Get Togethers

Below is the meal information for the 2026 Sommerer Family Reunion. If you are looking for the rest of the information on the reunion, head back to the start page. There are pages for general information, reservations, schedules, and meals. If you have questions after reading these posts, please feel free to ask your question below in the comments.

NOTE 1: Help us figure out how much food to buy:

We are asking for the number of people coming with you when you give Christina your reservation information, even if they are not staying the night. This should include any friends you or your children are bringing.

NOTE 2: What if my numbers change?

If you need to change your numbers at a later date, be sure you let Christina know before June 14th so the wonderful people who actually purchase the food for breakfast and the meat for supper are able to get enough for everyone. If you need to make changes after June 14th, you will need to contact each of these people: Jim or Sheri Sommerer, Courtney Knipp, and Whitni Upton.

NOTE 3: What to bring for lunch on Saturday?

There is a sign-up sheet at the bottom of this page for what to bring for lunch on Saturday. If you are a son or daughter of Adolf & Theresa Sommerer or a spouse of same, you are not supposed to sign up for anything on the list. You have been warned!

NEW(ish) NOTE 4: Disposable Tablecloths:

We do not need to bring any additional disposable table cloths this year. We currently have a large enough supply on hand that The Department of Homeland Security has contacted Debbie because they suspect she is hosting picnics for Al-Qaeda.

Breakfast (at The Pavilion)

Second cousins (that means one of your grandparents was a son or daughter of Adolph & Theresa Sommerer) are in charge of breakfasts, with Whitni Upton and Courtney Knipp typically getting things organized, contact them to find out how you can help.

• Friday, July 3 on your own
• Saturday, July 4 at 8:00 (prep at 6:30) <—Same time as last year
• Sunday, July 5 at 8:00 (prep at 7:00)

Lunch  (at The Pavilion)

Lunch is meant to be a quick break between swimming, visiting, and everything else. It is sandwiches, chips, and fruit, and you can sign up for what you will bring at the bottom of this page.

• Thursday, July 2 on your own
• Friday, July 3 on your own
• Saturday, July 4 at 12:00 pm (set out your food by 11:50)
• Sunday, July 5 on your own

Supper (at The Pavilion)

The second best part of the reunion is the potlucks. Remember to bring enough sides/desserts for everyone in your family who will be there for the potlucks.  Plan on having your food out on the tables about 10 minutes before the meal is scheduled to begin.

• Friday, July 3 at 6:30pm Provided by Pete. He has assured us that the meal comes from a prestigious venue, and not, as Jim maintains, whatever he picks up from the Kwik-Trip on the way down.
• Saturday, July 4 at 6:00pm potluck: meat provided, bring sides/desserts
• Sunday, July 5 on your own

Historical Note on Saturday Meals:

• 2017 (breakfast 8:00, lunch 12:00, dinner 6:00) People said that all we did was prepare to eat and eat. They wanted to try 2 group meals, and to eat the evening meal earlier to have more time for softball.
• 2018 (breakfast 9:30, dinner 4:00) We didn’t actually eat until 6:00 because the meat took a while to cook. The people next wanted to try lunch & dinner as our 2 group meals instead of breakfast & dinner.
• 2019 (lunch 11:00, dinner 5:00) People said that people took too long to come to the Pavilion because there wasn’t breakfast, and they decided to go back to three meals, but we’re still going to try to have the last one earlier.
• 2020 Covid, no reunion. We all sat at home thinking about Danny.
• 2021 (breakfast 8:00, lunch 11:00, dinner 5:00) I (Lloyd) was sick in bed in his cabin all day Saturday, and doesn’t really have any idea what happened. Apparently, Dinner was around 7:30. I’m not sure why.
• 2022 (breakfast 8:00, lunch 11:00, dinner 5:00) Lunch and Dinner were both about an hour later than planned. We are changing the timeline to these times for 2023.
• 2023 (breakfast 8:00, lunch 12:00, dinner 6:00) Meals were roughly on time?
• 2024 & 2025 (breakfast 8:00, lunch 12:00, dinner 6:00) Do we have this thing figured out?!?

