Conference Tradition

by Keith Fisher

It’s conference weekend. What are you going to do? Are you the type who sits in front of the TV all weekend? Or do you hang on every word, while doing Saturday yard work, Priesthood session that evening, and park by the tube on Sunday? Maybe you will travel to visit family and listen on the car radio.

No matter what you do, the messages delivered from the pulpit during conference will delight and inspire you. I hope you have a prayer answered.

If you need a new family tradition, I have a suggestion for you. Several years ago, we had access to a cabin one weekend a year in the hills west of Midway, Utah. Every year, we picked conference weekend. We called it a family reunion and preparations began six months in advance.

When I was a child, my dad took us to Grandma’s house every conference weekend. I remember a lot of wrestling matches, board games, singing, and Grandpa saying shush. Most of all, I remember the close family ties created with more than one family unit sharing the house.

It was with those conference weekends in mind that we came across the perfect family reunion idea. You see, conference weekend is good because schedules don’t collide. Nobody has to be away on Sunday for meetings. With a little variation, our agenda was always the same.

Friday

5:00 everyone arrives and gets acquainted
6:00 Dutch oven dinner, or barbecue
6:45 get acquainted games
7:30 slide show/testimony meeting
8:30 more games, indoor pinata
The rest of the evening we enjoyed each others company

Saturday

Get up, fight for bathroom time.
Breakfast; quiche, fruit, cereal, and juices
9:30 Treasure hunt/games for adults
10:00 Conference on TV. No organized events
Board games are on the tables, crayons, paper, and crafts.
Noon. Conference is over. Big loud game. Easter egg hunt in April
1:00 lunch. Light sandwiches leftover salad from Friday
2:00 conference begins. People who don’t want to watch conference go hiking or other pursuits Board games are on the tables, crayons, paper, and crafts.
4:00 conference over, ladies go shopping. Men get ready for Priesthood meeting. Someone agrees to stay with the kids.
6:00 Priesthood session in town at the stake center. Ladies pick up pizzas
8:00 pizza and root beer floats. Followed shortly by the talent show.
Laugh fest and talent show until bedtime.

Sunday

You get the idea. We didn’t schedule major events on Sunday and we didn’t worry if some people wanted to play table tennis during conference. Some of them grabbed a piece of floor and absorbed conference through closed eyelids.

We usually roasted a turkey on Sunday and had a family meeting after the last session. People started to pack up for home around six and we were left with grins on our faces for a job well done. It only took a couple of days to recuperate, but those were some of the best parties we ever held. All of that aside, however, it brought our families closer and the testimony meeting brought tender feelings and the Holy Ghost to the surface.

Now, as you go about your different traditional conference activities, I hope you will at least get those you love together and cook a Dutch oven meal. Start a new tradition.



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