Dear Downhome: We love your magazine and thought it would be the right place to tell everyone about “Antlefest.” Antlefest is a family reunion that celebrates our mothers’ family who has the surname Antle. The Antle family, from Eric Street in St. John’s, consisted of Mother (Esther, nee Maher from Mobile) and Father (Clarence, from Brigus) and 13 children: 12 girls and 1 boy, Robert (Bob), who was the youngest of them all! From this family grew many other families, and while most have kept in touch over the years, some have moved away and some are just so busy with their own lives that they don’t get to spend as much time with their aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. as they might like. Unfortunately, we often meet at funeral homes and everyone says, “We must get together more often” but that doesn’t always work out. So it was at such an event – an aunt’s funeral in 2008 - that the spark was lit and we finally took the bull by the horns. It all started with a little email to some of the Antle clan to see who would help form a Committee to plan a family reunion. Well, little did we know what a fabulous reunion it would turn out to be! We just recently finished our FIFTH ANNUAL ANTLEFEST and it was a huge success! We usually have 100+ relatives attend, and each clan has a family colour and shows up in various costumes. The event is held at our cousin’s place on Bauline Line where we have access to a private beach and an extraordinary log home. We play games and water-sports, have barbecues, deep-fried turkeys, a silent auction, lots of prizes, campfires and sing-alongs, etc. Many relatives bring their trailers and tents and make a night of it, and we often continue the festivities on Sunday after cleanup duties are completed. It’s a wonderful time that everyone looks forward to every year! The first 3 years were a great success; then in the fourth year the Committee decided to go with a theme and did “Christmas in July.” Needless to say, this was fabulous - complete with Santa in a speedboat, Christmas tree, turkeys and cranberry, and even a Mummers’ Parade! This year we did a “Hawaiian Luau” and had a hula (hoop) contest, the limbo, a pig roast, and of course everyone was dressed in grass skirts, leis and tacky flowered shirts (see photos enclosed). Next year will be a themed event as well, but that is a secret only the Committee Members know about at the moment, and it will be announced to the Antle clan early in the New Year. As you can imagine, such an event takes a lot of planning and hard work and volunteers to make it happen. We know we’ve succeeded as many of the children now get just as excited about Antlefest in the summer as they do about Christmas in the winter. Now that’s saying something! We always have a few relatives come from Ontario to attend the event, and some years we’ve had them come from as far away as Florida. The smiles and laughter and hugs which are in generous proportions at each Antlefest prove that the event is well worth the effort. We’ve read many stories about reunions in your wonderful magazine, and seen lots of family pictures, and we think Antlefest ranks right up there with the best of them! It’s always nice to get family together for happy celebrations, and we have faith that our younger generations growing up today will continue this wonderful tradition long after this generation is gone. Thank you for taking the time to read this little story, and we hope you think it’s worth passing on to others. :) Keep up the great work at The Downhome. Cheers! Sherry and Michael Day, Shelly Norman, Dave Murphy, Ken Auchinleck, Janice Kelsey and Michelle Power (Antlefest Committee Members)   Submitted By: Sherry Day