For the 19th year in a row, the McAdams family gathered at Hickory Hollow Resort in Tightwad, Missouri, for the annual McAdams Family Reunion. Over 50 people attended this year’s event July 5-8, 2018, with a theme of McStone Age.
Many cavemen and women, including family ancestors Gonk and Ooga McAdams, made appearances, as well as a T-Rex. The family members enjoyed a number of McStone Age themed games, such as fire building/string burning, foot-powered car racing (think Flintstones), dinosaur egg hatching and scavenger hunt, costume contest, movie showing, and a performance by Gonk and Ooga.
Craig Russell, Patty Esters, and Amanda Sundberg were the winners of the fire building contest, with other participants including: Megan McAdams, Amy Sielaff, Kinnick Sielaff, Andrew Brown, Erin Brown, Cooper Sielaff, Ryan Crawford, Maggie Crawford, Dave Plummer, Mike Sundberg, and Pat Keenan.
During the foot-powered car race, family members raced their cars made by their own hands around two buildings. The cars were made from different materials and were either held or pulled during the race. The Sielaff-mobile, run by Kinnick Sielaff, was declared the winner, but other fantastic cars included a car made of pool noodles and beach balls run by Andrew Brown, a Jurassic Park Jeep run by Ryan Crawford, a Flintstones car pulled by Mike Sundburg, the McGhetto Rock cardboard car run by Dave Plummer, and cardboard cars run by Patty Esters, Craig Russell, Nautika Esters, and Javias Esters. The T-Rex and Jurassic Park Jeep also re-enacted the famous scene from the movie Jurassic Park.
The costume contest included cavemen and women Cindy and Ryder Dean, Peggy and Pat Keenan, Dave, Mary Lou, and Tiffany Plummer, Patty Esters, Sandy Sundberg, and Joe, Sam, and Cate Crawford, and dinosaurs Maggie McAdams and Dan McAdams. The family also enjoyed a tasty meal, with smoked meat provided by family members Cindy Dean and Steve Riska, as well as campfire hotdogs and s’mores, and a baby gender reveal party.
Those in attendance included: Barb McAdams – Sugar Creek, Missouri; Joe McAdams – Independence, Missouri; Kathy and Glenn Smith – Omaha, Nebraska; Patty Esters and Craig Russell – Denver, Colorado; Nautika Esters – Littleton, Colorado; Brittney Esters, Jasiah Mestas, Javias Esters, and Charisma Esters – Colorado Springs, Colorado; Sandy, Mike, and Joe Sundberg – Omaha; Amanda Sundberg – Claremore, Oklahoma; Dan McAdams – Omaha; Mary, Dave, and Tiffany Plummer – Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Cindy Dean, Ryder Dean, Steve Riska, Bobbie Cockrum, Trenton Cockrum, and Alexandria McMurphy – Warrensburg, Missouri; Jeremy and Sandy Dean – Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Alan McAdams – Joplin, Missouri; Pat and Peggy Keenan – Colorado Springs; Steve and Betty McAdams – Webb City, Missouri; Mindy, Doug, Jillian, Andrew, Erin, and Nicole Brown – Rockledge, Florida; Shannon McGrath and Nick Vaughn – Gravois Mills, Missouri; Amy, Troy, Cooper, Kinnick, and Cason Sielaff – Kansas City, Missouri; Megan McAdams – Tarkio, Missouri; Mary McAdams – Tarkio; Jamie, Abby, Emma, Max, and Molly McAdams – Kansas City; and Maggie, Ryan, Joe, Sam, and Cate Crawford – Kansas City.
As always, a great time was had by all and the family is looking forward to celebrating 20 years in Tightwad June 27-30, 2019.