The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is always one of my favorite events. The Jamboree typically attracts 1,500 or so attendees although I suspect the crowd will be even bigger this year. The organizers constantly improve their advertising plus, the new, genealogy-oriented television shows in the United States have also been stirring up interest. The result should be a busy conference.
This year's Jamboree offers nearly 130 quality classes conducted by the most knowledgeable and experienced genealogy speakers from the US, Canada, and points beyond. A large exhibits hall will also attract the attendees.
The jamboree also always has innovative presentations and seminars. This year will see a repeat of last year's highly popular, free Kids' Family History Camp. I must say that I see more adolescents walking around at the Jamboree than at any other genealogy conference I have attended. The free Genealogy Librarian's Boot Camp also was very popular last year and will be repeated this time. While both seminars are free, pre-registration is required to make sure there is room for everyone.
The jamboree will also feature hands-on computer lab workshops throughout the weekend. About 20 people per course will bring their laptops and go through hands-on workshops on using Excel, Word, blogging software, Skype, Google Earth, and other programs.
Ancestry will be bringing four high-speed scanners and scheduling free, 15-minute scanning sessions for attendees. Attendees can have family photos and documents scanned at the conference, up to a maximum size of 22" by 15," for free on Ancestry’s professional scanning equipment. Details are available at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/2010jam-ancestry-scan.htm.
If you have attended past Jamborees, one change you will note this year is a pavilion that will be situated behind the Convention Center, adjacent to the lawn. The pavilion will hold 300 seats, and will be fully air conditioned, with wireless internet access.
The Friday Night Banquet will feature Chris Haley, speaking on My Genealogy: Now and Then. Chris is an actor, musician, genealogist, and nephew of Roots author Alex Haley. His presentation will focus on how genealogy has changed and yet remained the same over the years.
The Saturday FamilySearch 2010 and Beyond Breakfast will feature David E. Rencher, who will discuss what FamilySearch has been doing, describe what's new, and take a sneak peek into the foreseeable future.
Saturday Night Dinner will include a presentation on The Search for Michelle Obama's Roots by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. Megan shares how and why she researched the First Lady's ancestry and what she discovered along the way.
One Sunday breakfast sounds very interesting: A Walk Through California History. Breakfast guests will mingle with a number of characters from California's rich pioneer past.
Simultaneously, another Sunday breakfast will feature Presidential Genealogies by Christopher Child and Rhonda McClure of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This talk will discuss recent interesting discoveries, including the ancestry of President Barak Obama and others.
For more information, you might want to read the lecture schedule, which can be found at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/storage/Jamboree/Jamboree2010/Jamboree%20Brochure.pdf
I plan to be at the entire conference and am looking forward to attending some of the sessions. Of course, I always spend a lot of time in the exhibit hall and will be writing in this newsletter about any new or interesting products or services that I see.
For more information about the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree, go to http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/2010jam-home.htm
Since I will be spending the next few days jumping on airplanes and living in hotel rooms, I probably won't be writing as many newsletter articles as normal. In fact, I doubt if the Plus Edition email version will be sent as usual on Sunday evening as I'll be riding a 3,000 mile, coast-to-coast, red-eye flight about that time. Look for the Plus Edition email on Monday, after I get home and catch up on sleep.
See you in Burbank?
