NFDA Advocacy Summit

Anytime we can join the NFDA for an event is a treat but doing so at the foot of our nation’s capitol is a unique experience. I don’t think many enjoy starting their workday at 4:00 AM but in order to be cleared by capitol police, that is just what we did. After a once over by the k9 unit and a good chat with officers starting their early morning shift it was time to open up Reflections for attendees of the 2010 NFDA Advocacy Summit in Washington DC. Sitting next to the reflecting pool below the statue of General Grant we were visited by several Congressional Reps and their staffs as well as government employees out enjoying the pleasant weather, the media and hundreds of people who were visiting Washington DC from around the country and literally from around the world.

Being just a few hundred feet from capitol steps and where the tour buses drop off has its advantages; those waiting to be picked up took a few moments to take in the exhibit.

This is will be a lasting memory for Josh and I, it’s going to be hard to top this one.

McMinn County Living Heritage Museum

Guess you all might want to hear from the driver every once in a while. It sure is nice to be on the road again, and headed south! We left the snow and slush behind us in Detroit and headed for Tennessee. Abigail abandoned me and went on a vacation to Mexico with some of her pals. Not to worry though! Frank Lorbach hopped in the truck with me and we headed off to do a 3 day event at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum in Athens TN.

This local museum was quite impressive with more than 7000 artifacts in their collection! Its exhibits portrayed daily life and artifacts from different time periods throughout the county's history. We had a nice show and had a surprising number of veterans and their families come visit us. The area has a strong tradition of military service. It was a rewarding experience to receive their appreciation for the exhibit.

Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln

Each year the city of Danville, IL has a special way to wish their hometown hero a Happy Birthday. Abraham Lincoln practiced law in that area for many years and to celebrate they host an annual Birthday Card contest. This year found more then 400 entrants, on Sunday the Vermilion County Museum hosted a party for all the participants. The winners were announced and birthday cake was served. This is an annual happening to Danville and we found it to be the perfect place to celebrate Abe.

Here you can see a collection of the top finishers, I was blown away by the creativity and construction.

New Content Coming

As Reflections prepares to start it's next season on tour, new content will be released. I am going to keep is secret until we launch but look for added features and new display. We are very excited around here, we are hustling and bustling to book shows for next year.

If you are looking at adding Reflections to your schedule please get a hold of the team here at MRA for information.

Look forward to seeing you all this year.

Celebrating the Holidays With Parkersburg

We had a very special opportunity this December to visit Parkersburg and Vienna, WV, taking part in their Holiday parades. It is always a unique day for us to take part in a parade and then open up for guests. Thanks to Lambert-Tatman Funeral Homes we made the last show of the season a great one. Both communities had wonderful turnouts to their very different parades. With pleasant weather and tons of floats families of all sizes joined us.
After the festivities we opened the exhibit to the public and Lambert-Tatman's south Parkersburg location. More then 300 guests came by to visit us and the staff of the funeral home.

Happy Anniversary Heritage Funeral Home

To celebrate the one year anniversary at their new facility, Heritage Funeral Home invited Reflections into the Columbia, TN community. They have created a beautiful and state of the art funeral home, crematorium and cemetery. Despite some rainy weather we had a nice turn out and lots of folks got a chance to visit our exhibit see what the funeral home has to offer.
As you can see the staff really tries to offer the best for their families. With flexible options for the service and viewing this is some of the most extensive facilities we have visited.
We had a number of home school groups come through, providing a little field trip without having to go far from home. They had lots of great questions

Teaming Up With Frigid Fuild in Nashville

Matt and John Smith from Frigid Fluid are no strangers to Reflections, and Matt has joined us at numerous events to share his industry expertise and information about Frigid Fluid. John A. Gupton College hosted us and in conjunction with a presentation from him . Before the students left for fall break they were able to sit in on a lecture from the Smith's about advanced embalming and preparation techniques. Many local funeral directors where able to come in for the talk. It was a joy to visit with students and staff at the college.

Unfortunately I don't have photos to share with you from this event but we hope to repeat it soon.