Sign-up Sheet for Lunch on Saturday:

From time immemorial Debbie & Becky assigned us stuff to bring for lunch on Saturday. Then we didn’t have lunch on Saturday, and now we’re doing a sign-up sheet. Pick out one or more items to bring for lunch on Saturday. If you’re bringing more people, or feel particularly generous, sign up for more items. You can claim an item by making a comment below or by sending Lloyd an email at Lloyd@LloydAndLauren.com. Questions about how much or what kind? Use your own judgment. It’s a picnic lunch type of thing. If you know that the quantity listed here is too much or not enough, because you brought it last year, let Lloyd know.

Two years ago, there was a lot of cheese for lunch. I mean, like, an embarrassing amount of cheese. So much cheese, in fact, that we were fined by the park ranger. I think that’s because about 7 of us thought, “I won’t sign up for anything. I’ll just bring down whatever is left on the list.” That was good in theory, but we now know that it isn’t good in practice. I’ll sign up for something before the last day this year. You should too.

NOTE: Becky and Debbie wanted me to reiterate that we do not want Aunt Mary Lynn, Aunt Lolly, Uncle Lloyd or Aunt Jane to bring anything on the list. They have done enough.

• Meats Debbie & Becky
• Condiments Debbie & Becky
• Plates, Napkins and such Debbie & Becky
• Sliced Cheese (4 packages) Aaron Sommerer
• Sliced Cheese (4 packages)
• Snack Cheese (some) Lloyd & Lauren Sommerer
• Grapes (about 3lbs) Linda Lock
• Grapes (about 3lbs) Andrew Sommerer
• A ridiculously large amount of something
• Watermelon (better bring a knife to cut it with, too) Katie and Anthony Ringwald
• Cookies (2 packages or batches) Mer & Scott Nitzel
• Cookies (2 packages or batches or a cake, whatever) Jane Putnam
• Chips – potato (3 bags) Gracen Sommerer
• Chips – potato or otherwise (3 bags) Katie and Anthony Ringwald
• Chips – anything but potato (3 bags)
• Juice boxes (a flat?) Whitni & Josh Upton
• Juice boxes (a flat?) Joseph Sommerer
• Something Paul can’t pronounce
• Bread (4 loafs white) Julie Baker
• Bread (4 loafs whiteish)
• Bread (4 loafs not white) Linda Lock
• Lettuce (2 heads, torn in sandwich type sizes) Whitni & Josh Upton
• Onions (sliced) Dave & Joni
• Tomatoes (a dozen? Sliced) Danny Sommerer
• Black Olives (1 can sliced) Dave & Joni
• Green Olives (1 large jar) Doug and Melissa
• Pickle slices, (2 jars – different kinds?) Doug and Melissa
• Pickles (2 jars dill & 2 jars sweet)
• Carrots (4lbs ready to eat) Christina & Paul
• Cauliflower (2 heads, cut up) Steven Sommerer
• Something red Linda Lock
• Oranges (2 bags) Mer & Scott Nitzel
• Apples (2 bags not red delicious!) Christina & Paul
• Cantaloupe and/or Honeydew melons (cut) Anna Johnson
• Jalapeños (1 jar, not that big one, the other one) Steven Lance Sommerer
• Salad (some kind) Dave & Joni
• Salad (potato) Jane Putnam
• Ranch Dressing (1 bottle) Leah Sommerer
• Anything else for sandwiches (let Lloyd know)
• Anything else for snacks (let Lloyd know)
• Anything else you want to make –tuna salad, potato salad, salad salad (let Lloyd know)

Feel free to post any question or comments below, and certainly post what you are going to bring.

Below is the reservation information for the 2026 Sommerer Family Reunion. If you are looking for the rest of the information on the reunion, head back to the start page. There are pages for general information, reservations, schedules, and meals. If you have questions after reading these posts, please feel free to ask your question below in the comments.

If you have questions about reservations after reading this post, please feel free to call Christina. You could call her at 636.485.1369 or email her at cmrowland22772@yahoo.com. You can always post your question below.

NOTE 1: In order to get an accurate count for meal planning, we are asking for reservations even if you do not need lodging. Use the same form at the bottom of the page, just ignore the lodging parts.

NOTE 2: (Great) Aunts and Uncles will have the same room as last year unless they say differently. You can start making reservations now, including reservations for the Spitz center for any rooms that are left after the aunts and uncles have theirs. All reservations should be in by June 6th.

NOTE 3:  After our oldest family members have spots, all reservations will be first come, first served.

NOTE 4: Children 15 years and younger stay free.

