Hi everyone! Please excuse my enthusiasm, but ever since the great reunion in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, I have been thinking about the future of the Lowthian reunions. I have a million ideas and would like your input on every one put forward (positive or negative) as this will only ensure the best damn get-togethers and on-going family business for years to come.

First of all, what a pleasure it was to see you all (y'all) this past summer in the beautiful State of Pennsylvania. I was charmed by the town of Carlisle - this was an excellent setting, and it was waaay too short a stay. I understand many of you got out to see some of the local history, scenery and commerce, as I heard the many stories over cocktails at John and Kathleen's. 

I enjoyed seeing and talking to many of you for the first time and second time, and there are still some of you that I did not have the pleasure to speak to much at all. We will remedy this in 2004 - right? I will also note that there were many absent faces whom I hope will make the trip to Ottawa in August 2004 - I (we) missed you!  John and Kathleen had everything done up right, and were the perfect Host and Hostess. Thanks to them, and thank God for looking after our gracious host, as he was suffering through some heart difficulties. John still "bulled-through" the weekend before having surgery the day after we all left. I reckon half of John's heart problems stem from it being so damn big!  Nice work John and Kathleen - I  hope we will be able to return the favour.

Secondly, who knew that there was so much musical talent in the family? Bill Moyer's vocal chords, Lesley Farquar's jig's n' reels, Jim's pipes, Mary's 88's - is there more talent out there? Can we anticipate a small-scale showcase at the next reunion? How 'bout an official song for the future Lowthian reunions? Perhaps "Heart of Lothian" by Marillion is appropriate (I know, but when you sing it, it sounds like "Lowthian"!).? I think this deserves some discussion as we all enjoyed that impromtu portion(s) of our last get-together - or maybe this is best left to spontanaeity? What other talents should be highlighted? Comments and volunteers please?

   What do you think of the word reunion? Outside of the great memories that we have of the last 3 get-togethers, if we're going to attract future generations of Lowthians to get together, I think we need a strategy to move forward. If it wasn't for the hard work of our elder members, the past 3 reunions would have never happened. This is a testament to their efforts and it is important that they are all recognized at every meeting. I also think that we need to market each event, and to that end I want to scrap the term "reunion" (the word just sounds "stuffy"!?!) and replace it with "Gathering of the Lowthian Clans" as in "The Gathering of the Lowthian Clans 2004 - Ottawa". Firstly, it has more marketing impact. Secondly, it was the name Lowthian that ties us all together - but we are not all Lowthians. Yes, we all have Lowthian blood or are Lowthians by marriage (guilty by association I say!), but we want everyone that shows up on the charts to belong and to feel welcome! If you need more proof of this, consider the next get-together without the Couches (Wayne & Libby) for example. They made a great impact in Carlisle and would be sorely missed if they decided to not to come to our next party. Have I made myself clear?

This brings me to my next point. We should reach out to those individuals who are Lowthians, Louthians, Lothians etc... No, not every derivative that you've been solicited with by mail (!), but those who truly belong and are interested should be present at the next gathering. I understand that there is a whole chapter of Lowthians in the American west (perhaps Petrena is best able to expand on this) that have some association - they should be invited to the next "shindig". Again, every individual that appears in our charts or belongs on our charts should be coming out to interact with us.

Before the next gathering in Ottawa, I would like to see some more participation from the field when it comes to the newsletter. Both the On-line Newsletter, and the Mail Newsletter need all of our support. Not only does the Mail Newsletter need subscriptions to get information to all Lowthians, but they need regular submissions and news to keep it interesting. We all do not need to know every time you visited your brother, or every flu bug that has entered your household, but what about marriages, births, graduations, and other accomplishments? What about sharing knowledge (yes, this will be edited!) regarding a particular Lowthian, that the rest of us are not aware of? Is there someone in our clan(s) that you admire? How about some photo submissions? How about some continental submissions, ie "Lowthian News From Down Under"?

A lot of people have subscribed to the Mail Newsletter since our last meeting, thank you. To make this more interesting and to encourage further subscription, I would like to inform you that we will be entering a ballot for each subscription in a draw for a beautiful Melton Leather Jacket (one-of-a-kind, commemorative Lowthian issue). This will be awarded at the reunion in Ottawa 2004. Please consult the website or contact the administrator for subscription information. You can't win if you don't have a subscription!

It is a fact that we belong to a very exclusive club! There are no secret handshakes (so far!); there are no age, race, or gender restrictions; how one worships their God is not relevant; sexual preference doesn't matter; and there are no dues or any other fees to belong. It's either you birthright or marriage-right, and if you're associated - YOU BELONG!  We are all very proud of our heritage, and I think that this bi-annual event is important to celebrate what brings us all together - the name LOWTHIAN.

Look in your local phone book - how many Lowthians are there? How do you feel about picking up the phone and calling another Lowthian? This isn't a "cold call" because you already have something in common with the person on the other end. This is a "warm call" because they are going to be immediately interested in the next get-together, as they are immediately qualified to be part of our exclusive club. I will be doing this in Ottawa in the very near future and will advise you of the results - stay tuned! In the meantime, maybe you might want to do the same? Who knows - you could meet a relative!

I'll end this transmission with a welcome to all of you to come to "my town" in 2004. The dates are from Thursday, August 26th to Sunday, August 29th in beautiful Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Ottawa Crowne Plaza Hotel is the scene of the "Gathering Of The Lowthian Clans 2004" and this will be an event you won't soon forget! Please make your reservations ASAP to avoid disappointment. We are planning many events and activities for you, as well as offering plenty of free time to get to know your "Clansmen" (is that politically correct?) and the Nation's Capital. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2004. If you have any questions, comments, submissions or would just like to chat, I can be reached at kingbee@sympatico.ca.

I am really looking forward to seeing you all again. Thanks for your camaraderie, and cheers!

David Lowthian
 

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