May 2015 "Show and Tell" A Huge Success

In May 2015 those attending the TriCity Genealogical Society Meeting enjoyed a Show and Tell. Interaction provided a social aspect to exchanging research success stories and encouraging fresh ideas.

Tables were made available along the windowed wall and in the back of the Captain’s Table restaurant at the Clover Island Inn. These tables were soon filled with poster board displays, books, artifacts, photographs, and much more. After dinner and a quick Business Meeting the Program Chairperson, Barbara Christensen, explained that the only rule for the evening was that everyone had to get up from their chair and look at what had been put on display. Within minutes the room was full of enthusiastic conversation.

One of the most challenging aspects of a Show and Tell is how to focus research to emphasize one topic to share with a group. It was fascinating to see the variety of this focus from various members. One member built a family tree of the earliest known photograph of each of their ancestors. Another member focused on their lineage of military history. Yet another member proved an interesting point in history showing that their ancestor was an esteemed religious leader yet treated his slaves as property. Cherished artifacts, interesting reference material, and published works were also on display.

Comments from those that attended the meeting tell the story from their personal perspective. Dorothy Stamper McGhan shared, “This was a good meeting last night and I enjoyed it very much.  I feel I have met new friends.” Sandra Meacham Floberg won the big prize of the raffle and posted this on Facebook, “I want to thank the generous donor of the WSGS Conference Package which consisted of the conference registration fee and a credit card toward expenses. I won all of that for just $1! You could have been the winner if you had attended the TCGS meeting last night. It was an enjoyable evening of sharing some of our family histories and learning about current social media. If you didn't attend you missed a great time!”

The evening finally came to an end with several requests to make the Show and Tell an annual event. Barbara Christensen smiled, realizing that the evening had been a huge success and acknowledged that this would not be the last Show and Tell for the TriCity Genealogical Society.