Skelly Reunion

Minutes of the May 19, 2024, Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley, Liza Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Annmarie Flynn, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough

Funding – Francis Landrey reported that we are on track to cover our expenses. The response rate for paying the per person attendance fee is still lagging with 57 attendees paying so far.

Survey – Liza Bradley reported that there will be 144 attendees. With this number in hand, Dan and Mary Bradley will meet with the hotel and the caterer later this week to finalize menus. Other topics for review with the hotel – a screen for Saturday’s singalong; a microphone and sound system in the room for Saturday’s dinner; easels and tables for displays.

Security – Don McCullough will now finalize arrangements for a police officer from 8:30 to 11:30 at the Hurd House. The request for a fire truck to entertain the kiddies while at the park is under consideration by the fire department.

T-Shirts, Name Tags, Welcome Packet – Liza has almost complete responses for t-shirts. Dan will meet with the t-shirt vender to prepare a mock-up of the shirt. Susie Bradley shared a picture of the nametags that she is preparing. (They look super!) We will need 5 colors for the stickers – One for the descendants of William Ryan (red?); one for the descendants of Esther Bradley (blue?); one for the descendants of Marion Lynch (yellow?); one for the descendants of Bartholomew Skelly (orange?); and one for the Skellys from Ireland (green). Francis will provide the stickers. The color coding will be done on-site at the hotel on Friday June 28. We also discussed coding the nametags as follows – the number 5 for a member of Gen5; the number 5.1 (or 5+) for a spouse/partner of a Gen5 member; the number 6 for a member of Gen 6 and so on sand so forth. This number could be added to the stickers. We also discussed the information packet for the reunion. Francis, Dan and Liza will work to prepare the welcome packet. The welcome packet, t-shirts and nametags will be assembled Friday morning.

Skelly Family Story Committee – In advance of the meeting Gregory Landrey circulated his report on the activities of the FSC. He has rounded up all the images he proposes to use for the booklet. We agreed to allot one hour and 15 minutes for the FSC presentation on Friday evening which will take place after dinner (while eating dessert). The booklet is on schedule to be completed by June 20 -- in time for the reunion.

Singalong –Rosemary Lounsbury will work with Susie to prepare the PowerPoint of lyrics.

Activities Committee – The Activities Committee will meet on May 21 and will confirm equipment needs and assignments for activities.

Group Photo –Francis will speak with the photographer to determine whether the plan to move the photo to the barn in the event of rain works for her.

Task Assignments –There is still much to be done to coordinate task assignments. We currently have three sources of information – the website, activities committee spreadsheet, and Liza’s survey results. Lots of volunteers but chaos if we do not get this organized. We also discussed that we have many volunteers to bring baked goods for the Saturday picnic. Again, we need to get this activity organized. Francis, Dan and Liza will prepare a proposed task list for our next meeting.

Communications – Annmarie Flynn made the valid point that we will need to establish a means of communicating with one another while at the reunion.

Parking – Given the severely limited parking at the Hurd House, we agreed that except for those with mobility issues, attendees will park at Hollow Park.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – June 2 at 7:00.

Minutes of the May 5, 2024, Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Susan Bradley, Liza Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Annmarie Flynn, Kathy Burns, Mary McQueeney, John Lynch

Funding – Francis Landrey reported that we are on track to cover our expenses. The response rate for paying the per person attendance fee is lagging. Liza Bradley plans to circulate an email reminding folks of the fee and the May12 deadline for payment.

Survey – Liza provided an update on the survey results. She shows 144 people attending. She is working on updating her spreadsheets and will circulate a list of attendees. We can now proceed to finalize our numbers with the hotel for dinners Friday and Saturday and finalize our arrangements with the caterer for Saturday’s breakfast and picnic. Dan and Mary Bradley will take the lead with the hotel and the caterer. When doing so, they will also confirm that the hotel will have a screen available for our use Saturday evening.

Security – Don McCullough was unable to attend the meeting. Francis will follow up to get an update on his discussions with the police department.

T-Shirts & Name Tags – A good deal of time was spent on this all important subject. Liza still needs to hear from a number of people regarding shirt sizes. Color – azure blue with a gold theme for the logo. Francis to discuss further with Dan Bradley but because it would likely cost more for images on both front and back we agreed to just go with a logo on the front. Shirts for non-attendees – we agreed that attendees will reach out to the members of their family who are unable to attend to determine interest in receiving t-shirts and size information. We need complete information by May 20 so that Dan can place the order. Once Liza has completed her list of attendees, Susie Bradley can prepare the name tags. We agreed to color-code the name tags by Gen3 family group. The color coding will be done on-site at the hotel on Friday June 28.

Skelly Family Story Committee –Gregory Landrey reported on the activities of the FSC. He is still looking for some images to include in the booklet and asked that people forward to him any of the images he is missing. The booklet is on schedule to be completed in time for the reunion. Gregory has lined up a blacksmith for a demonstration and will determine whether he can include something for the kids to take home with them.