Here are your lodging options:

Camper Sites: (Still Available) ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

9 camper sites are available with full electric hookup; even numbers are inside the loop, odd on the outside. Cost is $40.00 per camper/RV/tent per night. Additional tents are $15.00 each.  Camping in the tenting area across from the ball field is $15.00 per tent.

• Site 1: Daniel Sommerer (Et al.)
• Site 2:
• Site 3: Lance Sommerer
• Site 4: Christina & Paul Rowland
• Site 5: Chance Sommerer
• Site 6:
• Site 7: Whitni & Josh Upton
• Site 10: Katie Ringwald

Spitz Center ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

13 fully furnished rooms, all with private baths. Cost is $90.00 per night for 1 or 2 guests with a $20.00 additional charge for each guest (over 15) after the first 2. The rooms in the Spitz Center will be reserved for the aunts and uncles like last year. The remaining rooms are available on a first come, first served basis.

Spitz Center rooms on the main level:

• Room 300 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total) (Steve Sommerer)
• Room 302 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total) (Jim & Sheri Sommerer)
• Room 304 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total) (Jane Putnam)
• Room 306 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total) Debbie Hauser
• Room 308 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total) Lolly Sommerer
• Room 310 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total Full HANDICAPPED Room) Lloyd and Jane Sommerer
• Room 312 queen bed & queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total Partial Handicapped)(Becky & Glen Cary)
• Day Spring room has 2 queen sleeper sofa (sleeps 4 total)(Linda Lock)
• Living Waters room queen bed & 2 bunks (sleeps 6 total) Samuel & Lloyd (Et al.)

Spitz Center rooms on the lower level:

• Room 200 queen bed & 2 bunk beds (sleeps 6 total) (Douglas Sommerer)
• Room 202 queen bed & 2 bunk beds (sleeps 6 total) (David Sommerer)
• Room 204 queen bed, queen sofa bed & 1 bunk bed (sleeps 6 total) (Brittney Jones)
• Room 206 queen bed, queen sofa bed & 1 bunk bed (sleeps 6)(Julie Baker)

Gospel Hostel (each unit sleeps 12) ***NOT AVAILABLE FOR 2026***

Each of the 4 bunkrooms contain six bunk beds and private bathrooms.  Each room sleeps 12 and is air conditioned.  There is a common room that connects these. Must provide own bedding and towels. Cost: $100.00 (for up to 5 guests) additional guests (over 15 years old), after the first 5, will cost $20.00 each.

• Matthew (not available)
• Mark (not available)
• Luke (not available)
• John (available, just kidding, not available)

GCL Bunkhouse (each unit sleeps 10) ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

Each of the 2 bunkrooms contain five bunk beds and private bathrooms.  Each room sleeps 10 and is air conditioned.  There is a common room that connects these. Must provide own bedding and towels. First night cost: $100.00 (for up to 5 guests) additional guests (over the age of 15), after the first 5, will cost $20.00 each.

• A (still available)
• B (still available)

Bell House (each room sleeps 12) ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

Each of the 2 bunkrooms contain six bunk beds and private bathrooms.  Each room sleeps 12 and is air conditioned.  There is a common room that connects these. Must provide own bedding and towels. Cost: $100.00 (for up to 5 guests) additional guests (over the age of 15), after the first 5, will cost $20.00 each.

• A (still available)
• B (Still Available)

Blunk House (each room sleeps 14-16) ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

Each of the 4 bunkrooms contain seven to eight bunk beds.  All rooms share dormitory style bathrooms. Each room sleeps 14-16 people, is air conditioned, with common room in front. Must provide own bedding and towels. Cost: $100.00 (for up to 5 guests) additional guests (over 15 years old), after the first 5, will cost $20.00 each.

• A (still available)
• B (still available)
• C (still available)
• D (still available)

Cabins 1, 2 & 3 ***Available on Thursday after 3:00 pm***

Cost is $90.00 per night for 1 or 2 guests with a $20.00 additional charge for each guest (over the age of 15) after the first two.

