This weekend, 120 descendents of the Bechler clan will flock to the Don Mills area from all over Canada and the United States to participate in the 21st Bechler Family Reunion. Their mission: to meet, greet and eat among family, just as they have done every two years since 1969.
This year’s hosts are Don Mills residents Barb and Don Messaros, who live just behind the Don Mills branch of the Toronto Public Library. Don’s grandmother Sarah was a Bechler, one of 11 children born to Joel and Magdalena Bechler in Ontario’s Mennonite country. The children worked as farmhands and maids, but when jobs dried up near home they sought a living across Canada and the United States and eventually settled there. But the kids longed for each other, so in 1969 they held a reunion in Kouts, Indiana, where three of the siblings lived. Two years later, they met again in their hometown of Zurich, Ont. Since then, the Bechler descendents have met at a host of interesting venues and cities including a dude ranch in Saskatchewan, a campsite in Iowa, and an Amish farm in Pennsylvania. They even produced a cookbook called Grandma Bechler’s Pantry.
With the 2009 reunion moving to Toronto, the Messaros' are excited to put the spotlight on Shops at Don Mills.
“When I discovered it was our turn to host the reunion, I couldn’t wait for Shops at Don Mills to open so I could start planning how we could incorporate it into the weekend’s busy schedule,” says Barb. “It has such an inviting village-like setting, yet our relatives from small towns will be blown away by its magnitude. Many will have no concept that Don and I can walk out of our house and be in this little village with stores, restaurants, artwork and entertainment. It’s a treat for us, and will be an even bigger treat for our relatives.”
Barb and Don have a full weekend planned for their guests, including a tour of Toronto, a family picnic, a Victorian Tea, a German Beer Garden, and a closing banquet with a penny auction and talent show. But between scheduled events it will be trips to Shops at Don Mills.
“We’ll have about 50 ladies enjoying the shops and more than a dozen kids who will love splashing in the water,” says Barb. “And on Sunday afternoon we’ll just hang out in the lovely square and get our guests accustomed to all the terrific things Don Mills has to offer.”
The staff at Shops at Don Mills salutes the Bechler Family and wishes them an enjoyable and meaningful reunion.
Joel and Magdalena Bechler and their 11 children