Someone who lives in Minnesota and looks a lot like my younger son was asking how to organize information to share at a family reunion.

Should you take along your notebook of pedigree charts? Sure, but keep in mind that the volume which has taken you years to compile is more than most relatives will want to digest in a few hours.

Here are some ideas.

Visual presentations can work very well. Perhaps you want to do a pedigree chart that can be displayed on a wall. Such charts look like a tree turned on its side.

The display doesn’t have to go all the way back to the Mayflower. Even four or five generations will give viewers a sense of the family’s history. Do write in some dates and places. Another poster with old photos will kindle memories, too.

For descendants of a couple who had many children one idea is to do a poster for the family of each child. That “child” and spouse would be the trunk of the tree, with as many branches as are needed to show how many children the couple had.

This can be done with photographs, too. I think it was the 1986 Chamberland Family Reunion that used that approach to show the 13 children and 86 grandchildren of Belone and Edith (Chasse) Chamberland of St. Agatha.

For my mother-in-law, Rosette Chamberland Saucier, one of the 13 children, there was a photograph of her with husband Willard, and then a photograph for the families of each of their four children.

A 116-page booklet on these Chamberlands was done with vital records, some photographs and write-ups. Each of the 13 children was listed with spouse, children and spouses, and grandchildren.

You may know that one Acadian or French-Canadian family is chosen each year for a giant reunion held in conjunction with the Acadian Festival the end of June in Madawaska. This year it was the Caron Family Reunion.

Obviously, a reunion doesn’t have to involve hundreds of people, and you don’t need to put out a book. Even typing up a few pages of family information, photocopied for sharing, is a worthwhile project. And of course, please share a copy with the local historical society.

The 175th anniversary of Blanchard, first settled by Ebenezer Dean, will be held Aug. 11-12. Activities begin at noon Friday with lunches available at the town hall, bean-hole beans at 4:30 p.m. and old-time music with the General Store Musicians at 6 p.m.

Come back on Saturday for Paul Gass’ breakfast menu at 7:30 a.m., dedication of the Veterans Honor Roll at 8 a.m., World War II vets program at 8:30 a.m. and a 10 a.m. parade that will begin at the new cemetery, then proceed through the town square and south on Barrows Falls Road.

At noon, lunch will be available, and children’s games and activities; at 1 p.m., a barbecue; at 2 p.m., a skillet throw(!); and at 3 p.m., country music with Fox Hollow, alternating with Vikko Honkala and Toby Hall playing Finnish tunes. See the threshing machine demonstration. Ride on a horse-drawn wagon.

Descendants of John Taylor Hall and Adelle Munsel Hall will gather for their 41st family reunion at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at the home of Toby and Cynthia Hall, 430 Douty Road, Sangerville. Potluck lunch will be served at noon. Bring a salad, casserole or dessert to share, and an item for the auction. For information, call 564-7717.

The 10th annual Wickett Family Reunion will be held Saturday, Aug. 19, at the of Alton municipal building. A potluck lunch will be served at noon. Family members are asked to participate in the Crazy Hat Contest and to bring items for the silent auction. There will be a cake walk. For information, call Eloise McLaughlin at 394-2892.

The 11th annual Linscott Family Picnic will be held all day Sunday, Aug. 13, at Lake St. George Park in Liberty. Bring your own picnic. The event is open to all Linscotts and Linscott descendants. In case of rain, the picnic will move to Jeff and Norene Linscott’s home, Route 202 Box 208, South China. For information, call 445-3970 or e-mail jlinscott@fairpoint.net. Linscott publishes The Linscott Herald and The Whitcomb Wheel. See www.fairpoint.net/~jlinscott/herald.htm and www.fairpoint.net/

~jlinscott/wwheel.htm.

The descendants of Thomas Shorey will hold their reunion at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, at Ammadamast Grange on Route 188 in Enfield. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. Bring a covered dish or dessert, and genealogical information.

Charles Austin Joy will explore the early history of Gouldsboro in his annual address at the meeting of the Gouldsboro Historical Society at 7:30 p.m. today at the museum, 452 Route 1.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail, familyti@bangordailynews.net.