The Stewart family marked a remarkable milestone last weekend as they celebrated their 100th anniversary reunion, a gathering so large that the Port Lambton Community Centre couldn’t contain them.
Organizers rented a tent for the parking lot to accommodate everyone, and in total 195 people attended, including 40 children.
Family members travelled from California, Arizona, New York, Michigan, South Carolina and many parts of southwestern Ontario, returning to the place where the family’s story first began.
I sat down with Penny Bishop, a member of the Stewart family, to talk about the celebration and what it meant to everyone involved.
She shared that the reunion was more than just a gathering; it was a chance for relatives to reconnect, meet family members they had never met before and honour a century of shared history.
After enjoying their meals at the community centre, the group moved to Brander Park, where the afternoon shifted into games, visiting and storytelling.
Many took the opportunity to learn about branches of the family they hadn’t known, creating new connections that will carry forward into future reunions.