Singalong –Rosemary Lounsbury has completed her survey of favorite songs and will now forward the lyrics to Susie for the PowerPoint.

Activities Committee – The Activities Committee will meet again the week of May 19 and will confirm equipment needs and assignments for activities.

Group Photo – Kathleen Wilson and Susie will take overall responsibility on-site at the Hurd House for ensuring that family groups report at their designated times. Kathleen will work on establishing the family groupings. Francis will speak with the photographer to determine the appropriate number of people in each group.

Donations -- We plan to make donations to the Old Woodbury Historical Society and to the church. For the church, Mary McQueeney will determine whether there is a suggested amount. The committee seemed to agree that in the absence of guidelines from the church a donation of $200 seems appropriate. For the OWHS we discussed the possibility of individual donations and the plan surrounding Christine Savage’s painting of the house as we knew it. Francis also proposed that whatever funds are left in the LLC’s account after all the bills are paid be donated to the OWHS.

Task Assignments –There is still much to be done to coordinate task assignments. We currently have three sources of information – the website, activities committee spreadsheet and Liza’s survey results. Lots of volunteers but chaos if we do not get this organized. We also discussed that we have many volunteers to bring baked goods for the Saturday picnic. Again, we need to get this activity organized.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – May 19 at 7:00.

Minutes of the April 21, 2024, Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley, Susan Bradley, Liza Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney

Budget & Funding – Francis Landrey provided a summary of our funding efforts. Dan Bradley prepared an updated budget that was circulated in advance of the meeting. Bottom line – funds and anticipated expenses roughly match. The budget does not yet account for a contribution to the Historical Society or the church.

Survey – Liza Bradley will now prepare and circulate a list of attendees. We are now expecting 140 attendees. We agreed that we should follow up at some point to remind folks to let us know if their plans change. We can now proceed to finalize our numbers with the hotel for dinners Friday and Saturday and finalize our arrangements with the caterer for Saturday’s breakfast and picnic.

Security – Don McCullough has talked with the Woodbury police department and obtained information regarding the arrangements for a police officer to assist with security during our time at the Hurd House. We agreed to plan for a police officer on site at the Hurd House from 8:30 to 11:30. Given Michael Skelly’s involvement in founding the local fire department, Don will reach out to the fire department to determine their interest in having a fire truck serenade us during our time at the park. Don will also come prepared with a first aid kit.

T-Shirts –We discussed whether to have different colored shirts for each family group. Because to do so is complicated, the committee decided instead to code the name tags with different colored stickers. Susie Bradley has volunteered to prepare nametags. We plan to add the stickers when in Woodbury. We also agreed to provide t-shirts and a booklet to those not able to attend.

Skelly Family Story Committee – In advance of the meeting Gregory Landrey circulated a report on the activities of the FSC.

Singalong – We agreed that once Rosemary Lounsbury has more input from committee members and others regarding the songs they would like to sing she will prepare the list of songs and forward the lyrics to Susie in time to prepare the PowerPoint for the singalong.

Activities Committee – The Activities Committee met on April 14. Francis reported that the planned activities are well in hand with equipment needs and other logistics largely sorted out. Carrie Meise has prepared a spreadsheet tracking the activities, volunteers for staffing each, and the suppliers of the necessary equipment. We will now need to incorporate into Carrie’s spreadsheet the information from the survey seeking folks to volunteer for identified tasks.

Other Logistics – Kathy Burns volunteered Rick to help with any electrical needs. Transportation needs for those arriving at Bradley were discussed. For the PowerPoint with lyrics we will need to ensure that there is a screen in the dining room for Saturday evening. We will need to sort out an efficient process for organizing family groups for the group photo.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – May 5 at 7:00.

Minutes of the April 7, 2024, Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Susan Bradley, Lisa Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Annmarie Flynn, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney

Budget & Funding – Francis Landrey provided a summary of our funding efforts. The budget and funding are a close match – roughly $50,000 for each. Once we have the survey results and some final numbers from some vendors, we will be able to put firmer numbers on the budget. The budget does not yet account for a contribution to the Historical Society or the cost of security.

Survey – Liza Bradley reported on the survey results. With more than a 90% response rate, we are expecting 136 attendees, with 129 for dinner Friday and 136 for dinner on Saturday. Don reported that three of the Skellys from Ireland will also be attending. Once we have final survey results, we can finalize our numbers with the hotel for dinners Friday and Saturday and finalize our arrangements with the caterer for Saturday’s breakfast and picnic.

Communications – the Next Step – Liza and Francis will now work on a draft email to all attendees to provide further details regarding plans for the reunion. The email will cover the following topics – 1) $50 per attendee (12 and over) fee; 2) if people want to request a fee waiver, contact Don McCullough; 3) a process for assigning tasks to attendees; 4) t-shirt size information; 5) song requests; 6) the alcohol policy at the park. There was some discussion regarding the alcohol policy. We will not be serving alcohol and have obtained insurance and the park permit on the assurance that we would not be serving alcohol. Some may wish to bring their own. In our email we will discourage people from doing so. We do not want to run afoul of the town policies regarding alcohol and will note in our email that there will be plenty of time later Friday evening and Saturday evening to socialize with a beer or two. Francis will shortly circulate a draft email.

