WHO should attend?

IMHO, the only fair way to do this is:

(1) Plan for the largest group possible.
(2) Establish a firm final date for registration.
(3) Accept registrations on a first come, first served basis *unless and until* the number established in (1) is exceeded.
(4) If/ when the limit is exceeded (is there really any question that it will be?), have a lottery with family member clause (don't want to seperate husbands and wives and children, do we?) to decide who goes.
(5) Among the lottery winners, those who registered first should get the lowest number reunion pieces, or that could be by lottery, too.

-Art

Another way would be to mix last year's registration procedures along with your ideas:

(1) Set the maximum number allowed
(2) Use the phone registration exactly the same as last years, but with a one week deadline for all calls. Date "A" to date "B"
(3) If lets say 700 is the max. allowed, take the first 600 calls as "definites"
(4) Have a lottery choice for the remaining 100 attendies from the pool of "leftover" calls for the week.
(5) At least this way if you are caller #720 or #1253, you would still feel like you have an equal chance to get in, but the first 600 would be rewarded for their persistance and luck (and would receive the lowest numbered pieces) This does not really alter last years procedures much (which I thought was pretty fair), but at the same time helps those a little who couldn't make it in immediately. It's just one additional step of trying to be even more fair.

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-RodW

[This message has been edited by Rod Watson.]