In Seaside, three generations mark a moment

SEASIDE — Decades ago, three generations of family members made a trek to Seaside for a reunion marked in the Seaside Signal in 1988. Last month, another three generations followed in their footsteps for a visit filled with beach walks, clam chowder and nostalgia.

For Chris Binnicker, the reunion was a chance to host relatives and make memories while recalling ones from 36 years before.

Reunion

Chris Binnicker hosted a family reunion in Seaside.

“Everybody showed up, ages 1 to 81,” she said. “It was really a wonderful time. Because we had people from different age groups, we kind of had different activities set up.”

The family members, most of whom traveled from Wisconsin and Minnesota, enjoyed Seaside’s wide array of gift shops, restaurants, candy stores and arcade games. Many participated in hiking expeditions, fishing trips and painting rocks to bring to Painted Rock Beach.

An outdoor party was catered by Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, with adults lounging in lawn chairs and children playing on the asphalt. In the midst of it all, a giant easel stood in the middle of the party, featuring the sepia-toned Seaside Signal article from decades past.

“Randomly throughout the day, I’d see people stop and stand by this easel, rereading the article,” Binnicker said. “And they were all like, ‘I can’t believe we were here 36 years ago.’”

The family’s love for the Oregon Coast began with Binnicker’s mother, who vacationed in Seaside every summer from the age of 2.

“Her mom brought her here when my dad was in the war, and we just had a bench on the Prom dedicated to my grandma … I moved here three years ago, have been active in the community, and my mom now lives with me in the town she loves the most,” Binnicker said.

It’s difficult for Binnicker to arrange a full family reunion — with school and work, coordinating for three generations is a rare occasion. But she said it’s always worth the effort. Nearly 50 family members arrived for their gathering in August.

“As we’ve gotten older and grown busier, and the kids we knew are having kids, we don’t always get an opportunity to just reconnect and find out what’s going on in each others’ lives. My mom met some of her grandnieces and nephews that she had never met before.

“I feel like if we don’t make a point of doing this, our kids will never know what we have and what we had, and to carry those traditions and those memories on.”