The Clan will gather Thursday, July 15th, 2004 through Sunday, July 18th in Williamsburg, Virginia.

      This is the first time since the incorporation of Clan MacBean in 1896 that the Clan has gathered in the Southern US.  This will be a great time for the descendants of all the great Southern Bean families to come together to celebrate our common heritage and to show the rest of the Clan our traditional Southern Hospitality.

      The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games will be held the weekend before our gathering and I hope that many people will take this opportunity to visit one of the great Scottish games in a truly spectacular setting high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  These games are held at Grandfather Mountain which is near Boone, NC in the NW part of the state.

    Williamsburg and the surrounding areas are filled with history, from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War.  The command module of Apollo XII, the one that Alan Bean flew to the Moon , is located at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia, about 45 minutes from Williamsburg.

     The first English settlement in North America at Jamestown is just a few minutes from our hotel and the battlefield at Yorktown, where so many MacBeans fought on both sides, is just a short piece down the road.

     Our hotel, the Radisson Fort MacGruder, is just a mile from the historic district of Williamsburg.  There is easy parking and you are very close to most of the attractions that will appeal to all of us.

      For the kids, there are the rides and thrills of Busch Gardens and the excitement of Water Country USA.  There are factory outlets for the ladies and golf for those who love the exquisite torture of following the little white ball wherever it goes.

     At night, you can drink in the same taverns where Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson argued over the fate of a SuperPower's colonies and dine on gourmet food or enjoy the taste of traditional Southern Food.

     We will have a Thursday night reception where you can meet the Chief of Clan MacBean and his family and also say hello to the current officers and board members of our group. 

     Friday morning the Clan will get down to the serious work with the official business meeting.  Items will be discussed and voted on that will affect the future of the Clan and you should be there.  The location of the next gathering will also be voted upon and those who want to host the 2008 Gathering should be prepared to make a presentation.

    On both Friday and Saturday afternoons, we will arrange for bus tours to take you to several of the local historic attractions to include The Yorktown battlefield, Jamestown, the James River Plantations and of course, historic Williamsburg.  Each tour will have a trained and informed guide with a sensitivity to our Scottishness.

      Friday night there will be entertainment at the hotel.  This will include some of our own Clan Members and local Scottish entertainers.

      On Saturday morning there will be many informative classes on subjects like Scottish history and armaments, genealogy, the DNA studies, and hopefully a class by the Chief on the history our very own Clan MacBean.

     Speaking of genealogy, our own clan genealogist will be setting up shop with his computers during the gathering to help you find lost ancestors and to discuss the art of genealogical research.

     The Clan Office will be open during the gathering so that you may purchase MacBean items such as the tartan, cups, scarves, kilt pins, paintings and many other items you will want to keep as a symbol of your pride in your heritage.

      Saturday night will be the formal dinner and we will all have our picture taken as a group while dressed in our finest Scottish attire.

      Sunday morning will the Clan MacBean church service and then our final lunch together till we meet again in 2008.

      I want all of you to make a special effort to come to Williamsburg and enjoy the true camaraderie of our great Scottish Clan.  You will never regret or forget your time at this event.

      Contact the Clan office in Denver or Phillip Beane if you have questions and also if you want to help us in putting on this gathering of the clan.