DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM BLUMIN 5th FAMILY REUNION

COLLINGWOOD/ BLUE MOUNTAIN ONTARIO CANADA ON BEAUTIFUL GEORGIAN BAY

JULY 3-6, 2014

 

 

DOWNLOAD, VIEW AND PRINT (pdf)

 

 

Downtown Collingwood comes alive every spring and summer. Experience musical, theatrical and open-air concerts and festivals, artistic, culinary and other great events and activities!

• Lodging: Village Suites (to view the Grand Georgian) and Blue Mountain Inn. http://www.bluemountain.ca/ Click on Lodging then Village Suites (to view the Grand Georgian) and click on Blue Mountain Inn. From the Quick Links tab click on How to get Here to read about shuttle service, see maps etc.
• Hotels. http://www.grandgeorgian.ca/view/home.aspx and http://www.hotels.com/ho262156/blue-mountain-inn-blue-mountains-canada/ and http://www.bluemountain.ca/weider_lodge.htm
• Weider Lodge is reflective of a true ski lodge, with a fireplace and rustic furnishings gracing its entrance and common area. Weider Lodge houses 98 suites ranging in size from studios to 3 bedroom. Weider Lodge suites range in size from studios to three bedrooms and all come completely furnished with full kitchens or kitchenettes, pull out sofa in the living room, fireplaces and flat screen tv. 24-hour check-in located at the Grand Georgian Seasonal outdoor swimming pool open 7 am- to dusk Year-round outdoor hot tub, open 7 am -11 pm Lounge with gas fireplace, Fitness Room and Sauna Games Room, Complimentary Shuttle Service, Bike Storage, Heated underground parking with controlled access for security. $10/night with a maximum charge of $30 per stay during winter months, and complimentary during spring, summer, and fall. Complimentary Ski Valet. Premium WiFi is available in guest rooms & conference centres at a cost of $9.95 +hst for 24 hours or $17.95 +hst for 72 hours and up to 3 devices. Light WiFi is available complimentary in hotel lobbies Playpens available upon request.
  
• Grand Georgian, a condo-hotel at the base of Blue Mountain ski & golf resort outside Collingwood, Ontario (90 minutes north of Toronto, ON). The resort hotel is in the heart of the Village at Blue.  Their web site provides details of the building's amenities and features. If you have any questions please contact them. Hotel includes a drive-up lobby and full service front-desk manned 24/7. Exclusive access to secure underground parking, direct access to Starbucks, large Hearth Room off the lobby for guests and owners, games room, 2 outdoor hot tubs, seasonal outdoor pool, fitness room and sauna. Every suite features high-speed internet access, in-room pay movies, a DVD player, dining area, plus Studio units have a kitchenette which includes a small fridge, small sink, microwave, toaster, kettle, coffee maker, dishes and cutlery Bachelor to 3 bedroom suites include a fireplace and fully furnished kitchen with dishwasher 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites have multiple TVs and a balcony or patio. 24-hour check-in Seasonal outdoor swimming pool open 7 am- to dusk Year-round outdoor hot tub, open 7 am -11 pm Lounge with gas fireplace, Fitness Room and Sauna Games Room, Complimentary Shuttle Service, Bike Storage, Heated underground, parking with controlled access for security. $10/night with a maximum charge of $30 per stay during winter months, and complimentary during spring, summer, and fall WiFi is available in guest rooms & conference centres at a cost of $9.95 +hst for 24 hours or $17.95 +hst for 72 hours and up to 3 devices, Light WiFi is available complimentary in hotel lobbies, Playpens available upon request.
• Blue Mountain Inn - Blue Mountains: within easy reach of Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster, Blue Mountain Ski Resort, Plunge Aquatic Center. Also nearby are Scenic Caves Nature Adventures and Collingwood Scenic Caves. onsite restaurant. Public areas are equipped with wireless Internet access (surcharges apply). Onsite parking is complimentary. Guestrooms. The 93 air-conditioned guestrooms at Blue Mountain Inn include coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Wireless and wired high-speed Internet access (surcharge) is provided. Rooms are equipped with flat-screen TVs with cable channels and pay movies. Bathrooms offer showers and complimentary toiletries. Additional amenities include irons/ironing boards and clock radios. Housekeeping is offered daily.
• Lodging Map
• Car Rental options https://www.enterpriserentacar.ca
• Here is our Miss Midland boat cruise. http://www.midlandtours.com/boat-cruise-tours/miss-midland/
• The Best Way to Get Around the Resort: Blue Mountain offers complimentary shuttle service on Resort 365 days a year. The shuttle route runs from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. 7 days a week. Shuttles outside these time are on-demand and can be arranged through At Your Service by calling extension 8280.
• Monterra Golf http://www.bluemountain.ca/golf.htm
• This has reviews and photos of the scenic caves and zipline. http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g181754-d308746-Reviews-Scenic_Caves_Nature_Adventures-Collingwood_Ontario.html
• This is the Village grocery store. http://www.villagemarketatblue.com/index.htm
• This link has info about the town of Collingwood. http://www.collingwood.ca/
• Ecoadventure Tour includes Tree-top canopy walk, Zip-Line ride, caves and caverns to explore, unique flora and fauna, natural and native history tour. http://www.sceniccaves.com/
• Plunge! Aquatic Centre All ages 4-seasons water adventure. http://www.plungebluemountain.ca/
• Collingwood Museum Numerous exhibits on the history of Petun Native Indian history and culture, etc. http://www.collingwood.ca/
• The Cheese Gallary Edible art. http://www.thecheesegallery.com/
• Georgian Hills Vineyards Wine tastings. http://www.georgianhillsvinyards.ca/
• Bygone Days Heritage Village features 29 buildings dating back to 1830. Phone 705-445-4316
• Batteaux Creek Gold Club ten minutes south of Collingwood. http://www.batteauxcreek.com/
• Theatre Colingwood Broadway plays and musicals. http://www.theatrecollingwood.ca/

