Ask any sports fan what is their favourite season, and their response will likely include the name of their favourite sport. For the past few months, it's been football season in my household. Fortunately, that is coming to an end with the Super Bowl in just a few weeks.
My favourite season is Family History season. It started this week and will run through until the end of June.
Some of you might be confused as you have never heard of Family History season, and you may be thinking that I am making this up. Let me assure it is real. Signs of the season include annual genealogy institutes, television shows, conferences and seminars.
The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy is usually the first offering of the season, and kicks off two weeks of genealogy education and fun in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year's institute ran this past week (23-27 January), and has those of us at home slightly green with genea-envy.
This is followed by the Association of Professional Genealogists' Professional Management Conference, 1 February 2012.
Next is RootsTech 2012 running from 2-4 February.
This two-week period has every serious family historian wanting to be in Salt Lake City instead of warmer climates in January and February.
For those who enjoy curling up on the couch in front of the television, family history season continues through February and March with two series. Who Do You Think You Are?, Season 3 begins Friday, February 3rd with Martin Sheen on NBC in the US, and on CityTV in Canada.
Already the genealogy community is buzzing about this year's season of celebrities. Some of us will be taking part in a media conference call with Lisa Kudrow today, and with Martin Sheen on Monday. I am excited to be a part of this.
The week-end of March 24-25 brings the MidWest Geneabloggers Get-together in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This promises to be a mix of serious research during the day at the Allen County Public Library, plus lots of fun and socializing in the evening.
Also at the end of March, PBS will be airing another season of Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This year, Gates is hoping to discover the identity of his 4th great-grandfather who is believed to be Irish.
Later in the spring there is the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in May. June is jam-packed with the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference (the largest family history conference in Canada), the Southern California Genealogy Society Jamboree, and Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research.
These are some of the events planned for Family History season. Still can't get enough family history? Be sure to visit the GeneaWebinars site for webinars you can enjoy at home.
Yes, it's my favourite time of year. It's Family History season!
Copyright by Kathryn Lake Hogan, 2012.
