And the Winner is..............

This year NGS held the first ever Conference Challenge. Click here to read complete details. We had Drew Smith co-host of the Genealogy Guys Podcast, author of Social Networking for Genealogists, FGS director, and president of the Florida Genealogical Society be the judge.

According to Drew, we had several wonderful entries but one entry caught his attention.

Linda Russell .... Congratulations! Thank you for sharing and we hope you enjoy your free registration to the NGS 2012 Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

And the Winner is..............

AfriGeneas at the NGS 2011 Family History Conference

This video clip was made 13 May 2011 at the NGS 2011 Family History Conference. Bernice Bennett talks about "Tracking the Homestead Records of a Group of American African Americans in Livingston Parish, Louisiana".

Thank you Bernice for sharing!

Courtesy the AfriGeneas channel on YouTube.

AfriGeneas at the NGS 2011 Family History Conference

Day 4: A Day in Pictures

Color Guard

Marguerite Bishop

Opening Session Entryway

Bagpipes

Buzzy Jackson - Opening Session

Volunteers. We love you!

Opening Session

Connie Trossbach - Day 1 Drawing Winner with Illyce Mac Donald, NGS Membership Director

Photos coutesy Trish Hackett Nicola, CG

Day 4: A Day in Pictures

Day 3: Exhibits Set-up, Attendee Check-In and On-Site Registration Opens

5:00 a.m. wake up call dragged me out of bed and then I had a nice chat with my mom in Germany. My day was off to a wonderful start. I reviewed my schedule for the day over a cup of steaming hot coffee in my room and made a mental note.... need caffeine- a long and exciting day ahead!

7:00 a.m. Registration for the Research Trip to the South Carolina Archives begins in the lobby of the Embassy Suites. Delivered registration materials ... check!
7:45 a.m. Attendees depart for Librarians' Day.
8:00 a.m. Attendee Check-In begins for the BCG Education Fund Workshop in Meeting Room 10-13.
8:15 a.m. Check in with Valley Expo on Exhibit Hall setup. Boy..... they are super efficient and I have enjoyed working with them over the years. Thank you Cynthia Kutz!
10:00 a.m. Exhibitor Registration begins and the exhibit hall begins to take form.
11:00 a.m. Attendee check-in and on-site registration setup complete.
12:00 noon Attendee check-in and on-site registration begins. Registration was smooth. We had 27 on-site registrations today and our attendee check-in volunteers did a wonderful job ... An absolute success....
3:30 p.m. Lunch at the Embassy Suites .... Another meal recommendation Prime Rib Bites. An appetizer selection on the menu featuring prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and horse radish sauce.... I am sure I will repeat this order before the end of the week.
5:00 p.m. Exhibit setup is complete and we have a beautiful hall waiting for all of you attendees to visit tomorrow.
7:00 p.m. Registration closes and I stagger over to the Embassy Suites to enjoy the last half hour of the Manager's Reception.

An eventful day and I look forward to tomorrow.

Reminder: The opening session begins at 8:00 a.m. and is in the Performing Arts Center. Till tomorrow!

Day 3: Exhibits Set-up, Attendee Check-In and On-Site Registration Opens

Day 2: It's all about the volunteers

I woke up with a slight headache this morning of  9 May 2011 and wondered if I should even get out of bed! A few alarm snoozes and alerts later, I was finally up and out the door. Had a quick breakfast with the my colleague, Erin and headed over to the convention center....

Meeting room One.....a long day ahead. Bags to be stuffed, signs to be put out, and more!

9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Our wonderful volunteers organized by SCGS assisted us in stuffing the bags and having them ready for our attendees to pick up beginning noon tomorrow. I will post the pictures tomorrow morning. A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped us out today. I am not sure what we would do without your help!

Those who can, do.  Those who can do more, volunteer.
-Author Unknown

A gorgeous day outside and we head to Mustard Seed for dinner. I highly recomment the fried green tomatoes with crab cakes.... an appetizer on the menu but definitely a meal I cherish and recommend!

Thank you Sunni, Ruth, Illyce, Susan and Erin for your wonderful company.

Signing off..... More updates tomorrow.

Day 2: It's all about the volunteers

Welcome to the NGS Conference Challenge where you can win a FREE registration for next year’s family history conference!

The rules are simple—go to the location of each of the clues below, take a picture of yourself with the clue or at the clue location, then tweet or e-mail us your photos, which must be sent in a single e-mail.

Two ways to play:
1. TWEET your photos with the #ngs2011hunt hashtag and include what number clue you are on.
2. E-MAIL all your photos in one e-mail to us at ngs2011hunt@ngsgenealogy.org. Put ngs2011hunt in the subject line.

