“ I knew those were Arnold dumplings!” she laughed.
When I was young, this was a traditional“ dinner on the grounds.” The meal would be served and eaten picnic style, in the shade of large trees on the cemetery property adjoining the church. Nowadays, there is a fine, large“ fellowship hall” equipped with a kitchen and all the conveniences, including indoor plumbing.
Brown County is a natural place for reunion gatherings, and a spin through the State Park on almost any weekend will reveal dozens of family groups gathering to picnic, play, and be with one another.
My own family reunions have been a study in contrasts. While the Arnolds tend to be gregarious, outgoing, salt-of-the-earth types, my Tryon relatives are more often taciturn, diffident, self-contained.
If you randomly released ten Tryons into a large room full of 100 people socializing, within a very short period of time, all ten would be standing in a circle somewhere in the back talking quietly with one another. That’ s just the way they are— they only truly like other Tryons.
I love my Arnold cousins. We were all kids together swimming or catching fireflies, playing outside while the adults visited— running wild in Brown County.
When we were at the funeral of my last Arnold aunt, I told my cousin,“ We only see each other at funerals, and now there aren’ t going to be any more funerals.”
She got together with her Alabama counterpart in getting stuff done and for a few years they were throwing some bangin’ family reunions, alternating between“ Down South” and“ Up North.”
But, we overworked our strong organizers and arrangers, and the whole thing kind of ran out of steam. Maybe we’ ll get back to it sometime soon.
The annual“ Old Settlers” meeting goes back to 1877, but whether or not it will be held this year is still up in the air. It has been held in various places over the years, most recently at the Pioneer Village adjoining the Brown County History Center.
When I was young, Old Settlers was and seemed always to have been held at“ Cluppers Grove” outside Bean Blossom. I recall an event in which boys would attempt to climb a greased pole to obtain a five dollar bill at the top.
Summer is reunion time, a time for coming together again after a period of separation. A time for social gatherings of certain groups of people who have not seen each other for some time.
But a part of reunion is union, unity. Reunion is the process of being brought together again as a unified whole. Along with simple human contact, I think we need to put an end to the stark division and conflict in our society.
Maybe a reunion is a good place to start. •
July / August 2021 • Our Brown County 39