Hastings Family Aims For A World Record 3,000 At 2015 Family Reunion
HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) -- Summer usually marks family reunion season but it's a reunion two years away from now that has one Minnesota family already planning.
The Bauer family of Hastings wants to break the world record for its family reunion in 2015 -- they'll need to top 2,585 people to make that happen.
Ask Linda Drellack pretty much anything about her family tree and chances are she'll have the answer -- she's part historian, part private eye.
Her passion came in handy planning the first family reunion in 2000 that 1,700 people turned out for at Pioneer Village in Hastings. Now, it's about making history.
"Yes, we are going for the Guinness Book of World Records," Drellack said.
Their story all begins with Christoph and Anna Bauer. The couple came over from Germany in 1873 and started farming in Hastings while raising a large Catholic family. Oh and Brauer means farmer in German.
Drellack's mother is a Bauer.
"This is the Bauer family history book," Drellack said. "We call it the Bauer Bible."
Ever since Drellack was a little girl, she's researched and recited their stories.
"I think that's my purpose in life -- to find as many family members as I can, alive or dead," Drellack said.
In the 10 years since the last reunion, technology has made it much easier to track people down. In fact, Drellack's been blocked from friending on Facebook for sending out too many requests.
"We have two years, so start having babies," Drellack said.
There are 10 people on the planning committee for the Bauer family reunion.
They hope to soon add a couple dozen more. Family from Germany is also expected to make the trip.