 

 

December 2013

 

 

Dear Cousins and Extended Family Members:

 

Please consider this to be your official invitation to join together at the fifth Family Reunion of the DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM BLUMIN to be held in Collingwood/ Blue Mountain Ontario  on the shores of scenic Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada from Thursday July 3 to Sunday July 6^th  (3-6) 2014.  A registration form is enclosed with this mailing.  We ask that everyone please complete and return the form even if you are unable to attend the Reunion. 

 

For those who may be unfamiliar with the history of our Family Reunion, here’s some brief background.  About eleven years ago, we polled several relatives from a list compiled by cousin Sylva Baker, our official Family Genealogist, to see whether there was interest in holding a family reunion.  Working with a limited number of names and addresses, Howard Baker and his committee organized a wonderful reunion in Lake Buena Vista, Florida in late June 2004 that was attended by more than 60 relatives from 11 states, Canada, France and The Netherlands.    The amazing spirit and warm feelings that highlighted the Florida reunion led us to hold another in San Diego in June 2006 where nearly 100 family members from infants to super seniors enjoyed a most wonderful gathering. Our third reunion in June 2009 was held in Scottsdale where we once again enjoyed a warm family feeling that matched Arizona’s summer temperature. In July 2012, approximately 60 of us visited Kent Island on Chesapeake Bay for our fourth reunion and everyone had a great time catching up once again. And with that in mind, we are looking forward to another great event in several months, where we can again experience the special feeling and sentiment that only a family reunion can generate.

 

At the final family dinner in Kent Island, we asked for feedback on frequency of the next reunion(s) and location. The majority felt that the next reunion should take place in two years instead of the historical three; and, it appeared that there was overwhelming interest among the Family in holding the next reunion in Canada.

 

So, with some persuasion, the Canadian cousins present agreed to take on the task of organizing the next reunion on the condition that Cousin Howard remain involved as Consultant; and that an Organizing Committee be selected representing the varied age/interest cross section of the Family. We are pleased to report that after some email communication with the Committee, along with discussions in some informal family get- together, we have finalized the location and have some exciting Reunion details to share with the Group.

 

 

 

BLUE MOUNTAIN “VILLAGE SUITES” & “INN”

 

Our 2014 Reunion will be held outside of Collingwood Ontario in the Town of Blue Mountains, a resort community located approximately 90 minutes north of Toronto. We have selected two Hotel Facilities that are part of the same “Resort Complex ” and between them, should appeal to everyone in our Group.

