2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE THORNHILL FOUNDATION
AND HARDIE FAMILY REUNION – THORNHILL
Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 14
2024 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the first gathering of the descendants of John and Mary Hardie at our family home, Thornhill. Over the past 49 years we have gathered once a year in a variety of locations including Talladega, New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, El Paso, Vermont, Scotland, and Paris, France.
This April we will celebrate 50 years of family gatherings by returning to our mutual family home, Thornhill in Talladega, Alabama. Save the date and join us for the 50th Annual Hardie Family Reunion and the Annual Meeting of the Thornhill Foundation to be held in Talladega, Alabama.
Click on links below for hotel info and reunion registration. We have a two-step online registration this year. Click on link below and follow instructions. Any questions, email us at HardieReunion50@gmail.com.
CLICK HERE FOR REUNION HOTEL INFORMATION – Group Rates May Expire March 12
CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM – MARCH 29 REGISTRATION DEADLINE
TENTATIVE REUNION EVENTS (Click on Agenda above for printable schedule). Along with some of the customary events such as gathering for meals, we have some special events and activities in the planning phase. Here are some of the plans in process:
Friday, April 12 – Gather at Thornhill with our hosts, the Greene family for an evening reception as we watch the sun set over the distant hills.
Saturday, April 13 – Join us for lunch at the Bar-B-Que pavilion; take a tour and learn the history of our homeplace; walk amongst the spring flowers on the beautiful tree-shaded grounds at Thornhill; and visit the peaceful cemetery, resting place of our ancestors. Other activities in the works are scavenger hunts, genealogy primers, and the “John Hardie & Co”. Gift Shop featuring tartans, books, and artwork. Following an afternoon break, we will gather for more family conversation over an evening meal – not included in registration fee – at selected venues in Anniston.
Sunday, April 14 – Bring your family to Sunday service at John and Mary Hardie’s family church, the First Presbyterian Church of Talladega. See more activities below.
OTHER ACTIVITIES – for Sunday or any day:
APRIL IN TALLADEGA 2024: This year’s reunion overlaps with the annual April in Talladega tour of homes (and we hear, the First Presbyterian Church – John and Mary Hardie’s church). Other events such as a Block Party on Courthouse Square with crafts, activities, and food will take place over the weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR APRIL IN TALLADEGA WEBSITE
HERITAGE HALL: Museum and Art Center in downtown Talladega housed in former Jemison Carnegie Library. 200 South Street East, Talladega.
CLICK HERE FOR HERITAGE HALL WEBSITE
SUNNY KING CRITERIUM Bike Race and NOBLE STREET FESTIVAL – Downtown Anniston, April 13 – 14. Details and schedule are still in the works. These events overlap with our Reunion events. The Noble Street Festival seems to continue until 7:00 Saturfay night, so it sounds like a fun event after our mid-day activities.
CLICK HERE FOR SUNNY KING CRITERIUM
CLICK HERE FOR NOBLE STREET FESTIVAL
CHEAHA STATE PARK: The highest point in Alabama. We also suggest hiking at Cheaha State Park, located between and just east of Oxford and Anniston.
CLICK HERE FOR CHEAHA STATE PARK WEBSITE.
CLICK HERE FOR CHEAHA STATE PARK HIKING INFO.
TALLADEGA SUPER SPEEDWAY: For those of you with a need for speed, sign up for a tour of the Talladega Motor Speedway or go to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, located between Oxford and Birmingham. Call: 877.GO2.DEGA.
CLICK HERE FOR TALLADEGA SUPER SPEEDWAY WEBSITE
CLICK HERE FOR INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME WEBSITE
More details, updates and registration instructions will be posted here, on the Thornhill Foundation Facebook page, and in the Fall/Winter newsletter.
Be a part of making this the best Hardie family reunion ever!
EMAIL US AT HardieReunion50@gmail.com if you plan to attend and we will send you additional information and keep you updated.
- Let us know you plan to attend.
- Sign up to help plan activities and to volunteer during the reunion.
- Sponsor a reunion event.
Click on a topic below for more information
TRAVEL INFO
Oxford: Interstate I-20 passes right through Oxford, Alabama. The Reunion Hotels are located just north and west of Exit 188. Driving from Oxford to Thornhill, you will take State Hi-way 21 South which leads to the “Talladega by-pass”, Hi-way 275, which in turn connects back to HI-way 21 just north of Thornhill.
Thornhill is located on State Hi-way 21, just a few miles southwest of Talladega. The address is 29229 Highway 21. If you search in your GPS for the AIDB Horse Center – MGH Foundation (large white, one-story building), the entrance to Thornhill is immediately south of that facility on the west side of Hi-way 21. There is a white fence with an arched entrance. Use caution as Hi-way 21 is a 4-lane, divided hi-way.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is about an hour and a half from Oxford.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport is about an hour from Oxford.
Both Airports have rental car facilities and both serve Anniston via Groome Transportation, Airport Shuttle which stops at the Holiday Inn Express in Oxford, just down the street from the Reunion Hotels. If you choose to use Groome please let us know if you need to be picked up and brought to one of the Reunion Hotels. Click HERE for link to Groome Transportation.
REUNION MAP