T-Shirts –Mary Bradley reported that Daniel Bradley has been in touch with the vendor who needs final numbers on t-shirts by mid-May.

Skelly Family Story Committee – Gregory Landrey gave a report on the activities of the FSC. Work on the family story booklet and the Friday presentation are proceeding. There was some discussion, but no decision reached, regarding the number of booklets to be printed. There was also some discussion regarding the family trees that Kathleen Wilson has prepared. Costs preclude the use of fold-out pages for the trees. We are hopeful that we can arrange the trees on poster boards for display at the reunion.

Sunday Mass – Mary McQueeney reported that she has been in touch with Fran Donnarumma and plans for Skelly family recognition in the 10:00 mass on Sunday are moving ahead. Gregory will work with Mary in connection with the planned paragraph in the church bulletin recounting the Skelly history with the parish. We will need to make an appropriate donation to the parish.

Public Relations -- Dan and Elaine will assume responsibility for reaching out to the Waterbury paper.

Singalong – Rosemary Lounsbury has prepared a document with lyrics for more than 80 songs. We agreed that we should focus on 20 or so songs and allot a half hour between dinner and dessert Saturday evening for the singalong. Susie Bradley volunteered to prepare a power point so we can project the lyrics on a screen. We can provide the projector but will need a screen from the hotel. A keyboard will not be necessary. Scott Lounsbury will lead us in song on the ukulele. Some may want to join in on the guitar. For those who want to continue the singalong later in the evening we can prepare a booklet of additional lyrics and make sufficient copies for the anticipated demand.

Activities Committee – The Activities Committee met on March 10. Francis circulated a report from the committee in advance of this meeting. A number of activities are planned and good progress has been made to line up the necessary equipment. The challenge will be in identifying the activities to prioritize – we cannot do everything that is on the list! It was suggested that we replace the softball activity with wiffle ball. This suggestion met with general approval. A further meeting of the Activities Committee is scheduled for April 14 at 7 pm.

Task Assignments – Although we are well prepared for our reunion, a major task that remains is to assign individuals to particular tasks during reunion weekend. Kathleen has prepared a list of tasks that will provide the framework for soliciting volunteers (and making assignments to those too shy to step forward). The process will start with the email to be sent to attendees and will continue with Gen5 members identifying family members to take on particular tasks.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – April 21 at 7:00.

Minutes of the March 3, 2024 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Susan Bradley, Dan Bradley, Lisa Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Annmarie Flynn, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney, John Lynch
Visit to Woodbury – Gregory Landrey, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley and Francis Landrey reported on their visit to Woodbury on February 7 and 8. They met with the caterer, hotel, town rec department and Old Woodbury Historical Society and visited the Hollow Park space. The highlights – 1) we have confirmed the space allocated for our use at the park which includes use of the soccer field which is contiguous to our picnic area; 2) the space allocated for our use at the hotel will work well for our planned events; 3) final arrangements and pricing for dinner Friday remains an open item; 4) the lunch menu has been refined with the caterer; 5) the OWHS has agreed to our proposed use of the Hurd House property. The committee agreed to go forward with the proposal for a pasta dinner with salads on Friday evening at a cost of $25 per person to be paid by the reunion fund. Mary Bradley will speak further with the hotel to discuss the proposed pasta offerings and the possibility of bringing in baked goods from a bakery. Since the trip to Woodbury, we have lined up the blacksmith for a demonstration and explored the possibility of tours of the old schoolhouse.
Photographer – We have confirmed arrangements with the photographer. We have agreed that we should move the group photo shoot to the morning at the Hurd House. Francis has discussed this change with the photographer, and she is on board.
Budget – The budget summary – now about $49,000 -- was circulated with the agenda. We still need to finalize our numbers. Once we have the survey results and have determined the cost of security and a proposed donation to the OWHS and possibly others we should be able to finalize the budget figures.
Financing the Reunion –The response to the fundraising letter, greatly aided by the generous anonymous $10,000 match, has been very strong. Although we still have need of additional funds, once we have collected the $50 per adult charge from attendees aged 12 and above (yield approx. $7500) we are most of the way toward meeting our $49,000 plus budget. The committee agreed to proceed with the proposed $50 charge for adults. For those for whom such a charge on top of their other costs associated with attending the reunion would be a hardship, the committee agreed that they could discuss their special needs with Don McCullough on a confidential basis.
Communications –In advance of the meeting Mary McQueeny circulated a draft survey to be sent to all attendees. The committee agreed that, with some proposed edits, the survey should be sent out by March 11 with a March 25 deadline for responses. The email will go to members of Gen5 and Gen6 who we expect to attend. Gen5 members will be asked to follow up with their children if any fail to respond. Once we have the survey results we will contact attendees concerning the amount due for attendance. We also discussed the need to assign tasks to attendees to assist with the reunion events. Kathleen Wilson has drafted a list of tasks which will be discussed at our next meeting.
T-Shirts – Christine Sternberg submitted a logo design that the committee agreed should be used for our t-shirts. Christine Savage submitted artwork that the committee agreed should be used for two flags – one to be raised at the Hurd House property and the other to be displayed at the park. Daniel Bradley will follow up with the vendor.
Skelly Family Story Committee – Gregory gave a report on the activities of the FSC. Work on the family story booklet and the Friday presentation are proceeding. The booklet will be long but well worth it. Kathleen has also made great progress on preparing the family tree. Both have made every effort to be 100% accurate but noted that inevitably there may be some errors.
Sunday Mass – Mary McQueeney is leading the planning for Sunday mass. She will reach out to our local attorney who has spoken with the pastor about our plans and with the pastor to finalize arrangements.
Public Relations -- Dan suggested that his daughter in-law might be the right person to contact the local newspaper for some publicity of our event. He will follow up with her.
Events Committee – Francis has scheduled a meeting of the events committee for Sunday March 10 at 7 pm.
Next Meeting – Next meeting – April 7 at 7:00.