 

Attached is a “Resort Conference Map” which can be used as a reference for booking purposes. You will note that there are two “Accommodation Check In” spots; one being the Grand Georgian which is to be used for the “Village Suite Accommodation” and the other, is for the “Blue Mountain Inn” room option.

 

To make booking your rooms easier, we have also enclosed a “Reservation booking information” sheet which has all of the information necessary to book your rooms - including booking reference number, online booking procedure, rates and room information.  We encourage you to go on line or call the listed toll free information and speak with a representative who should be able to answer all of your specific accommodation questions.

 

Doug and Joan Moody, who are part of the Core Committee,  have booked a 3 bedroom suite in the “Village Suites” building “Weider Lodge” which they plan to make available as a hospitality area for the Group  during the Reunion so if you are choosing the “Village Suites” as your accommodation, you may want to request “Weider Lodge” to ensure that you are close to the rest of the Family and to the hospitality room. 

 

 

Travel Information

 

The Town of Blue Mountains is a 4-seasons resort Community located outside of Collingwood Ontario on the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay forming part of the Great Lakes. The Resort is approximately 90 minutes north of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto (YYZ), which would be the closest Airport and offer the most number of flight choices for those travelling from the States and other parts of the world. There are a number of shuttle options available as well as all of the Major Car Rental Companies operate out of Pearson and details of these options will be made available at a later date.  Another alternative to Pearson is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), , commonly known as the Toronto Island Airport, located in downtown Toronto. Porter Airlines is the exclusive airline for this airport and has reasonable costs for flights to many American cities, especially on the east coast and Chicago. The drawback of this downtown airport is that it could add another 30 minutes of travel time to the Reunion and shuttle arrangements may be more difficult and expensive.  However, if you are planning to spend some time in Toronto before or after the reunion, then this might be the perfect option for you.  Alternatively, you could consider flying in and out of the Buffalo Airport (it is actually the Niagara Falls Airport) and rent a car from there. Southwest has many daily flights and is typically a cheaper airline on which to fly. This would allow you to visit Niagara Falls on your way to Toronto and Collingwood. The additional travel time from the Niagara Falls Airport to Toronto is approximately 90 minutes.

 

When making your airline reservations, please bear in mind that our reunion begins on Thursday July 3^rd and our first “official” event will be an opening reception and dinner probably beginning about 6 pm.  And, on Sunday morning July 6, beginning about 8:00 am we plan to have a  closing breakfast followed by a family meeting.  We should conclude by 9:30 or 10 am. 

 

Our Reunion Plans

 

Reunion planning is still “on-going” but we expect to follow the same format that has worked well at our prior gatherings.  A final program agenda will be provided to everyone a few weeks before the reunion but here’s a preview of what we anticipate:  We will begin on Thursday afternoon, July 3, with registration and hospitality sign-in to be followed by an opening reception, welcome dinner and a family meeting . . . Friday’s dinner will be held at a private banquet room in the Village Conference Centre and Saturday’s dinner will culminate with a Sunset Dinner Cruise on beautiful Georgian Bay. As noted above, Sunday’s closing breakfast will be held on the Resort premises and include a wrap up family meeting.

 

Varied morning activities will be planned for Friday and Saturday. Cousins Cindy and Julie Baker will be asked to once again lead a wake-up walk/run along part of the Niagara Escarpment, which affords gorgeous views of the Georgian Bay. On Friday morning we’re again planning a Family Golf Outing at the Monterra Golf Course, which is located on the Resort Premises. If golf isn’t your thing, we have arranged for a Group to attend the Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain which is a fully equipped spa filled with hot and cold pools, steam, saunas, quiet rooms and of course treatment rooms for all types of body pampering. The Spa has expansive views of the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Niagara Escarpment. For the younger Family Members there are a myriad of activities including Zip lining, scenic caves, mountain roller coaster, mini-put and many other activities.

 

The plan is for Friday morning to be filled with planned activities as noted above and the afternoon will be at leisure at the Hotel pool and/or beach, which will allow family members to relax and get caught up. We have a banquet room booked at the Village Conference Centre for our Friday night dinner, which we hope will include our usual sing song and story telling along with a great meal. This visually stunning Conference Centre features breathtaking views of the mountain and of Georgian Bay.

