If there is one thing that brings West Virginians together, it’s family. One family, the Lilly clan, has been getting together each and every year since 1929. And their annual family reunion gained the attention of the world in 2009 when the Guinness Book of World Records made it official: the Lilly family reunion is the largest in the world.
The Lillys first settled in the rugged terrain along the Bluestone River and created a town called Lilly in Summers County. The town is long gone, but the family continues to thrive.
Facebook/The Lilly’s of West Virginia
Since the first Lilly family reunion held in 1929, thousands and thousands of Lillys descend upon Flat Top each year for a family reunion like no other.
YouTube/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The gathering lasts three days and is attended by Lillys who have branched out to places all over the world, many of them tracing a lineage back to the Lillys of West Virginia.
YouTube/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
There are Lillys in all 50 states and other Lilly reunions take place in other states too, but this is the mac daddy of them all.
YouTube/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The fun takes place in Flat Top and includes live entertainment (mostly gospel and bluegrass), food, and even a genealogy hut where Lillys can find out just how they’re related.
Flickr/Joe Dawson
Are you a Lilly? The reunion takes place every summer in Mercer County.
Facebook/The Lilly’s of West Virginia To learn more, watch this short YouTube video from West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
Learn more about this awesome family get together from the official Lilly Family Facebook page, and get forthcoming details about the next reunion (you must be a Lilly or related to a Lilly to attend), from the official Lilly Reunion website here.
Facebook/The Lilly’s of West Virginia
YouTube/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Flickr/Joe Dawson
To learn more, watch this short YouTube video from West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
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Address: Mercer County, WV, USA