Minutes of the February 4, 2024 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –David Landrey, Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Susan Bradley, Lisa Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Annmarie Flynn, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney, John Lynch
Visit to Woodbury – Gregory Landrey, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley and Francis Landrey will be visiting Woodbury on February 7 and 8 to meet with the caterer, hotel and Old Woodbury Historical Society. During the visit they plan to finalize arrangements for the reunion. They will also revisit the Hollow Park space to aid with our planning efforts.
Photographer – After further discussions with Jill at Litchfield Hills Photography, David Landrey obtained a revised proposal which was circulated with the agenda for the meeting. The proposal was reviewed and discussed. The Committee decided to proceed to a contract with Jill.
Budget – The budget summary – now about $43,000 -- was circulated with the agenda. Once we have updated numbers from numbers the caterer, hotel and the tents/tables/chairs vendor, Dan and Francis will refine the budget.
Financing the Reunion – On January 19 Francis emailed to all members of gen5 a letter asking them to contribute to the cost of the reunion. We discussed the fact that the response has been underwhelming. We have five family members who have contributed and need to raise at least $16,000 more if we are to keep the cost down to $50 per adult. It was agreed that Francis would recirculate the letter noting that we need the contributions well before the start of the reunion so we can set the cost to be charged to attendees. It was agreed that we would invite all members of gen5 to a zoom meeting to be held on March 3 at 7:30 to discuss the planning and to provide a platform for those with questions to present them.
Communications –Mary McQueeny is working with Janine Alicona to prepare a draft survey questionnaire for all who are expected to attend. Mary expects to be able to circulate the draft to the Committee within the next week.
T-Shirts – Daniel Bradley has tracked down a vendor who he has worked with before. The cost per shirt will be about $10. Don McCullough has circulated some sketches outlining potential graphics centered on the horseshoe/shamrock/harp theme. It was agreed that Francis would reach out to Christine Savage to see whether she can prepare proposed graphics along the lines of Don’s sketches. After the meeting Kathleen Wilson spoke with Chrstine who is willing to help. Francis forwarded Don’s sketches to her. She plans to circulate draft graphics by mid-March.
Skelly Family Story Committee – Gregory gave a report on the activities of the FSC. Work on the family story booklet is proceeding. Kathleen has also made great progress on preparing the family tree. David has also prepared an introduction to the booklet.
Sunday Mass – Mary McQueeney has agreed to lead the planning for a Sunday mass. She will coordinate with Gregory who had discussions with the pastor some time ago. There is a new pastor and we hope he is as enthusiastic about this as the former pastor.
Public Relations -- We still need a volunteer.
Events Committee – Once he returns from the trip to Woodbury, Francis will schedule a meeting of this committee to fill out our schedule of events.
Next Meeting – Next meeting – March 3 at 6:00 pm, Eastern Time.

Minutes of the December 3, 2023 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –David Landrey, Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Rosemary Lounsbury, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, John Lynch

Hollow Park – Gregory Landrey has reached out to the town parks and rec department again. Still no confirmation that our application has been accepted. Gregory has since followed up with a call and expects to receive confirmation shortly that our application has been accepted.

Friday Evening Activities – Mary Bradley received a proposal from the hotel for our planned Friday evening activities. The hotel will provide pizzas, flatbread, salads and a cash bar. Going forward will add approximately $4500 to our budget. There was discussion concerning the high cost of a relatively modest meal. The committee nevertheless decided to go forward because it provides us both an opportunity to gather that evening and a space for the Family Story Committee’s presentation. The next step is for Mary to secure a contract with the hotel for this additional event.

Caterer and Accommodations – There was no discussion during this meeting regarding the caterer. We still need final pricing. For those who have not yet made hotel reservations, Mary obtained information concerning alternative accommodations and has confirmed with the hotel that if a family member cancels their reservation another family member can reserve the room. The information on alternative accommodations has been emailed to the family.

