by Derek—2005.08.18 @ 1300
The reunion has been well organized. Each family has been put into groups for cooking and cleaning, and activities have been planned for each day. Mom and Dad Ott really did a great job in getting everything put together. Most of the activities center around spending time together at the cabin, so we brought all kinds of games, toys, and books to use.
One tradition that the Otts have started is a kind of "drama night" with the kids. A few years ago the kids put on a skit featuring the story of Jonah and the Whale. It was actually a remake of the skit the Ott children did many years ago. They had an old book on tape that they used as the backdrop and made all kinds of costumes and props. Jeff led the foray and it was fun to watch.
This year, Melissa and I were in charge of drama night, long with Aline--an exchange student from France going to BYU. I wanted to do something the entire family could be involved in, but with drama night, we knew that would be difficult at best. We finally decided on a kind of "reader's theatre" where a story would be read and the participants would act out the scene.
The twist was when we asked for words from the audience to complete certain sentences, much like the Mad Libs game. Since so many people in the family were reading different Harry Potter books, we decided to do a spoof on Harry Potter. With Melissa and Aline, we wrote a simple story featuring Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a silly Potter knock-off. We divided the audience into three groups who provided a list of adjectives, nouns, and funny words that fit into out story.
I should have looked at the answers provided before we started because some of the groups picked the same words. As I read the story, I looked a little silly because I used the same words in several places. The skit was still fun, and I think those participating really enjoyed it.