A few things to consider as the date of the reunion approaches:

1. Please remember to send a list of names for family members planning to attend to this email address no later than July 2. We will need this list to allow access to the Saturday picnic site (Ft. Meade). Remember, if there is even a small chance someone may attend, please include their name since base access is restricted and you will not be allowed on base if you are not on the list. Thank you to everyone who has already turned in their list.
2. The block of discounted rooms that we've reserved at La Quinta Inn - BWI will expire July 2 as well, so please make your reservations soon! There are also many other options in the area for hotels if you'd refer to choose an alternate location. As of June 15 there are still plenty of rooms left, but we'll need to know soon if we need to expand the block so please make reservations soon!
3. In the past, each sibling's family (siblings = the children of Joseph and Mary Essex) has chosen a color, specific t-shirt, etc. for their members to wear to the picnic to help identify the different branches. Please consult with your families and let me know what color (if any) your family would like to use or if you plan to have shirts made for your family. Please include a few options as we'll "assign" them on a first-come, first-serve basis.
4. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available. Food options (including cost) for the picnic will be impacted by the total number of attendees so we will provide more information about that after the July 2 deadline. We'll also try to provide some options for a Sunday morning activity as well at that time. Friday evening has traditionally been informal gatherings at the hotel. We purposefully chose a hotel with an outdoor pool and a little lobby area in case people would like to visit on Friday after checking in. There are also numerous restaurants in the general vicinity.