Eugene Mahoney State Park, Ashland, Nebraska, site of the family reunion of the descendants of Clint and Mary Troutman this past September 29, is a long way from York, PA. But family calls and we must travel. This is about living family members--mostly. Only one tombstone photo.
First, Myron and I drove from York to Anderson, Indiana, our home of thirty-five years, and spent two nights and a day, then we drove on to Nebraska. But this time, on the way, we took a detour from our usual route, I-74 northwest from Indianapolis to I-80 west across Iowa. For years as we have sped through Iowa on I-80, we have talked about visiting Centerville, Iowa, home of Myron's 2x great-grandparents, Isaac and Elizabeth Brokaw. But it's off the beaten path of the interstate highway, so we said, another time, maybe. This was the time. Instead of going to I-80, we detoured from I-74 and took IL state road 136 west to Keokuk, Iowa, then a little jaunt north on IA state road 218 to state road 2 west through southern Iowa.
We arrived in Centerville about 2:00 p.m. or so to see lawn chairs lined up around the court house square. "Is there going to be a parade?" we asked a man on the street. "Yes," he said. "Tomorrow is pancake day." He proceeded to tell us all about the celebration to come, an annual event, sort of like a fall festival, but they offer free pancakes to the community. The town hosts two parades, one for kids and one for adults, then there are bands, and games, and in the evening a queen contest.
We walked around the square and found the information center, got a brochure about the big day, and walked to a historical museum. There we asked about how to find the cemetery, and a woman gave us a map of it so we could find the graves of Myron's ancestors. Her directions were perfect, and we found the grave stones easily.
Despite the fact that the Centerville detour added hours to our travel day, it was worth every minute. We love small towns and their celebrations, and Centerville had the spirit. If only we could have stayed another day to eat pancakes, but Nebraska beckoned us onward.
After dark, we arrived at Mahoney State Park where our cousins greeted us, but we were road weary, so with hugs and a promise to meet for breakfast, we collapsed on our beds.
Next day, to recovering from surgery, our cousin Connee and her husband couldn't come to the reunion, so after lunch, nine of us took the reunion to them. Pics below.
Zola and Connee Sunday, sunshine and mild temperatures made reunion day the best. Our numbers were small, but we had a great time. I missed getting a picture of Matt and the teenagers and Roger and Roxanne Meyer, descendants of Clint's brother J. W. "Bud" Troutman--so glad they could come--but here are some of our smiling faces:
It's good to reconnect with cousins. Many years ago, we were young and playing on the grounds of Uncle Jim's farm or exploring Uncle Carl's store in Winside, and such. We had family dinners at one home or the other and we were one big family. Some of our cousins have passed on and we miss them, so we look forward to the big reunion in the sky someday. Now we're scattered here and there, and our bones are getting creaky, but we make it back as often as possible to see reconnect and preserve the family tradition. Families are the best!
God bless us, every one!
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