Those who complete each task and submit their photos by Saturday, 14 May, at 10:30 a.m. will be automatically entered to win a free registration for the NGS 2012 Family History Conference!

The most creative and innovative entry will be selected by our esteemed judge. Our prominent judge will be kept hush-hush ..... but will be revealed when the winner is announced.

CLUES:
1. This isn’t your normal playground. Take a picture with an attendee wearing a kilt!
2. A picture of yourself at dinner with a fellow genealogist.
3. Checking out one of our hottest publications or education releases at the NGS booth.
4. Volunteer wearing an ASK ME button.
5. A picture of yourself with an exhibitor whose company name has an "I" or "T" in it.
6. Geeking out a lecture in the GenTech track.
7. A picture of yourself with the largest family tree you can find at the conference.
8. A picture of the person with the most ribbons on their badge (show the ribbons).
9. A picture of yourself with one of the NGS board members.
10. A picture of someone who appeared in one of the NGS videos.

The winner will be announced at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, 14 May, at the NGS booth located in the Exhibit Hall booth #201. Winners must be present!

Sorry, NGS staff, exhibitors, and NGS board members are not eligible to win.

Day 1: Destination Charleston

Dulles International airport was more crowded than usual but I braved the check-in and security lines and hurried over to gate A3C for United Airlines flight 5714 to Charleston. An on-time departure, slightly bumpy flight, and an hour later it was touch down .... smooth landing!

Weather... a gorgeous 84 degrees.... definitely more humid than the DC metro area.... but I am not complaining ... yet.

I picked up my checked in bags and called the hotel (Embassy Suites) where I am staying for the week. I was instructed to head out the doors from the Baggage Claim area, walk across to the center lane, and await the complimentary airport shuttle 20 feet in front of the taxi stand. A short wait later I was sitting comfortably in a shuttle headed to the hotel. Be sure to call the hotel you are staying at to check if they offer complimentary airport shuttles. Check-in was smooth, no lines, and my shuttle driver was kind enough to bring my bags up to my room.

Off to dinner I go.... BBQ was the cuisine of choice and the restaurant Jim & Nick's. Nice restaurant and good BBQ, not the best I have ever had but the corn bread brought to the table before the meal was definitely to die for.

A good day now on to conference preparation starting tomorrow. Time to get some shut eye.

Waiting to see y'all soon! 

Day 1: Destination Charleston

A Garden Report - From your Conference Chair

We are having an exceptional spring in South Carolina. It has been cool and dry. The roses and bottlebrush were the prettiest I can remember, and you will see a few remaining in and around Charleston. Many of the storms you have seen on the news have gone north and missed Charleston. The gardenias are in bloom and the Magnolia's are just about to bloom providing you a perfect welcome to Charleston and the Lowcountry.

A Garden Report - From your Conference Chair

Charleston.... Here we come!

Weather
Coming from the Washington DC metro area, where we went from winter, to spring, to winter, to summer and now back to a warm day with blustering winds..... I cannot wait to get to sunny Charleston. Hope to see y'all there too!

Here is a snap shot of the weather in Charleston next week. Be sure to carry an umbrella to brave those isolated thunderstorms and keep watching http://www.weather.com/ for updates.

Clothing
Dress in layers. Most likely, some areas of lecture rooms, or the exhibit hall, will be cold – other areas will be warm. 

Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. You will do lots of walking as well as sitting.

Those going to the banquet, will find there is a wide range of attire; formal dress is not necessary.

Where to eat?
In addition to luncheons, there will be a concession stand in the exhibit hall, and a concession stand in the lobby of the convention center that will be open for breakfast only. Hours of operation are as listed below.

Lobby
Daily 7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

Exhibit Hall
Wednesday,  9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Beer and Wine Concession
Thursday Night Only
5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Enjoy the Exhibit Hall extended hours on Thursday!

Charleston.... Here we come!

Ancestry — Focus Group Participation

Do you have a lot to say about Family Tree Maker? Then we want to hear from you. As part of the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, Family Tree Maker will be holding a focus group at 12:30 p.m, on Thursday, 12 May 2011, to find out what you think about the product. If you are attending the conference—or are in the area—and are interested in being considered as a participant in the discussion, please email us at conferences@ancestry.com and include this information:

• The version of Family Tree Maker you are currently using
• How long you've used Family Tree Maker
• Genealogy skill level: beginning, experienced, expert

We look forward to hearing from you!

Ancestry — Focus Group Participation