Jamboree 2015

I am home from spending a weekend at the Southern California Genealogical Society's annual Jamboree in Burbank. I really enjoy the Jamboree, there is so much energy in the air. The sessions are always great. I was able to attend excellent talks given by Jill Morelli, Thomas W. Jones, Dr. Michael D. Lacopo, Rev. David McDonald, Paula Stuart-Warren, Cyndi Ingle,  Michael Brophy, and Geoff Rasmussen. There were so many other sessions given by such excellent speakers as Lisa Alzo, Blaine Bettinger, Lisa Louise Cooke, Thomas MacEntee, George Morgan, Stephen Morse, Judy Russell, Craig R. Scott and Drew Smith, just to name a few.  Of course, there are always conflicting schedules and tough decisions to be made in choosing each session. They were all so terrific. My head is filled with many new ideas and research techniques to try.

At the Saturday night banquet Dr. Michael Lacopo was the speaker. He gave us his insights and some background information about his blog Hoosier Daddy at  http://roots4u.blogspot.com.  He then left us hanging with the words, “Stay tuned for more to come.” If you follow his blog, you know it is a narrative that has to be read from the very beginning and it lays out the many twists and turns in his genealogy research process to find his grandfather.

Although I was unable to attend the DNA day on Thursday,  I have heard from others that it was a terrific success also. 

One of my best impressions about Jamboree is the excitement, yet there is also an air of casualness. It is important to set aside some time to socialize. Everyone seems relaxed and just enjoys talking about genealogy and being together. Of course, it is always fun to catch up with old friends and meet new people.

I highly recommend going to the Jamboree. Thank you to the organizers and volunteers who put in a lot of work and hours for this event! Everyone leaves looking forward to returning the next year.