Activities Committee – There was no discussion during this meeting concerning the plan to have the Activities Committee fill in the details for our events. This committee will be activated after the holidays.

Photographer –David Landrey has spoken with Jill at Litchfield Hills Photography. Jill is available and, for the large group shot, proposes to take a picture of each family group and then combine them in a composite via some computer magic. The Committee indicated that David should proceed to obtain a proposal from Jill.

Budget – Dan Bradley will do some more work to refine the budget. Francis Landrey stated that our goal should be to keep the budget at $40,000 or less. We could decide to eliminate some cost items to achieve this goal. All for further discussion at future meetings.

Financing the Reunion – The next step in funding the reunion is to send an email to each member of the 5th generation to solicit their financial support. David and Mary will draft a proposed letter and obtain input from others. Ideally this email would be sent out in January.

Communications –Annmarie Flynn has established a website for Skelly 24 LLC – myevent.com/skellys. Annmarie urges all family members to add their profile to the website. The platform for the email blasts is not the easiest to work with and presents some formatting challenges. As we go forward, straightforward documents with no pictures or complicated formatting should be easier to post. Kathleen Wilson pointed out that the email platform is not the most user friendly. She has been exploring an alternative (mailchimp) but has not been able to work out the glitches. We discussed that we will need to obtain information from all family members concerning their plans – e.g., dates of arrival, events in which they plan to participate – and ideally would do so through a survey emailed through the website program. We need to explore whether the website platform can accommodate such a survey.

Skelly Family Story Committee – Gregory gave a brief report on the activities of the FSC. The committee has decided to scale back the scope of the project to rely more on the materials prepared for previous reunions. Gregory will retain a typist to render previous materials in digital format to permit editing to make corrections and to supplement with new material. New material will be added to provide context for the family story. Don McCullough asked if there were any plans to include a section on the family story of those who remained in Ireland. Kathleen also suggested that his should be included. The FSC heard the request and will incorporate materials on the Skellys and Behans in Ireland. The committee is also working on the presentation and establishing a logo.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – January 7 at 7:00.

Minutes of the October 29, 2023 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –David Landrey, Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley, Susan Bradley, Kathy Burns, Jim McCullough, Annmarie Flynn, John Lynch

Friday Evening Activities – Mary Bradley has been in touch with the hotel but does not yet have a price for the proposed light dinner for Friday. Dan Bradley visited the hotel recently and learned that there is some confusion about the number of conference rooms booked for the weekend. We are supposed to have two as per our contract. But the representative that Dan met with showed only one room on his records. In addition, it is unclear as to which room our proposed Friday dinner and family story presentation would be held in. Dan and Mary will follow up with the hotel. The goal is to ensure that we have reserved for Friday a room that is sufficiently large to accommodate the light dinner to be followed in the same space by the family story presentation. It was agreed that we should also make arrangements for a cash bar for the evening.

Caterer and Accomodations – There was no discussion during this meeting regarding the caterer. We still need final pricing. For those who have not yet made hotel reservations, it was suggested that they contact the Windham hotel which is nearby.

Hollow Park – Francis Landrey reported that Gregory Landrey has exchanged emails with the director of the town parks and recreation department. They promised to work on our application soon.

Activities Committee – Francis reported that a few weeks ago he sent an email to the proposed members of the Activities Committee to invite them to work on our efforts to plan for our activities during the various time slots outlined in the schedule of events. Susan Bradley noted that she is a member of this committee and did not receive an email. Francis has now added Suzie to the email list for the committee. Francis will follow up with the committee members to schedule a meeting.

Photographer – We still have had no luck in lining up a photographer. David Landrey has spoken with our attorney, Fran Donnarumma, to see if he has any suggestions. David has not heard back from Fran and will follow up. Mary continues to follow up with potential photographers but has had no luck so far. We discussed contacting local realtors and the possibility of using a drone for the group photo. Gregory noted that the topography near the road at the Hurd house

has sufficient elevation to allow for a group photograph. We also discussed ensuring that the photographer will assign to us all rights in the photos to enable us to freely use and distribute the photos electronically, etc.

T-shirts – We plan to have t-shirts with our logo available for distribution to all attendees. John Lynch proposed that we have a single color (green) with some identifying color for each family group on the sleeve. This way, we emphasize that we are one family but can readily identify to which family group each belongs when interacting at the reunion. This proposal met with general acceptance. Once we have our logo established and a general idea on the design for the t-shirt, we will need to identify a volunteer to seek out vendors and establish pricing.

Budget – At our last meeting we agreed that $45,000 should be our working number for the budget. We still have more work to do to fill in some cost items. Hopefully, we will have more information by our next meeting so we can determine whether this is the right number for budgeting purposes.

Financing the Reunion – Absent contributions from family members to support the reunion, the cost per person could be roughly $250. With $17,500 raised to date, this figure has been reduced to roughly $160 per person. We discussed our plan to reduce this figure to roughly $40 per person (with less for those under 13). Now that we have an email blast capability, we need to communicate with all members of the fifth generation to solicit contributions. We also discussed again the possibility of providing funds to those for whom the cost of travel and accommodations is such that without some help they would not attend. To do so will add to the level of the fundraising needed.

