post or send an email to info@dingler-family.org and let us know who will be attending in your group, the city you live in, and which Dingler line (or lines) from which you descend.

Knowing who else will be at the reunion can be a big factor for some people in deciding whether to make the trip. So let us know, so we can help get people off the fence and at the reunion!

The 2006 Dingler Family Reunion will be held the weekend of July 21 in Huntsville, Alabama. So mark your calendars and make your hotel reservations!

The reunion hotel is the Hampton Inn. They are holding 30 rooms for us for Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22. Room types and nightly rates are as follows:

• 17 Double/Double: $66.60
• 8 Standard King at $71.10
• 5 Queen/Queen at $72.90.

To reserve your room, call the hotel directly (256-830-9400) and tell them you are with the Dingler Reunion so that you get the discounted rate. For more info about the Huntsville Hampton Inn, check out their web site. There is no hospitality room available, but because we receive a free room for reserving more than 20, we have asked for a Queen/Queen room which we can use for that function. The hotel is located at 4815 University Drive, Huntsville, AL 35816. (Hotel on Google Maps)

Some details are still being worked out, but you can be sure they will be posted here as soon as we know more. And a big thanks to Selma Smith for her work in making these arrangements for us!

Some info about our host city… Huntsville, a city of 160,000, was the birthplace of Alabama in 1819 and is America’s Space Capital. Here are some of Huntsville’s attractions:

• U.S. Space & Rocket Center
• EarlyWorks Museum Complex
  • Alabama Constitution Village
  • Historic Huntsville Depot
  • Humphreys-Rodgers House
  • EarlyWorks Children’s Museum
  • Huntsville Botanical Garden
• Burritt on the Mountain Museum
• Plus, many more!

For more information, see the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau web site.

Now you know the dates and the place, so pick up that phone and make your reservations. Whether you’re a regular or a first timer, we expect to see all of you in Huntsville!

Last weekend was the 26th annual Dingler Family Reunion, and I know many of you are looking for stories and photos from the reunion. Kristin and I arrived home in St. Louis late in the afternoon on Monday, and I’ve been swamped at work ever since. I’ve downloaded all of my photos, and now I need to go through and caption everything. Hopefully by next week, I’ll have everything available to view.

A quick round-up to tide you over: The reunion was well-attended this year. I’m waiting to hear from Terry Cowan on the final tally of attendees, but the last I heard, there were ~86 people. The dedication of Johannes’ marker was a wonderful event, made even more special with the participation of the Sons of the American Revolution. (The perfect weather didn’t hurt either!) Everyone who attended the open house at Charlie Dingler’s home in the afternoon enjoyed the demonstrations of blacksmithing and glass blowing. Finally, the evening banquet was a great opportunity to enjoy the company of friends and family over a tasty meal.

Hopefully that will tide you over until I can get the rest posted. If you have anything to post or photos you’d like to make available, send them to info@dingler-family.org. Here’s a picture of all the descendants at the dedication at the cemetery:

Descendants of Johannes Dingler and Nancy Paschall at Swords Cemetery, July 16, 2005

A total of 56 family members attended the 25th annual Dingler Family Reunion in Rome, GA on July 16th and 17th, 2004. We appreciate all the work of Diane and Banny Harbin who handled the arrangements. The Holiday Inn served as headquarters for the reunion. The Harbins organized an interesting tour of Rome on Saturday morning. Rome is a beautiful and historic city and everyone who participated enjoyed the experience. The family meeting was held on Saturday afternoon, after which many adjourned to a local restaurant to continue visiting.

We also want to express appreciation to William Dingler Paige, who was attending his first Dingler reunion. He scanned the 1983 Dinglers of the South and copied it to disc. Copies of the CD were available for purchase at the reunion. If you would like to purchase Dinglers of the South on CD, contact:

William Dingler Paige
2322 Del Webb Blvd E
Sun City Center, FL 33573

Even though our numbers were down for 2004, those family members who were able to attend certainly enjoyed the annual gathering.