 

With no shortage of activities in the Blue Mountain resort area, we will offer a choice of activities on Saturday morning that are TBA.  After more pool/beach/leisure time in the afternoon, we will depart for Midland Ontario via bus and board the “Miss Midland” Cruise ship where we will commandeer the entire ship for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship.  Three hours of cruising the islands of Georgian Bay feasting on a delicious buffet with our own family entertainment will no doubt be one of the highlights of the Event.  

 .

 

While we hope everyone will participate in one way or another in the planned reunion events, we recognize family members may want to go off and do their own thing, which is fine.  We ask only that everyone please attend all the dinner meals and family meetings. 

 

 

The Reunion Cost

 

We are mindful of the need to keep Reunion costs as reasonable as possible and in this regard, the price per adult is $195.00  (and less for children under ages 14 and 4) and this includes all evening meals, snacks, commemorative mementos, transportation to/from reunion events and related admission/use charges.  Fri and Sat breakfasts, Luncheons, greens fees and the Spa and other optional activities will be extra. 

 

The Family Tree and Website

 

We continue to obtain contact information about additional family members (including newborns, marriages, etc.), which allows our Family Tree to keep growing.  Some family members contacted us after they noticed the Baker-Blumin family website that was created prior to our first reunion by Chicago cousin Michael Baker, our official Family Webmaster.  The website – www.bakerbluminfamilytree.com – serves as a focal point to check for updates, birth/death and other announcements as well as to view family pictures, learn of our family’s expanding connections and relive the happy moments of the prior reunions.  Please visit the site and contribute to our tree by filling in missing information about your family members such as: complete names, maiden names, parents’ names, dates and locations of births, marriages and death, cause of death, children names, etc.  We also would like to have more historic family pictures to display.  Please contact Michael Baker via e-mail at webmaster@bakerbluminfamilytree.com with any additional information or questions.

 

 

How Are We Related?

 

At each Reunion a good deal of conversation always revolves around the question: “How are we related?”  Of course, the family website is a good place to look for a visual overview as to how the Bakers, Blumins, Passins and Robinovs and all other family names are related.  Simply put, our common ancestor is Abraham Blumin.  He had 10 children with two wives who were sisters and of these 10 children, only three daughters and two sons (see below) married and had children of their own from whom we are all descendants. 

1.     daughter Leah Esther married Jacob Baker to start the Baker branch name.cc

2.     daughter Raisel married Gadelia Robinov to start the Robinov branch name.

3.     daughter Ida married Abraham Passin to start the Passin branch name; and

4.     sons Simon and Harry who married Dora and Stella continued the Blumin branch name.  On the Family Tree you will note that we now are into the 8^th generation of family members!

 

Please note that the Baker-Blumin Family website contains some very interesting stories, interviews and submissions.

• Make Changes to our Genealogical Database;
• Ellis Island Ship Manifests: 1906-1923;
• Stella Lienoff Blumin's interview in 1959 with her granddaughter's husband David Apter;
• Harry & Dorothy Baker speak: The World of the Shtetl & Coming to America;
• Fred Baker's story: The resettlement of Bulgaria's Jewish population after the war; |
• Paul Baker, June 2006.

 

 

What’s next?

 

We hope everyone will make a sincere effort to come together in Canada in Collingwood Ontario in July.  For those who have attended a prior reunion you already know the very special family feeling that is generated.  For those yet to attend we encourage you to “take the plunge” and come to meet relatives you never knew existed and reacquaint with others you may not have seen in years.  Maybe you’ll come because you’re just curious to find out who your relatives are or what they are like or where you fit within the family tree.  Whatever your reason, we know you’ll enjoy the Reunion and we look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in July.  Please make your hotel reservations, book your travel and return your completed registration form with payment as soon as possible . . and if you do not have a current passport, remember to obtain one before you book your air; as regardless of how you enter Canada from the States, you will need to show your passport!............ and call or contact me with any questions whatsoever.

 

Sincerely,

 

Cousin Doug Moody

19 White Pine Place

Barrie, Ontario Canada L4M 5L7

 

Tel:   705-722-8720

Bus:  705-726-4101

Cell:  705-795-4101

Fax:  705-726-4108     

Email: 38mgr@activegreenross.com