Communications –Annmarie Flynn has established a website for Skelly 24 LLC – myevent.com/skellys. Rosemary has also established a Facebook page. Annmarie has now sorted out a means of communicating to all 108 people on our email list via a Google platform. Gregory Landrey will follow up with his daughter, Janine Alicona, to work with Annmarie on this project. Kathleen Wilson drafted an initial communication that Annmarie will now work on sending to all on the email list. Kathleen is also working on establishing a Mailchimp account as an alternative means of communication.

Skelly Family Story Committee – Gregory gave a brief report on the activities of the FSC. Each member will now be writing up a short piece on our ancestors for inclusion in a booklet to be distributed to the attendees. The committee is also working on the presentation and establishing a logo.

Next Meeting – Next meeting – December 3 at 7:00.

Minutes of the September 24, 2023 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –David Landrey, Francis Landrey, Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley, Susan Bradley, Liza Bradley, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Annmarie Flynn, Mary McQueeney

Friday Evening Activities – The Family Story Committee (“FSC”) believes that it is important that its presentation come early in the reunion weekend. The Steering Committee (“SC”) agrees. We discussed scheduling the presentation for Friday evening. Annmarie Flynn noted the FSC’s preference for Friday afternoon. The SC decided that to maximize attendance (those traveling from afar may not arrive until Friday late afternoon or evening) we should schedule the FSC presentation for Friday evening, with a tentative start time of 7:00. Mary Bradly has spoken with the hotel and there is a room we could rent to accommodate the presentation. She has also determined that we could arrange for a light repast before the presentation (e.g., flat bread pizza). Given the SC’s determination that a light dinner followed by the presentation would be ideal, Mary will follow up with the hotel to determine pricing. She will report back at the next SC meeting.

Caterer – As discussed at the last SC meeting, Mary is working with LeBonne’s Market to finalize the arrangements for the breakfast at the Hurd House and picnic at Hollow Park for Saturday. She is waiting to hear back from the caterer on final pricing and, in particular, whether they will agree to a lower price for children under 13.

Hollow Park – Francis Landrey reported that he has filed the form and paid the fee ($2050) with the town parks and recreation department to reserve the picnic area and recreational facilities at Hollow Park. The town may not be able to commit to the ballfield part of our plans until the Spring.

Photographer – Dan Bradley has had no luck in lining up a photographer. David Landrey will speak with our attorney, Fran Donnarumma, to see if he has any suggestions. Don McCullough has been in touch with the Woodbury Fire Department. They are intrigued with the Skelly connection to the department’s history. We discussed the possibility of using a ladder truck for an arial photo.

Budget – Dan prepared a preliminary budget based on the cost estimates presently in hand. Based on Dan’s estimates (roughly $30,000), the number of items for which we do not yet have cost estimates, and the likelihood that we will add food and conference room space as cost items for Friday evening, Francis (after

consulting with David, Mary and Dan) proposed $45,000 as an appropriate working number.

Financing the Reunion –Based on the figures outlined in the agenda for this meeting (including funds already raised and an assumed payment by each participant of $25 per adult and $10 per child), if $45,000 is our all-in cost, we will need to raise approximately an additional $25,000. We discussed whether this is feasible. We also discussed whether the charge per participant should be higher. The amount to charge issue will be addressed at future SC meetings. As to funding, the plan is to communicate this fall with all members of the Fifth generation to solicit contributions. We also discussed the possibility of providing funds to those for whom the cost of travel and accommodations is such that without some help they would not attend. To do so will add to the level of the fundraising goal

Communications –Annmarie Flynn has established a website for Skelly 24 LLC – myevent.com/skellys. Rosemary has also established a Facebook page. During our meeting Francis emphasized the need to put in place an effective means of communication to all family members what we have planned. As an important first step, we need to determine whether we can use the website platform to send email blasts to the family. Kathleen Wilson has compiled an email list for almost all family members. Francis will forward that list to Annmarie for potential use with the website. David volunteered that Tim Savage might be a good resource and will speak with him. Mary also will reach out to her family members who hopefully can assist. Francis noted that the key first step, before we consider other platforms, is to determine the capability and ease of use of the website for this purpose.

Events Committee – With the overall structure of events for the weekend in place, Francis will now convene a meeting of the Events Committee to discuss the details.

Skelly Family Story Committee – Annmarie gave a brief report on the activities of the FSC. Each member will now be writing up a short piece on our ancestors for inclusion in a booklet to be distributed to the attendees.

Next Meeting – David proposed monthly meetings going forward to be held on the last Sunday of each month. The SC agreed to this plan. Next meeting – October 29 at 7:00.

