Here are some issues that were brought to our attention that we want to throw out for discussion. To post your comment, click on the "comments" just below this post and add yours. Choose "anonymous" and be sure to sign your name.
1. FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER SERVE TIME SHOULD BE EXTENDED MORE THAN AN HOUR. The problem with this is food spoilage and getting the kitchen cleaned up. Food should sit out a maximum of 2 hours, including prep time for health safety concerns. If people arrive after cleanup has started, the refrigerator is two steps away and the taco salad can be pulled back out. Also, we need to respect those people who sign up for cleanup and not make it harder for them to clean up. Pushing dinner later can have them cleaning up later and missing out on the evening events. I think this year dinner was ready a little early and the food was left out past the "end time", so it was extended a bit.
2. PLATES FOR DINNER - NON-DIVIDED PLATES ARE NEEDED FOR TACO SALAD; DIVIDED PLATES ARE GOOD FOR SPAGHETTI DINNER. Agree. And some people prefer one over the other altogether. We will be sure next year to specify if you are to bring divided or non-divided plates. If you are on prep for Friday or Saturday night dinner next year keep this in mind for your set up.
3. PARK KNIVES ARE DULL AND A GOOD SPATULA FOR PANCAKES IS NEEDED. Wanda has agreed to purchase a good reunion knive and spatula and donate them. She will clearly label them so they do not get mixed in with the park's utensils. Please keep this in mind if you are doing cleanup.
4. GREASE WAS NEEDED FOR PANCAKES SUNDAY MORNING. There was an entire tub of butter leftover during the refrigerator clean-out, so this appears to be an oversight.
5. REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SAUSAGE BY A SMALL AMOUNT. Reducing food amounts is always tricky. This year Jayne Milligan took inventory Saturday night and purchased for Sunday based on what leftovers we had. I think we did a pretty good job of not having leftovers. The difficult thing with reducing the amounts people bring is that we don't know for sure how much people are bringing. If we say bring 50 servings, people may be buying 80 servings. In my opinion it is better to have too much than not enough and the leftovers get taken home (thus not wasted). The best solution - if you bring food for a meal, you should check before you leave whether there are leftovers and if there are take them home. I know, for example, Alice brought back syrup this year from last year and it was used.
6. THERE WAS 3LBS OF COFFEE LEFTOVER. I think this can come off the South's food list for next year.
7. YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE NEEDED TO STAY FOR CAMP CHECK-OUT. I completely agree. Ed/Wanda & Aunt Barbara/Uncle Ray were the only ones who volunteered. They did a great job - and can tell you all how easy it was I'm sure. However, there are so many of us that we need to be able to all pitch in for this responsibility. Wanda and Dan ended up staying for the South and we stayed until after check-out too. The reason for the "younger" criteria is that some people did not return their beds so this needed to be done by... well Dan. If you have tried to move those beds, you know it isn't a one person job.
8. THERE SHOULD BE AN AGE LIMIT ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHORES. What is the age limit? I think at the point you feel you are unable to participate in any of the chores just let Michele know rather than putting an age limit on it. Several people who I think might fit into this category repeatedly asked me what more they could do to help. So I am not sure of the depth behind the comment. My thought is that as long as you are able to help with chores you should. Maybe it is just wiping down tables or supervising a meal or clean-up. Obviously, we didn't ask Marie to sign up for anything. :) Instead of thinking about not helping, think of a ways that you can help.
9. THE YOUNGER PEOPLE NEED TO GET MORE INVOLVED. I agree. I would take it even a step further and say that the younger people need to care more about getting involved. Not that they don't, but we need to involve and include them in ways so that this reunion means as much to them as it does to us and they take more ownership for it - they are the future. This year I think this was accomplished by Michele ensuring that everyone was signed up for a job. We should think of other ways too that would keep the younger crew more involved.
10. IT SEEMED THAT SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER WAS NOT WELL-ATTENDED. Maybe this is just perception because it was so spread out. At Lincoln people are usually lined up waiting for dinner. I wonder a couple things: maybe people ate lunch after softball and therefore were not hungry for dinner, or we were just so scattered that people did not come back for dinner.
Another Update
11 years ago
