I regret to announce that the 2020 Dingler Family Reunion will not take place this year as an in-person event. The current situation related to COVID-19 is such that we do not feel it would be safe to hold the event this year.  We are sure that those who were planning to attend are just as disappointed as we are.

For those of you who made hotel reservations at Homewood Suites in Columbus, the hotel has advised us that your reservation has been cancelled along with the overall group block.

We are planning to hold a virtual reunion meeting on Saturday, July 18, using Zoom.  The exact time is TBD, but we will send out information when we get closer to the date.  We hope to see you there.

We are planning to meet again in person in 2021. We are sticking with Columbus, and we are already working with the hotel to secure July 16-18 for our group. Mark your calendars now and save the date.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you can join us online in July and in Columbus in 2021. Stay safe!

Map of Georgia with Columbus marked with a star
Map of Georgia with Columbus marked with a star

The 2020 Dingler Family Reunion will be in Columbus, Georgia, from July 17-19. This year will mark the 41st consecutive year of these reunions, and we thought it was time to return to Georgia. We will be meeting in Columbus for the first time, and we hope to see all of you there.

I’ll talk about things to do in Columbus in a later post, but for now I want to cover the information about booking your hotel room. Our group is staying at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Columbus. This is an all-suite hotel, and our room block contains both King suites ($99 + tax) and Double Queen suites ($109 + tax). These rates are also good for Thursday night if you plan to arrive early.

You can book your room online by going to the Dingler Family Reunion page or by entering Group Code DFR (for Dingler Family Reunion in your search on the Hilton website. You can also call the hotel directly to book your room, just be sure to ask for the Dingler Family Reunion rate (rate code DFR). The hotel address and phone number are:

Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbus
6614 Whittlesey Blvd
Columbus, Georgia 31909
Tel: +1-706-568-3545

Rooms must be booked by June 26 in order to receive the discounted reunion rate.

Go book your rooms, update your calendars, and please share this information with other family members. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in July in Columbus!

Credits: Columbus map graphic courtesy of TownMapsUSA.com

Beechwood Restaurant and Lounge logo

Beechwood Restaurant and Lounge logoThe 2019 Dingler Family Reunion dinner will be held at the Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge in Vicksburg. We will meet at the restaurant at 5 PM on Saturday, July 20. We will be using our usual playbook where you will order off the menu and be responsible for your own check.

The Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge (4451 Clay St, Vicksburg, MS 39183) has been a Vicksburg favorite since 1956. We’re looking forward to seeing all y’all there for an evening of good food and family.

We have selected the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Vicksburg as our host hotel for the 2019 reunion, July 19-21, 2019. A block of rooms at discounted rates is now available to book. To book your room or rooms, call the hotel directly at 601-634-8777 and let them know you are booking a room for the Dingler Family Reunion. It is very important that you ask for the reunion rate because we need to have at least 20 rooms booked for the meeting room charge to be waived.

Details about the hotel block are listed below.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
4330 South Frontage Road
Vicksburg, MS 39180
Phone: 601-634-8777

Rates (includes hot deluxe breakfast buffet)

Room TypeNo. in RoomNightly RateTotal Nightly Rate
Single1$106 + 10% tax$116.60
Double2$106 + 10% tax$116.60
Triple3$116 + 10% tax$127.60
Quad4$126 + 10% tax$138.60

Rooms must be booked by June 19, 2019. After that date, any remaining rooms in the block will be released and the discounted rate will no longer be offered. Make sure you book your room before the deadline!

Alpine Helen & White County, Georgia

Alpine Helen & White County, Georgia

Mark your calendars for July 20-22. Those are the dates for this year’s Dingler Family Reunion. We are returning to Georgia where the “Alpine” village of Helen will be our host for the reunion weekend.  Helen has been mentioned in the past as a possible site, and everyone was enthusiastic about the suggestion when it was discussed at last year’s reunion.

Helen is in the Northeast Georgia Mountains region. While it is a small city (only 430 residents!), Helen is also Georgia’s third most visited city. The city used to be a logging town, but when the industry declined, Helen reinvented itself as a tourist destination with an alpine village theme.  It’s the charm of Bavaria, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Don’t forget to pack your Lederhosen and Dirndl!

Hotel Info

We have a block of rooms at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Helen (8220 S Main Street Helen, Georgia 30545-3649 706-878-2111).  The nightly rate is $124.99 + tax (+ $5.00/night Georgia fee). A free hot buffet breakfast is included along with complimentary WiFi, a fitness room, and an outdoor pool. You can book your room by calling the hotel at 706-878-2111. Make sure you let them know you are with the Dingler Family Reunion. The hotel is providing the meeting room at no cost as long as we book at least half of the room block, so be sure to get the reunion rate.

The deadline to book your room and take advantage of the group rate is July 13.

Now we know that the rate is a bit higher than we’ve received in the past, but the nightly rates in Helen are higher because it is a popular destination.  We think it will be worth it, so we hope to see you there. Please note that the hotel does not allow pets.

Learning More about Alpine Helen

If you are looking for more information about Alpine Helen, check out the Alpine Helen / White County Convention & Visitors Bureau website.  There you will find information on attractions, dining, shopping, and more.  You can also read the Helen Travel Guide brochure for 2018.

Alpine Helen is active on social media. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Here’s a video from their YouTube page.