Summary of April 26, 2023 Woodbury Meetings

Attendees – David, Gregory, and Francis

Breakfast Meeting with our attorney (Fran Donnarumma) – Nothing of substance to discuss concerning legal issues other than to confirm our need to consult a tax accountant. Fran has since put us in contact with a Woodbury accountant who should be able to provide the necessary advice at minimal cost. Fran’s wife, Maureen, joined our breakfast. She works for the local newspaper based in Waterbury, the Republican American. She will reach out to the reporter who specializes in community events. She contemplates an article in advance of the reunion, as well as coverage during the reunion itself.

Hollow Park Visit – we visited Hollow Park to scope out the potential site for the tent and to become more familiar with the facilities. All looks good.

Meeting with Insurance Agent – we met with Chris Manzi, the principal of the Manzi Insurance Agency. We discussed liability insurance for events at Hollow Park and the Hurd House. He has obtained preliminary quotes. The cost is minimal – likely less than $200 for each policy. We also discussed cancellation insurance. To obtain a quote, he needs an estimate of our total budget. We told him to use $45,000 for now. The actual cost for insurance will not be finalized until much closer to the event.

Meeting with Parks & Recreation – We met with the Judy Bennett, the assistant director who is covering for the director who is out on maternity leave. The important point is that we are on the calendar. We cannot enter into the contract until later this year once they have the fee schedule in place for 2024. We discussed the site and the possible use of a ball field. We also reviewed the alcohol policy and are currently seeking additional information. The caterer will need to be licensed and insured. Under the written town policy alcohol cannot be sold on site, but with certain stipulations that need clarification. This could mean that to provide beer and wine will be on an open bar basis. The steering committee will need address the issue of how alcohol will be handles at Hollow Park. We also discussed security for the event and have contact information for the police department to explore the possibility of arranging for an off-duty policeman to help out.

Luncheon Meeting with Members of the Old Woodbury Historical Society – During this meeting we discussed the plan for events at the Hurd House on Saturday morning of reunion weekend. We also discussed our intention to make a contribution to the society. The Glebe House will also be open that weekend and the hours could be extended should family members wish to visit. They are very enthusiastic. While we want to be sure not to overschedule the weekend, particularly on Saturday, we will identify options for things to do in the Woodbury area.

Meeting at Quassy Amusement and Water Park -- Greg and I also met with George Frantzis, the owner of Quassy to review the site and discuss the possibility of a group event there on Sunday of reunion weekend. The site looks great and offers many fun options for folks of all ages. More about this to be discussed in our next zoom meeting. Greg and I thought this would be a wonderful conclusion to the weekend – a day at the park with our own pavilion area, access to all rides and slides, and food. We would need to commit to 50 attendees and make a $650 deposit. The principal issues to be discussed are cost for participants and the likelihood that enough folks will want to spend another day in the area hanging out with the family.

Meeting with Candice Meyer – Candice is our contact at Heritage. Greg and I met with her just to review the event space and discuss our plans. All looks good. We are up to 71 reservations!

Minutes of the February 19, 2023 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting

Attendees –Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Mary Bradley, Susan Bradley, Dan Bradley, Liza Bradley, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney, Annmarie Flynn, Rosemary Lounsbury, Cathy Chaplin

Steering Committee Membership – Francis Landrey reported that Steve Lynch is unable to continue as a member of the Steering Committee (“SC”). After the meeting Rosemary Lounsbury reached out to Catherine Lynch Awe who has agreed to be the contact person for reunion planning with her brother, John Joseph Lynch III, participating in future meetings of the SC.

Finance Committee Report – Francis Landrey provided an update of the finance committee’s efforts to set up a legal entity for the reunion. The Finance Committee retained Francis Donnarumma to form the LLC which will act as the contracting party for the reunion events. Francis reported that Mr. Donnarumma has filed all the necessary paperwork and Skelly 24 LLC is now a functioning entity with David Landrey (President), Dan Bradley (Vice President) and Francis Landrey (Treasurer and Secretary) as its members. The three members plus another family member have agreed to provide the funds necessary for the initial operations of the LLC. Other family members are free to make a gift to the LLC once we have established a checking account. Such gifts are purely voluntary. Gifts to the LLC will offset the costs of the event including site rental fees and other expenses. In addition, we discussed the hope that there will be sufficient funds to provide financial assistance to family members where the cost of travel and accommodations might make it difficult for them to attend.

Accommodations Committee –Mary Bradley and Dan Bradley reported that, as detailed in an email circulated by Dan Bradley in advance of the meeting, an agreement has been reached with the Heritage Hotel subject to SC approval. The SC approved the agreement which covers our room block, conference room space and a banquet on the Saturday of reunion weekend. Following the meeting David Landrey signed the contract as President of Skelly 24 LLC. The Accommodations Committee will now compile a list of alternative accommodations for family members who wish to stay in a campground, rv park, Airbnb, or a different hotel. Mary Bradley pointed out that family members should reserve rooms as soon as possible because if we need more than the 50 room block the sooner we know that the more likely it is that we can arrange for additional rooms.

