SEASIDE — Decades ago, three generations of family members made the trek to Seaside for a reunion marked by the Seaside Signal in 1988. Last month, three more generations followed in their footsteps for a visit filled with beach walks, clam chowder and nostalgia.
For Chris Binnicker, the reunion was a chance to welcome family members and make memories while reflecting on the events of 36 years ago.
Meeting
Chris Binnicker organized a family reunion in Seaside.
“Everyone showed up, from 1 to 81,” she said. “It was a really great time. Because we had people from different age groups, we had different activities set up.”
The family members, most of whom came from Wisconsin and Minnesota, enjoyed Seaside’s wide variety of gift shops, restaurants, candy stores and arcade games. Many participated in hiking, fishing trips and painting rocks to take to Painted Rock Beach.
An outdoor party was hosted by Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, with adults lounging in lounge chairs and children playing on the asphalt. Amidst it all, a giant donkey sat in the center of the party, bearing the sepia-toned Seaside Signal article from decades ago.
“Randomly throughout the day, I would see people stop and stand by this easel, re-reading the article,” Binnicker said. “And they would all say, ‘I can’t believe we were here 36 years ago.'”
The family’s love for the Oregon coast began with Binnicker’s mother, who vacationed in Seaside every summer from the time she was 2 years old.
“Her mother brought her here when my father was in the war, and we just had a bench on the Prom in honor of my grandmother… I moved here three years ago, am active in the community and my mother now lives with me in the city she loves most,” Binnicker said.
Organizing a full family reunion is tricky for Binnicker — with school and work, coordinating for three generations is a rare opportunity. But she said it’s always worth it. Nearly 50 family members arrived for their August gathering.
“As we get older and busier, and the kids we knew have kids, we don’t always get the chance to just reconnect and find out what’s going on in each other’s lives. My mom met some of her second cousins that she had never met before.
“I feel like if we don’t make a point of this, our children will never know what we have and what we had, and we have to carry on those traditions and those memories.”
