The grand conclusion of the Branch reunion was held at the Foulger-Pratt Farm on Memorial Day. It was somewhat nostalgic, since the last Branch activity was held at the farm more than five years ago. Guillermo and Betty Azucena, who served as the chairs for the barbecue picnic committee, planned the menu and coordinated the food. They grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken as the main dishes, while the attendees brought food to share. Ray & Joyce Pratt and their sons, Bill & Jeff, were there to help with the grills and the setup. Outside the barn, the children, young and old, enjoyed a water slide down the hill on the side of the barn, played with water balloons, and engaged in tug of war contests.
Inside the barn, Andrew Shen emceed a branch history trivia contest. Three contestants, Betty Azucena, Fengdi Chen, and Charlotte Shen, were chosen to participate. After the emcee asked a question, the three contestants were first given the opportunity to answer the question. If a contestant answered the question correctly, one point was rewarded. If not, the audience was given a chance. Whoever answered it correctly first received a special reunion label bookmark. After 15 questions, the contestant with the most points received a grand prize of a picture frame with the reunion flyer. The winner was Sister Charlotte Shen for answering the most questions.
After the trivia contest, Sister Susan Breglio led willing participants in the Macarena dance, which she and President Breglio and the youth at that time demonstrated at a past branch activity. Next, Sister Li-Fang Tsai led everyone in the chicken dance, which was featured in the wedding reception for Sister Carol Scott. Then Sister Tsai also led all in the YMCA dance. This was followed by the Limbo dance. Vince Breglio and Ben Tsai held up the PVC tube which acted as the Limbo stick. The stick was gradually lowered until the final participant was left walking. This was so popular, that several rounds were initiated.
Finally, group photos were taken outside with the lawn chairs. The final group photo included over 100 attendees. In addition, a drone dazzled the audience by taking a video of the group and the farm.
Thanks to Meg & Brent Pratt, Ray & Joyce Pratt, Bill Pratt, and Jeffrey Pratt for their support and willingness to let us use their farm, for clearing the grass, cleaning up the farm, and providing the grills for our use.
The farm barbecue picnic was a fitting conclusion to a weekend long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Montgomery Chinese Branch. It is difficult to imagine that it has been 25 years since the organization of the Branch in 1992. These years, the Branch has been blessed with over 130 full-time missionaries, 200 converts, and over 400 members in total have passed through our Branch.
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