The last day of RootsTech is also Family Discovery Day. It is a free, fun, in-person event offering activities and experiences that will help you and your family unite as you discover more about your family history. As part of Family Discovery Day, RootsTech offers classes from experts on a variety of interesting topics, including some sessions especially designed for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, Saturdays are always the busiest and most crowded day at the Salt Palace. So my plan was to get to the Salt Palace early, so I wasn’t rushing through the crowd. I arrived with plenty of time to check my coat in, fill my water bottle up, and get a good seat for my first session on the day.

Saturday’s keynote speaker was Sean Astin. I must admit I didn’t know who he was when the announcement first came out months ago. I quickly learned that I was probably the only person at RootsTech who didn’t know who he was. Everyone was so excited about his keynote, and the line to take a photo with him after was half the length of the expo hall. He talked about the movies he had been in from the Goonies, to Rudy, to Lord of the Rings. Then he mentioned that his mom was Patti Duke. That’s when I got excited. They should have led with that information. I love Patti Duke. He then talked about his daughter, Ali, and her family history research she had been doing for a couple of years now. She told him that ‘family history is a way to learn about the ancestors that live on through her, and that we are the key to our ancestors.’ It was a great keynote with a surprise guest, Adassa, from the Disney movie, Encanto, sang We Don’t Talk About Bruno. I have been hearing that song for over a year, and now I know that it’s from a Disney movie.

After the keynote speaker, I grabbed some lunch. Then I met up with the winners of our RootsTech Influencer’s give a way. It was nice to meet them and hear about their research. They both said they had a wonderful time at RootsTech. Since this was the last day of RootsTech, we took one more walk around the expo hall. We ended our day at the Salt Palace around 330pm, and we headed over to the Family Search Library. At the library I was able to find a slave registry for Fauquier county Virginia. I was able to scan all the pages I needed onto my flash drive without leaving my computer, with Phillip’s assistance. So, I can review the names and dates at a later time.

It’s hard to believe that RootsTech 2023 is over. It was great being back in person. I was able to meet people that I follow on social media, attend some wonderful sessions, interview two of my favorite genealogists, start digitizing my personal archive, and get some time in for my research. All in all, this was an amazing trip. I’m excited about RootsTech 2024 which will be a hybrid, in person and virtual conference, held on February 29, 2024 – March 2, 2024.

Sessions I attended:

• 930am – Help! There’s No Class on Researching My Ancestral Home presented by Sunny Morton
• 11am – Keynote Speaker, Actor Sean Astin
• 130pm – Met with our RootsTech Influencer give a way winners

Click HERE to read about RootsTech Day 1

Click HERE to read about RootsTech Day 2