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Aaker Reunion - 2001

I was not able to attend but my mother (Betty Zanmiller) provided this summary:

The 2001 Aaker reunion (our 77th) took place June 15, 16, and 17th at the Arrowood Resort near Alexandria, MN.  It was a pleasant and relaxing time in beautiful surroundings.  People arrived on Friday throughout the day and evening.  We had a good time together in the evening and were delighted to have a visit from Knud and Mari Aaker, accompanied by several of their children.  They shared with us some of their tales of the joys and sorrows of their lives.  There was a time of renewing old friendships and of getting caught up with family news.  All were thankful to see the extent of our president's (Charles Akre) recovery.  You may remember that he was in an accident in a monorail at the Minnesota Zoo.  He thanked all those of us who prayed for his recovery.

On Saturday we participated in various activities, according to our interests.  Some chose to stay at the hotel and visit.  Others toured the Knud Nelson home, the local museum and other interesting local attractions. 

In the evening we were served an outstanding meal.  After this the prizes for the participants in the Nels Aaker fishing contest were awarded and various cousins contributed their favorite fish stories.  Most of them were true.

Later, we had a lengthy discussion about the future of the Aaker reunions.  Opinions varied, with some of the family feeling we should continue as before.  Others felt that it's time to reassess and possibly phase them out.  It was decided to meet at Holden Church in 2002 and at that time we will decide if we should continue this tradition.

We certainly welcome your opinions and suggestions.  Please let us know what you think.  Email [betty@zanmiller.com]

Pictures from the 2000 Reunion (click on the description to view pictures)

Decorah, Iowa - 1995 (click on the description to view picture)