Thai officials visit Twins museum during Bunker reunion

It’s one of the social highlights of the year in Mount Airy, one with an international flair.

Every year the Bunker family — descendants of Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins who settled in Surry County in 1839 — hold a reunion in Mount Airy.

Often among those attending are officials from the embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand, which was known as Siam at the time the Bunker twins were born there.

Embassy officials often bring a host of representatives, even supplying a reunion lunch of traditional Thailand food, prepared by embassy workers.

This year, the Surry Arts Council had a treat for the visiting Thai officials — a newly opened Siamese Twins museum.

In addition to all of the regular events of the reunion, embassy officials joined with several local and state officials to tour the museum. There, they were able to see displays showing what life was like for the twins in their homeland, along with educational videos and audio recordings explaining what their life was like, both while touring the world and once they settled in Surry and began raising their families.