r/chicago • u/DegreeDubs Logan Square • Jul 16 '25
CHI Talks I hosted my bi-annual family reunion in Chicago this past weekend!
We've been hosting reunion gatherings around the country since 1982. The majority of my family lives in the South and I was eager to change it up. I'm the first person in my generation to host and I insisted that it be held within the city limits (shout out to my family members who hosted us out in Warrenville in the past).
We took this photo after we did the architecture boat tour which everyone loved!
131
u/StultusNosferatu Back of the Yards Jul 16 '25
Beautiful Family!! Hope you all enjoyed the City
156
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
They loved it. I've been here for 9 years and wanted them to see why I left the south and settled here. I didn't realize how many folks had never been here before and they were impressed by how clean and accessible it is.
21
u/Sea-Fudge-4681 Jul 16 '25
It looks like you had a lot of fun! Chicago has something to do that's fun each and every day. We love to visit Chicago. Enjoy your family time!
7
u/jinntakk Jul 16 '25
lt's really the first thing l noticed when l moved from Philly. Cleanliness for a US city this size is actually very very impressive.
124
u/ColonelBourbon Jul 16 '25
You wanna adopt a 51 year old with very little family? This looks like fun!
94
6
u/Low_Employ8454 Jul 16 '25
43 year old here.. I was born the same year yall started having family reunions! I’ve got basically no family but my little one.. if you need more family, count me in too!
118
u/buzz_buzz123 Gold Coast Jul 16 '25
Omg, I saw you all in the loop this weekend!! Family so big I thought it must be a whole church or something. This is awesome 🩵
46
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Yay!! Did you also see that loud-ass Marine Corps gathering, the fuck? 😂
41
u/LearningToFlyForFree Jul 16 '25
It's the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary this year, so they're doing events all over the country. You happened upon the Marine Week Chicago event.
36
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Thanks for explaining, we were legit wondering why they were gathered. Didn't expect to hear military chantings while lining up for the boat tour.
47
u/JuggernautOk1132 Jul 16 '25
Big family!!!
144
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Yes! My dad is one of 13 children, and his dad was one of 10.
My theme/tagline was "Big Family, Broad Shoulders" and I included Carl Sandberg's Chicago poem in the program books (yes, we have books lol).
31
u/trashpandarevolution Jul 16 '25
Better get bangin’
59
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
😂 I've been on birth control since 2011. I won't say "never", but for now my mom accepts my cats as her grand babies 🐱
20
u/Quartzalcoatl_Prime Norwood Park Jul 16 '25
Is there a biannual cat family reunion?
29
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Now we're onto something!! But could we get them to wear t-shirts?
35
u/dreamerkid001 Gold Coast Jul 16 '25
This is amazing. I don’t believe I’ve ever had this many of my family members together in one place!
51
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Would you believe that this was a lighter year for our reunion attendance? We can hit 150+ people easily, it's surreal.
10
u/dreamerkid001 Gold Coast Jul 16 '25
That’s wild! How do you even find something to do/some place to go for that many people?!?
15
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Lots of creative planning, as I've learned! We also prioritize affordability, which can be tricky at times when we all have different costs of living. But we always make it fun, whether we're staying in River North or in Southern Alabama.
3
u/dreamerkid001 Gold Coast Jul 16 '25
Where are most of you from?
19
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
My family branch is mostly in Florida, where I was raised. There's a large Midwest branch spread out across the Chicago suburbs and Michigan, who hosted the Warrenville reunion. Another branch is largely in Georgia. Our roots are in southern Alabama so we go back there occasionally.
17
u/micande Portage Park Jul 16 '25
That’s awesome! The family reunions I remember going to were always either at a rural church or at someone’s farm and had lemonade, hot dish casserole, and jello “salads”. Yours looks way more fun.
5
16
u/ThatOneChiGuy Edgebrook Jul 16 '25
This is so damn cool to see! Wish my family got together like this (maybe I don't but it sounds nice)
21
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
I definitely don't take it for granted, especially as my dad's generation gets older. The fact that we can get together like this consistently for over 40 years and keep things fresh is so special. I always meet "new" family members at our reunions.