• Cabin 1 (sleeps 8) has 1 Bunkroom, 1 Bath, Kitchenette, and a Deck (Not available 2026)
• Cabin 2 (sleeps 4) has 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath, Kitchenette, and a Deck on waterfront (Jane Putnam)
• Cabin 3 (sleeps 8) ($100 for 1-3 guests) has 1 Bedroom, a Bunkroom, 1 Bath, Kitchenette and a Deck on waterfront (Scott Baker)

The Lodge ***No longer available to rent***

Ideal for large extended family to stay in one location. 6 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 1 queen sofa-sleeper.  Full kitchen & air condition. Sleeps 12 with room for travel baby beds. Cost is $75.00 per night for 1-2 guests. Additional guests will cost $20.00 each. Why do we even include The Lodge on this page? Just on the off chance that it becomes available at some point in the future? To tease you with something you can’t have? Poor editorial quality control? It’s hard to say. But rest assured, once we find out a definitive answer, we’ll make sure to let you know.

Non-Lodging Reservations

We are listing people/groups here who are coming for one or more days, but who will not require lodging at Heit’s Point. This is to ensure that we have an accurate count for purchasing food. If you know someone who is coming, but not spending the night, tell them about this, because it is newish.

Making Reservations

New this year, fill out the form below to make your reservation.

Reservation Form

Feel free to post any question or comments below –or call Christina at (636) 485-1369.

Below is general information for the 2026 Sommerer Family Reunion. If you are looking for the rest of the information on the reunion, head back to the start page. There are pages for general information, reservations, schedules, and meals. If you have questions after reading these posts, please feel free to ask your question below in the comments.

When is the 2026 Sommerer Family Reunion?

We hope that you will be able to join us for all or part of the weekend: Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 at Heit’s Point on the beautiful Lake of the Ozark’s.

What’s new this year?

1. Pete will be providing the evening meal on Friday. The menu will be sure to please even the most discriminating cullinary pallet, but I have yet to recieve any assurances that artistic pallets will be as pleasing, so you might want to bring your own food coloring, just in case.*
2. Having the family picture before supper was such a good idea! Let’s do that again. Wear your regular family shirt colors for the picture (see bottom of this page for colors).
3. There will be a sign up sheet for jobs at the pavilion. Everyone should sign up, except for those with babies.
4. Reservations start NOW!
5. Is there anything else new this year that I need to tell people?

Will I get a letter about this in the mail?

No! Now that Uncle Lloyd is retired from the Postal Service, we no longer feel like we have to send letters to everyone.  If you have someone in your part of the family who needs this information and does not have access to email or the Sommerer Family website, please contact them and assist them with reservations, questions and so forth. Feel free to just print these pages out and send them to them if you want. I think it’s been over a decade since we sent out letters. I should really just take this question off the list.

What should I wear for the family picture?

We will be doing colored shirts again this year, so dust off your shirts! You can change your family’s color if you want, but make sure it’s not too close to another color. However, we will not be standing in family groups… Our photographer likes it better if we mix it up, so be prepared to move if there are too many people of the same color around you.

• Aunt Elizabeth’s Family – Tie Dye
• Aunt Lillian (Sis)’s Family –  Green
• Uncle Bud’s Family – White
• Uncle Felix’s Family – Black
• Aunt Margie’s Family – Orange
• Uncle Vernon’s Family – Red, White and Blue
• Aunt Beatrice’s Family – Lavender
• Uncle Mahlon’s Family – Teal
• Aunt Cleo’s Family – Periwinkle Blue
• Aunt Theresa (Lolly)’s Family – A soothing, traffic light, sort of yellow
• Aunt Naomi’s Family – Medium Dark Grey 
• Uncle Lloyd’s Family – Red Hawaiian Shirts
• “Nebraska” Sommerers – Nebraska Red, or whatever you guys want, as you can see from the photos, we don’t really care what color people wear anyway.

Do I need to make a reservation if I don’t plan on staying at Heit’s Point overnight?

Yes. This worked out much better than how we’ve done it in the past. In the past it has been hard to get an accurate count of how many people would be present for meals because we were using the list of people who were staying at Heit’s Point. We are now asking for “reservations” from everyone whether or not you will be staying the night at Heit’s Point.

How do I make reservations for the reunion?

All reservations should be made through Christina unless you want to stay in a camp facility that is not part of our reserved Sommerer lodging (one that is not listed on the reservations page). On the reservation page is a registration form to assist you in this process.  You will need to have: arrival date, desired lodging location, number of nights staying, number of people staying, and number of people to include for group meals.

When can I make reservations?

Reservations will begin NOW.

