You know the dates (July 24-26) for the 2009 reunion, but you’ve been wondering where we’re meeting. Well, wait no more. Get out the maps, program the GPS…. We’re heading back to LaGrange, Georgia, for the first time since 1998.

As you may recall, the cemetery where Nancy Paschall Dingler is buried, the Old Whatley Cemetery, is near LaGrange, so everyone will have an opportunity to visit her grave. There are some other nearby cemeteries associated with Dinglers, so we’ll be sure to provide directions for all those who are interested in making the rounds.

We’re working on hotel arrangements and will let everyone know once plans have been finalized.

If you’re planning to attend the reunion, please send an email to reunion@dingler-family.org and let us know who will be at the reunion. We know plans can change, but an accurate count of attendees will help us plan the rest of the weekend.

Some links to local attractions in LaGrange:

• LaGrange Chamber of Commerce
• Bellevue Mansion
• Butts Mill Farm
• Callaway Gardens
• Hills and Dales Estate
• Little White House / FDR Memorial Museum
• Troup County Archives
• Wild Animal Safari

We’re going to be changing things a bit for the reunion in 2009. Due to a scheduling conflict, we’re going to move this year’s reunion back one week. The reunion for 2009 is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of July 24-26.

Before we changed the dates, we checked with Terry to see whether there was any significance of the traditional third weekend in July. Terry’s response:

A little history about the 3rd weekend in July:

It is much like the woman who always cut the end off her ham before cooking—just like her grandmother always did. She finally asked her grandmother why she did that before cooking a ham. Grandma responded, “Honey, I have to do that because my pan’s too short.” The lesson, obviously, is that we often continue to do things in certain ways for reasons that are no longer valid. Very early on, we discussed moving the reunion date, for several years running. Each time, Winnie Dingler objected because she had another reunion that other weekend. So, we stayed put with the 3rd weekend. Well, Winnie Dingler has been dead at least 10 years, and hadn’t been to a reunion for close to 10 years before that! The point being—there is nothing sacrosanct about the 3rd weekend.

We’ll have more details as plans are solidified.

We’re less than a month away from the 2008 Dingler Family Reunion. If you’ve been putting it off, don’t wait any longer. Tomorrow is the last day to book a hotel room at the guaranteed reunion rate. You can still book a room after the 27th, but you may not get the special reunion rate.

Our host hotel is the Cabot Lodge Jackson North (web site, map). We have a block of King and Double rooms reserved at a nightly rate of $94. You can call (601) 957-0757 and make reservations now. Be sure to mention the Dingler Family Reunion to get the special rate. We encourage you to make reservations now.

The Cabot Lodge offers a complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast each morning featuring freshly cut fruit, assorted cereals, yogurt, specialty breads, muffins, and scones baked fresh daily by Broad Street Bakery. Each evening there is a hospitality reception in the atrium featuring complimentary cocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks and fresh popcorn. Get relief from those hot July days in the outdoor swimming pool. We think you’re going to enjoy your stay at the Cabot Lodge. Leslie and the staff at the hotel have been quite helpful and are looking forward to having us there in July.

Also, if you are going to the reunion, please let us know how many people will be attending the dinner and meeting on Saturday night. We need to give a count to the caterer pretty soon. You can email us at reunion@dingler-family.org.

The 2008 Reunion is only 48 days away! Have you made your reservations? If not, the deadline to get the discounted rate is June 20. Don’t miss out!

Our dinner and meeting will be held on Saturday night (July 19) at Chimneyville Smokehouse. Chimneyville Smokehouse is a family style barbecue and farmers market restaurant and catering service in Jackson, across from the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

Our dinner will be served buffet-style starting at 6 PM. The menu includes:

• Smoked pulled pork and chicken
• Baked beans, potato salad, and rolls
• Peach Cobbler
• Iced tea

The cost is $13 per person. We need to have a headcount to the caterer a couple weeks in advance, so if you will be at the reunion and dinner, please email us at reunion@dingler-family.org and let us know how many people will be in your group.

After dinner, we will have our meeting, and maybe if we’re lucky Terry will bring some photos from the trip he is on right now in the Middle East.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry for some good barbecue! Be sure to join us in Jackson and at Chimneyville Smokehouse.

We’ve added a Reunion Resources page where there will be links to information from past reunions. The page will grow over time, but we’ve started things off with a Reunion Map listing the location of each reunion by year. There is also a map that shows each location along with the number of times the reunion has been held at that location. You will see some large areas where we’ve never held the reunion and might be good candidates for future years.