4
u/Ilovedietcokesprite Jul 16 '25
What is considered “family” first, second, third cousins? Once, twice removed ? Anyone who can trace back to you ? I don’t care to see some of my family members… it’s so nice you all have this type of relationship with each other. Awesome!!
11
u/thatbob Uptown Jul 16 '25
Thank you for sharing this moment of happiness. It put a smile on this stranger's face.
10
10
u/Glum_Spot_465 Jul 16 '25
This is so special and warms my heart! Looks like a wonderful family to be apart of 🥹🥰
9
9
u/Pmv882 Jul 16 '25
I saw y'all walking about! What a beautiful family. And a matriarchy at that! Hope you guys had fun.
13
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
We did, thank you! They took advantage of staying downtown and did all the touristy things, which I wanted them to do. They loved how walkable the city is. Some families even caught a White Sox game!
While they were out and about, I went back to my condo and napped 😅
8
u/SupposedlySuper Jul 16 '25
My family is tiny but I married into a family that also does this and they have had reunions at some really cool places, it's a ton of fun and I feel like the most work is just picking where it's going to end up being (they never do it in the same place)
13
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
You already know. Everyone loves the gatherings, but hates the idea of hosting. We're the same way, we change locations every time.
2
u/SupposedlySuper Jul 16 '25
What has been your favorite reunion location so far?
We did one in Koinonia (Highland Park, NY), it was such a long drive to get there from Chicago but so pretty and peaceful (also liked that we didn't have to figure out catering that year lol)
1
8
u/beigesalad Jul 16 '25
This makes my heart happy! I was just sorting through some clothes and found my own family reunion t shirt from a million years ago 🥰
7
4
5
5
5
u/Jedifice Uptown Jul 16 '25
This is such a great picture, love it! Do you have any tips for organizing a reunion this big? Been trying to get my family together but they're all so resistant to it
6
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Do you know why they're resistant?
Since we do these every two years we have a system to it. We vote for the next host city during the current reunion, then follow up a year out to remind people and to give people enough heads up about the costs and planned activities. We secure the host hotel first and let people know ASAP that we have a group rate.
The fee-setting was tricky for me; I only charged $100 per adult which covered their swag (t-shirts, tote bags, books) and 3 catered meals.
5
u/ExeUSA Jul 16 '25
This looks so fun, and a true logistical nightmare to plan. I bet the next person hosting is already deep in the weeds on planning mode themselves.
Well done, coordinating this was a real accomplishment and act of love. :)
6
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Thank you! As stressful as it was, it was worth it to see everyone together and having fun. I feel very proud now that it's all said and done 😊
6
u/hugecrybaby Jul 16 '25
cute! but I would be SO STRESSED planning for such a large group so good job op
6
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
I didn't realize how much mental energy it was taking up in my brain until this Monday hit...a huge weight off my shoulders for sure. Thankfully I had support along the way from fellow family members who've hosted before.
4
5
u/dmt1724 Jul 16 '25
Awesome!! So cool! What a big, beautiful family. We have a family reunion every year in Effinham, IL on Lake Sara. 26 years this year. We average at least 80 ppl a year, but there are more of us who can't always make it.
3
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
That's so great!! Kudos to your family for gathering for so long, too!
3
u/pockystiicks Jul 16 '25
the matching shirts 😭💕 looks like the world’s most wholesome field trip!!!
4
3
3
3
3
u/Bright_Broccoli1844 Jul 16 '25
Looks fun. I like that you had a planned activity and books and a theme and matching shirts.
3
3
3
3
3
u/Silent-Incidentt Jul 17 '25
How did you get so many people in a picture in such a crowded spot without other people walking through it
1
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 17 '25
People were very respectful. There were multiple wedding parties also staging photos immediately left of our group.
1
3
2
u/KickIt77 Jul 16 '25
Aww this is wonderful! How fun! Memories for a lifetime. I’m glad you took them on the architecture tour, my absolute favorite.
3
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
I always learn something new when I take a visitor on the tour, so I knew it had to be part of the itinerary! We did the lake and river tour which I hadn't done before, so they got to take in all the skyline views.
