Memories of the St. George Family History Expo 2009

Genealogy, warm, sunny weather and friendly people. I'm thinking about the great time I had this past week-end at the 5th Annual St. George Family History Expo.

This event continues to be a success. Thanks to Holly Hansen and Janene Morgan of Family History Expos for all of their hard work. Both of these ladies are always genuinely friendly and welcoming to both presenters and attendees. I cannot thank Holly enough for taking a big risk two years ago when she accepted me as a presenter for this event in 2007. No one had ever heard of me, and Holly scheduled me to speak for three sessions that year. Well, this year, she had me hard at work again. I spoke for three sessions again this year. All of my topics focused on Canadian research - no surprise there, eh?

Presenting "Digging Your Canadian Roots", St. George Expo. 27 February 2009. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Windsor, ON. 2009.

I had a lot of fun meeting, chatting with and helping people with their family history. Thanks to those who took the time to sit in on my sessions.

My hubby came to St. George with me this time. Is he into genealogy? NO! He was my "roadie" and my "techie guy", helping me with my equipment and set-up. Was he bored? Not at all since he did do some networking with the guys at the Legacy Family Tree booth in the exhibit hall. Thanks Geoff and Dave.

The banquet Friday night was well worthwhile. The dinner was delicious, and the company at our table was even better. Hubby and I enjoyed getting to know Holly, her hubby, and the guest speaker, Thomas Jay Kemp of Genealogy Bank all a little bit better. As the guest speaker and sponsor of the banquet, Tom's presentation was informative and entertaining. One of the benefits of attending the banquet was a 7 day free trial of Genealogy Bank. I will be taking advantage of this in the week to come.

Saturday evening after the expo, hubby and I hooked up with Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems Podcast and her hubby. Turns out Lisa's hubby's brother works for the same company as my hubby. Small world, eh? Well, our hubbies got along great, which gave Lisa and me a chance to catch up. We had a good time chatting about the GeneaBloggers group, upcoming conferences (Lisa will be at the Southern California Genealogy Conference in June), and our families.

Unfortunatley, our time in St. George ended too soon. But before we departed, we managed to spend a few hours at Snow Canyon State Park. It is beautiful there. The weather was warm and sunny, and the scenery was magnificent.

Petrified Dunes, Snow Canyon State Park, St. George, Utah. 1 March 2009. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Windsor, ON. 2009.

So, if you are looking for some good genealogy in a beautiful, friendly city, look no further than the St. George Family History Expo.