Communications Committee –Annmarie Flynn has established a website for Skelly 24 LLC. Those who have had a chance to review the site were impressed. The cost of the website is $400 for three years. The general sense of the meeting was that we should proceed with the website. The LLC can fund the payment once its checking account is in place. During the meeting a number of people suggested in the chat function that we establish a Facebook page. We should discuss this option at our next meeting. Annmarie has also established an email address and urged family members to fill out a profile on the webpage.

Sites and Events Committee – At our previous meeting Mary Bradley noted that, as outlined, this committee has a large area of responsibility and suggested splitting the committee into two areas. The general sense of the meeting this time was that we should split the committee – one responsible for retaining vendors for our events and the other responsible for organizing the events. Susan Bradley (I believe) expressed an interest in participating in the events committee. Gregory Landrey noted that we need to reserve the Hollow Park site with the Woodbury department of parks as soon as reasonable and to explore the cost of tables, chairs and tents. Gregory has obtained a quote for budgeting purposes from Chatfield in Southbury for tables, chairs, and tents. Although not expressly agreed to, it seems to make sense that the Accommodations Committee proceed to address these additional vendor issues.

Family History Committee – The Family History Committee is off to a great start and has met to start outlining the family story to be presented at the reunion. There was a brief discussion of the timing of the presentation and the collection of photos and memorabilia for display. Leo Landrey and Janine Alicona have agreed to join this committee.

Budget – The SC discussed the importance of establishing a budget for the reunion. We need to make sure we have the funds needed to pay upfront costs and need to be able to start the process of determining what we expect participants to pay to defray the costs of the reunion. The SC discussed hiring a photographer as one of the costs that needs to be included in the budget.

Next Meeting – The next meeting was set for April 2 at 7:30.

Minutes of the January 8, 2023 Skelly Reunion Planning Meeting, thanks to Francis Landrey.

Attendees – David Landrey, Kathleen Wilson, Francis Landrey, Gregory Landrey, Mary Bradley, Kathy Burns, Don McCullough, Mary McQueeney, Annmarie Flynn, Rosemary Lounsbury, Cathy Chaplin

Finance Committee Report – David Landrey started the meeting with an update of the finance committee’s efforts to retain a lawyer to set up a legal entity for the reunion. The first Woodbury lawyer we contacted has not responded and seems disinterested in the representation. David will reach out to another Woodbury lawyer, Jim Ryan, to determine whether he could take on this project. During the meeting we discussed the possibility that the attorney retained to represent the Skelly Reunion Committee might help us with additional aspects of our organizational efforts, including advice regarding an appropriate release of liability form for participants.

Steering Committee Membership -- During the course of the meeting Francis Landrey suggested that Mary McQueeney be added to the membership of the Steering Committee. No objection having been raised, Mary is now a member of this august body. Although not discussed, it seems appropriate to add Cathy Chaplin to the Steering Committee as well.

Communications Committee – Mary Bradley reported that her daughter, Chrissy, would be willing to assist in setting up an evite for the reunion. After some discussion, it was agreed that Mary McQueeney, Annmarie Flynn and Rosemary Lounsbury would work together to determine what is involved in establishing a website for the reunion. They will report back at our next meeting at which time the Steering Committee will need to address the balance of our communications needs. It was noted that establishing a keeper of e-mail addresses and the person responsible for communications regarding future meetings should be addressed prior to the February 19 Steering Committee meeting.

Accommodations Committee – After some discussion it was agreed that Mary Bradley, Dan Bradley, Gregory Landrey and Mary McQueeney would work together to reach out to Heritage Hotel to start the process of securing a block of rooms and conference space for the reunion. The committee is charged with reporting to the Steering Committee at its next meeting regarding the status of securing the outlines of a contract with Heritage and identifying the costs involved.

Sites and Events Committee – Mary Bradley noted that as outlined this committee has a large area of responsibility. There followed a discussion of whether to split this committee into two committees, one for site issues and the other for events. It was agreed that for now this committee should focus on arranging for the sites necessary for our events with a discussion of a particular schedule of events to come later, possibly through a separate events committee. Mary Bradley offered a number of specific suggestions regarding the tentative schedule of events and noted, in particular, a need to include events of interests to teenagers. As discussed, these points highlighted the need for sixth generation engagement as we move forward. Don McCullough agreed to serve on the committee particularly as it relates to securing sites, audio systems and vendors for our events. In addition, Don will be available to assist with health and safety protocols. There was also a brief discussion regarding alcohol at our events. Given potential liability issues, this topic will have to be addressed.

Family History Committee – After a brief discussion, Gregory Landrey, Cathy Chaplin, Rosemary Lounsbury and Mary McQueeney agreed to serve on this committee. Gregory Landrey has agreed to chair the committee. He noted that Christine Savage is also interested in serving on this committee.

Other Business – Cathy Chaplin asked whether there had been further contact with Kevin Lawlor. Gregory Landrey noted that there had been no contact since last summer and that he would attempt to contact Kevin again.

Next Meeting – The next meeting was set for February 19 at 7:30.

David Landrey closed the meeting noting that it had been very productive and thanking all participants in the call.