Please make sure your reservation is as complete as possible before you submit it (e.g. check with your kids to see if they are dating someone who they might bring with them or maybe will be married to by July 4th –hey, you never know). All reservations should be made as early as possible and no later than June 6th.  If you need to add additional people to the meals after June 6th, but before June 14th, please e-mail or text Christina.  If you are adding additional people for meals after June 14th, please contact Jim Sommerer, Courtney Knipp and Whitni Upton as they will all be purchasing food for this event. (that means contact each of them, not just one of them)

What’s this crazy business with older family members and the Spitz Center?

We want our older family members to be able to enjoy a room in the Spitz Center if that is their desire. We will reserve the same room for them that they had last year.  If any of you (you know who you are) would like different accommodations, please let Christina know right away.

Can I get the same lodging that I had last year?

Yes, if you are quick enough. We are reverting back to the original game plan for reservations for anyone other than our oldest family members.  FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.

Did you get my reservation information?

Check the reservations page first.  Your name should be after the room you want if it was reserved for you.  If you do not see your name on a room within 24 hours, Christina probably did not get it and you should contact her again at either 636.485.1369 or cmrowland22772@yahoo.com or leave a comment on the reservations page.

Can I check in on Thursday, July 3rd?

Yes? Heit’s Point is hosting camps through July 1st (before our reunion), some rooms may be able to check in after 3:00 pm on Wednesday.  Please let Christina know if you would like to check in early when you make your reservation, and she will see if your room will be available.

What time can I check in on Friday?

Rooms should be available for check-in  around 3:00 pm. 

What time do I need to check out on Sunday?

Check out on Sunday is at  9:45 am.  Church starts at 10:00. Be sure to get your bill from Christina on Saturday.  Note that we will need everyone’s help to make sure the pavilion is clean and ready before we all take off (see schedule page).   Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.

Can I stay an extra day, checking out on Monday?

Maybe. Heit’s Point is hosting camps and other reunions during the week after July 5, but some rooms may be available through Tuesday.  Please let Christina know if you would like to check out on Monday or Tuesday when you make your reservation, and she will see if your room will be available.

Who/How do I pay for my reservation?

Payment is not necessary until the reunion weekend, at which time you will receive a “bill” from Christina.  Please wait until you have received this “bill” before paying Heit’s Point.  They will not have the necessary information to take your payment without this “bill”. “Bills” will be handed out after dinner on Saturday. If you need to leave earlier, please see Christina. You can pay your “bill” at the Spitz Center office. Checkout time is 9:45 Sunday.

Why were there so many quotation marks in the last question?

We found a good by on surplus quotation marks last year, but they are close to expiring, so we decided to just use them up on the last question instead of letting them go to waste.

How do we pay for everything else? 

There will be a free-will offering to cover the costs of anything that we purchase as a group for meals, any of the incidentals that we all use, and the Pavilion & Spitz Center use fees.

How big a donation should I make?

Enough that you feel a little bit smug about how much you gave is probably about right. We have $5.00, $10.00, $20.00 and $100.00 bills in the donation bucket. We have poor college students in our family and people who are reasonably well off in our family. We have families of 1 and families of 12. If you’re in a position to pay more, feel free to do so. If you can’t afford to pay anything at all, that’s okay too; just take something out of Aunt Lolly’s purse and give that.

What is happening with Lunch?

We’ll do it like we did last reunion with everyone bringing something from the list. Let Lloyd know what you want to bring, and he will add your name after the item. The signup sheet is at the bottom of the meal page.

How much food should I bring to the reunion?

Basically, for every potluck meal you should bring enough to feed your family. It’s okay to just bring your world-famous pasta salad, or your world-famous Mediterranean 3-bean salad, or your world-famous chicken fajitas, but you should bring enough so that everyone in your family would be full if that’s all they eat. You can, of course, bring more than one thing. In that case you would not have to bring as much of each. For more information, see the meal information post.

Will there be lines on both sides of the tables for meals?

Yes! That is such a good idea. If you see someone setting food tables up against a wall, explain to them that they might have suffered some sort of head injury, and that they should seek immediate medical attention. There’s no reason it should take 30 minutes to go through a line.

What should I do with all the pictures I took at the family reunion?

