Flat Top, WV (WOAY) – The Lilly Family Reunion is back in Flat Top this weekend for its 97th year, and organizers have an open invitation for southern West Virginia:
“You don’t have to be a Lilly to come. If you know a Lilly, and that’s everybody… you can come…” said Beverly Lilly Farrish, a board member and organizer of the reunion.
Every visitor who comes through the gate is treated like family, and the Lillys call them cousins no matter what name they carry. The family has gathered on the same hillside every year since the first reunion in 1929.
The gathering has a claim to fame. In 2009, it earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest family reunion, drawing more than 2,500 relatives. This year, organizers expect between 500 and 800 people from around 32 states.
“We want to be again the biggest family reunion there is, and especially West Virginia,” Farrish said.
The weekend has grown into something closer to a festival. Live music plays throughout the day Saturday, and a car show runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Farrish said the family has also worked to give younger visitors a reason to come.
“We’ve got the jump houses and the dunking booth and everything, and the kids love it,” she said.
Food is a tradition of its own here. The Lilly Cafe operates all weekend with hamburgers, barbecue and french fries, and Farrish does not hold back when talking about the menu.
“We have the best hotdogs in the state of West Virginia,” she said.
This year’s theme is “The echo of family still calls us home,” and Farrish said there is a place for anyone willing to make the trip.
“Come out. I guarantee you, if you come, you’ll be back,” she said.
The reunion is free to attend. Organizers say it continues year after year through donations, which can be made on the reunion’s website, lillyreunion.org, along with a full schedule of the weekend’s events.