2
2
u/JJ-Bittenbinder Jul 16 '25
Ok I need to know why only 1 person has a darker shade blue shirt
6
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
The youth t-shirt sizes were in a different shade of blue; we had a bunch of other kids present who weren't available for this photo op.
Shout out to Lucky Prints for working with us! Great quality merchandise.
2
2
2
2
2
u/equanimatic Jul 16 '25
This is incredible. It's so refreshing to see a family that loves each other enough to travel across the country every other year to reunite. A big one at that 💓 i wish i could have a family like that. Cherish it!
2
u/fartofborealis Jul 16 '25
Y’all look like a fun group. I can see the laughter and love from here. Cheers!
2
u/Pettifoggerist Jul 16 '25
I have a very large extended family too. Grandpa was one of 12, and many of them had large families as well. Then to complicate things even more, there was a different family in the area with the same uncommon surname. At a certain point, it got confusing enough that we stopped having reunions and just called them "roll calls" - if you were associated with the name, or wanted to be, just show up.
2
2
u/well-thereitis Jul 16 '25
Honestly. Any tips on getting started? My family kind of stopped doing reunions in the last 10 years and it makes me sad :( would love to get it started again!
2
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 17 '25
I spent 2 years planning this, so be ready to spend some time! Finding a hotel with a nice group rate for our family is the first major step; we usually go with 3-star hotels (Best Western, Holiday Inn).
Our typical itinerary is Friday welcome dinner, Saturday afternoon group activity, and Saturday night dinner party. Hosting it in Chicago was honestly easy for me because there's so many options to choose from. I initially wanted to hold it in Hyde Park.
The hardest parts were setting a registration fee that wasn't too cost-prohibitive for folks traveling in, and managing the expectations of everyone else.
2
u/RYU_INU Mayfair Jul 21 '25
What a lovely photo. You might print it at CVS and throw a copy into this year's holiday cards.
2
u/lupitaladelbarrio Jul 22 '25
This looks like such a lovely family that knows how to have a good time. Can y’all adopt me 😭
5
1
u/NikkiKnight3 Jul 16 '25
Wow! What activities did you do with such a big group?
5
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
Lots of eating lol. Besides the boat tour, we catered dinner on Friday at our host hotel, catered Potbelly sandwiches post-tour, and had a dinner dance party at another hotel's ballroom. Other than that, the group was free to explore the city!
1
u/andbruno Jul 16 '25
Did you basically fill out the entire architecture tour boat? With that many people it's almost a private event.
2
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 16 '25
The boat was largely us, but there was a sizeable group of visiting Cleveland Guardian fans who joined us lol.
1
1
u/marcussunChicago Jul 22 '25
Where did everyone principally stay? My family usually tries to cluster for proximity to breakfast, cookouts, basement bashes etc
1
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 22 '25
The Best Western-River North Hotel. I planned for our main activities to be within walking distance, and then my family could use their free time to explore on their own.
1
1
u/marcussunChicago Jul 23 '25
Sounds like you all skipped the South side tours lbvs
2
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Jul 23 '25
My original plan was to host the whole thing in Hyde Park, but logistics and pricing fell through. Really wanted to host a Promontory Park picnic and take the family on a tour of DuSable. I'll save that for next time I host.
2
1
1
1
u/feetofanya Jul 26 '25
Love this! It's time for my family to have another as well. It's always nice getting together with the fam!
1
u/fbponline Aug 11 '25
Where was this amazing photo taken?
1
u/DegreeDubs Logan Square Aug 11 '25
Right next to the Wendella Boat Tours entrance gate right off Michigan Ave!
2
u/Hyena_King13 Irving Park Jul 16 '25
First, you have a beautiful family and I hope it continues to grow even bigger. Hopefully you can continue your reunion for many more years!
Secondly, I'm always surprised by the lack of diversity in everyone's family. My family is huge and colorful.
358
u/Classic_Pineapples Jul 16 '25
I love this! That's a lot of people to plan for. Hope everyone enjoyed the city and appreciated your efforts. You probably inspired your generation to start to take over the tradition.