Boyack Reunion 2010 Information

Below is the information we've sent out via email about the 2010 Boyack Reunion. If you haven't been getting our emails, please contact us so we can add you to our list. Thanks!

November 5, 2009

Dearest Boyack Cousins,

We are very excited to present to you next year’s reunion, "Boyack Odyssey: Journey from Our Past into Our Future." The following is information regarding this upcoming event.

1. LOCATION: The reunion will be held in Quincy, IL, which is approximately 45 minutes south of Nauvoo. This is a nice town of about 40,000, right on the Mississippi River. This town has more amenities and available facilities for a group our size than Nauvoo itself. However, it is close enough that you can visit Nauvoo either before or after the reunion.

2. DATES: We chose the dates of July 28-31, 2010 a Wednesday through Saturday, so that those who wish to may attend the Nauvoo pageant on Saturday evening, or begin their travels elsewhere. We are staying at "America’s Best Value Inn" in Quincy (http://www.abvi-quincy.com/ ). You will be responsible for making your own hotel reservations, but mention that you are with the "Boyack Reunion" or call 1-217-224-7733. The rate is $69/night. The hotel has 3 suites that will be used for Reunion Headquarters. The regular rooms sleep 4 on beds. There are 19 sets of adjoining rooms, which will need to be reserved early. Some of the rooms have refrigerators and microwaves, but none have kitchenettes. In making your reservation, you will need to secure it with a credit card but it won’t be charged until reunion time. Any cancellations will need to be made no later than one week before the reunion.

3. If you would like to attend the Nauvoo pageant, please plan for either Tuesday evening July 27th or Saturday evening, July 31st. We will send additional information regarding the pageant at a later date. There are no tickets required to the pageant.

4. Meals: Continental breakfast is included in your hotel reservation. Lunch on Thursday is the BBQ, which is included in your registration. Dinner Thursday will be with your cousin caper group (TBD). Friday lunch is on your own during free time. Friday dinner is the banquet or provided for the kids.

5. Registration will be mostly electronic. The registration form is available here. You may fill it out and e-mail it to boyackreunion2010@yahoo.com. If you prefer to mail a check, send it to 2049 Benfar Dr., Lancaster, CA 93535 ASAP after you return your registration. We have also set up a PayPal account if you prefer. You will receive an electronic invoice shortly after e-mailing your registration, which will instruct you on how to pay on line. We will be notified when you’ve made your payment. There will be a 3% +$.30 charge for PayPal which is assessed on the invoice as "shipping" and "tax". You are welcome to make installments, but note on the registration how you would like to do that. If you know someone who needs a hard copy of the registration, please let us know.

6. Those who are registered will receive a packet of information about Quincy and the surrounding areas after January. You may also go to the Quincy website and request additional travel information which is www.seequincy.com.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at boyackreunion2010@yahoo.com or call me at 661-723-9324. You may also find information and links at www.boyack.com.

We are looking forward to a great reunion.

Sincerely, Merrilyn Hilton, Registration committee chair

(From Jeanie, January 14, 2010)

Hello Boyacks!

Happy New Year to all my cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and out-laws. Jeanie Moffitt Anderson, (Bev's daughter, Merrill's Granddaughter) writing to you on behalf of the 2010 Boyack Reunion committee. A couple months ago, we all received registration info for the 2010 Boyack Odyssey reunion. Hopefully, by now you have all read it over and discussed it with your families. Some of you have already made the decision, and gotten your family registered. Way to go! And thanks to all who have used the PayPal option. We are happy it worked out to offer that this year.

I want to remind you of the early registration incentive being offered: $5 off each person registered by Feb. 5th. We thought that might be a good motivator, given our Scottish heritage. So, you have three more weeks to procrastinate, then you need to get those registration forms in...either digitally or by mail, whichever you prefer. Click here to download the registration form. If you register by e-mail, please send a check or PayPal payment right away. Thanks.

By the end of February, I will send out welcome packets to all who have registered with many more details about the Quincy Area, travel options to Quincy and the schedule for the reunion. If you have any questions before then, please don't hesitate to call me, 417-544-1208. If you have specific questions relating to the registration process, please contact Merrilyn Hilton, our "registration specialist". 661-723-9324 or send e-mail to merrisj@yahoo.com

We look forward to seeing many of you in July.

Sincerely,

Jeanie Anderson

"2010 Boyack Odyssey" Committee Chair

(From Jeanie, February 18, 2010)

Hello Boyacks,

We are excited that many of you are already making your travel plans to come to the Boyack Odyssey 2010 reunion this July. I wanted to give a few suggestions regarding travel plans -

If you are looking at flying, the main airports to look at are St. Louis (3 hrs.), Chicago (4 hrs.) or Des Moines, Iowa (4 hours). However there are a few smaller airports that might be worth looking into, since sometimes the discount airlines service the small airports. Springfield, IL (2 hrs.) , Peoria, IL (2 hrs.), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (3 hrs.) or Springfield, MO (6 hours away, but close to Branson :) Quincy has one airline called Cape Air that offers flights from STL (St. Louis) for $49 each way. Amtrak is also a possibility since it travels right to Quincy from Chicago if you fly into there. There is also an Amtrak route that goes through Salt Lake City and comes out this direction. I think the travel time is 22 hours or so to get to IL, but it would be an adventure, and maybe would be cheaper than flying.

And one more airport that I wanted to bring to your attention is the new Branson Airport, now flying Frontier and Air Tran. I just saw an ad today (which motivated me to write this message) that says Frontier has $89 flights each way from SLC to Branson, Missouri. Perhaps this is not a good idea for the reunion since Branson is a 7 hour drive from Quincy, but please keep it in mind if any of you want to come visit Branson some other time. In case you have not caught it in past messages, my husband and I are living in Branson now. Garrett is the Economic Development director for the city. Now, I want to make it clear that I am not promoting visiting Branson instead of attending the reunion. However, I feel it my duty to promote Branson tourism every chance I get since the city provides our paycheck. It is a great city.

We have 15 families committed to attending the reunion so far, with several more yet to register (we hope). I know economic times are bleak right now, but the trip to visit Nauvoo and Quincy, IL will be worth the sacrifice required to get there. When Merrilyn and I visited last summer to make plans for the reunion, I couldn't help but notice the peaceful feeling there on the banks of the Mississippi. It is a special place with a special history. I am excited to spend a few days in that area with so many of you special people.

During the first week of March I will be sending out packets in the mail with travel and tourism information as well as schedule information for the reunion. I am planning to send them to all who have already registered. If any of you have not yet registered, but want to make sure I send you a packet to help you in your decision making, please contact me and let me know.

Thanks for reading, love you all!

Jeanie Anderson

janderson2001@byu.net

p.s. please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions regarding the reunion plans or your travel plans. 618-918-8008