By Michael Daniels
Journal Staff Writer
The location was convenient and wonderful, the weather was great, the time was right, and the turnout was substantial. A lot of people showed up with the majority of them being relatives, who took part in the Barnhill Family Reunion, over the Labor Day weekend. The reunion took place at the shelter house at Walbridge Park on Saturday September 3, 2022.
The family reunion was the brainchild of Mr. Dale Barnhill Sr., who said, “This is our first family reunion on my dad’s side. My mom always had them, for her side of the family, so I decided to do this one for his side. There are people in the family who do not even know they are related. I wanted to get everyone together so we all can see who is who.”
To get it going Mr. Dale talked to his brothers and sisters about the idea and it caught on and became a family affair. He has four sisters and one brother in Toledo. He also has six children of his own. Everyone who could pitch in and made it happen. With all the nieces and nephews, cousins, grandchildren, friends, etc. more than sixty people attended the reunion.
Reunion.
Many family members at the reunion could be identified by the green T-shirts they were wearing that said, ‘Barnhill, Our Roots Run Deep, But Our Love Runs Deeper.’ This motto rang true as the Barnhill clan enjoyed themselves just being all together. After eating a delicious home cooked summertime meal of barbecue and salads, the group was entertained with several live musical numbers and they also gave out prizes. There was also a real ice cream truck outside the shelter house exclusively for the Barnhill family serving free ice cream for dessert.
If anyone wanted to remember the moment, there was a free picture booth available for the family. At one point, everyone joined hands and made a circle around the room in solidarity. When all was said and done, the family reunion was a roaring success.
Next, Mr. Barnhill would like to have a family reunion with the family in the north and the family in the south together. Mr. Barnhill said, “I love my family.” One of the things that made this reunion special for the family was that before COVID-19 they basically all went to the same church where Mr. Barnhill’s sister, Sheila Early was the pastor. During that time, the family saw each other on a regular basis. Unfortunately, she passed away and the church closed after which they did not see each other as often. So, this year’s reunion was welcomed thing.
Mr. Barnhill would like to thank his wife, Beverly Barnhill and Rochelle and Rodney, Barnhill and Stacey Woodson, for their help.