Email them to Lloyd and he may post them on the family website: Lloyd@LloydAndLauren.com or you can e-mail them to Christina and she may include them in her 2026 scrap book: cmrowland22772@yahoo.com or 636.485.1369.

Are we going to sing, play softball, play cards, play volleyball, swim, eat, drink, be merry?

Yes. See the Schedule page.

Will the Schedule be accurate? 

No. Sommerers, as it turns out, are really not much for schedules. It’s like when you “schedule” a visit with a doctor. Actually, the schedule has been surprisingly accurate for the last year or two. Some think it is just a coincidence: a broke clock is right twice a day, and all that. but other believe that we have finally arrived at a schedule that works after 30 years of trying.

Will there be a signup sheet for the talent show?

Will there be a talent show? If there is, the signup sheet will be at the pavilion. It might be there now.  We really left this up in the air.

Will there be babies?

Uncle Lloyd once again requested additional babies for the family reunion, so we fully expect that at least one of you was expecting at some point during the previous twelve months.

Is there going to be Karaoke? 

First of all, I had no idea that you all were so into Karaoke. You were surprisingly unanimous in your desire to do a little karaoke at the reunion. It was equally surprising to me just how many of you had karaoke machines, so I was a little disappointed last year when no one brought any. Please let Lloyd know if you are going bring your karaoke machine. Or, you know, don’t. it’s a free country, and who are we to tell you that you have to announce karaoke in advance?

Is Lloyd going to bring a 17 foot long family tree?

Probably not. He’s made some updates, but probably won’t have time to get it printed again before the reunion.

Can we do this other thing that I think would be neat?

Absolutely. Just figure out how you want to do it, and where you want to do it, and when you want to do it. Let Lloyd know, and he’ll put it on the schedule.

What’s next?

Feel free to post any question or comments below.

 

Below is the schedule for the 2026 Sommerer Family Reunion. If you are looking for the rest of the information on the reunion, head back to the start page. There are pages for general information, reservations, schedules, and meals. If you have questions after reading these posts, please feel free to ask your question below in the comments.

SIGN UP SHEETS:

There will be a sign up sheet just like last year for various jobs. Everyone should sign up for a job, except for those taking care of babies. If you have a baby, sign up your spouse!

Friday, July 3rd

• 3:00 pm – Check in begins
• 4:00 pm – Move tables to their usual place, so Lloyd is surprised that everything is already done when he finally arrives from Nebraska. (At which time he will have you move them again because Nebraska has rules. And don’t get all huffy about this, either. It’s the only real job he does all weekend, and he somehow has it in his pretty little head that the whole weekend is ruined if the tables are not in just the right place.)
• 4:15 pm (or whenever you arrive) Signup for something on the job board before Danny signs you up.
• 6:20 pm – Maybe a Family Picture?
• 6:30 pm – Supper @ Pavilion provided by Pete. It’s going to be fantastic.
• 7:30 pm – Supper clean up
• 8:00 pm – (or whenever) Singing, cards and general merriment @ Pavilion
• 12:00 am – (or whenever) – Pavilion cleanup

Saturday, July 4th

• 6:30 am – Breakfast Prep (is this time right? we said 7:00 last year)
• 8:00 am – Breakfast @ Pavilion
• 8:45 am – Breakfast Cleanup (You signed up for a job, right?)
• 9:00 am – Home Run Derby (Is this time right? It was 10:00 last year)
• 10:00 am – Swimming @ Lake; Visiting @ Pavilion
• 11:50 am – Setup for lunch at the Pavilion
• 12:00 am -Lunch at the Pavilion
• 12:45 pm – Lunch cleanup then more swimming or whatever
• 5:20 pm – Family Picture
• 5:50 pm – Set out your food for dinner
• 6:00 pm – Dinner @ Pavilion
• 6:45 pm – Dinner clean up
• 7:00 pm – Annual softball game (at the ball field)
• After the Annual softball game (at the pavilion)
  • Get your lodging “bill” from Christina
  • Smoking cigars with Uncle Lloyd
  • Tell Pete how good dinner was last night.
  • Pickin’ and a singin’
  • General Merriment
• 2:00 am (or whenever) – Pavilion cleanup

Sunday, July 5th

• 7:00 am – Breakfast Prep
• 8:00 am – Breakfast @ Pavilion
• 8:45 am – Pavilion cleanup – EVERYONE!!!
• 9:30 am – Wake Steve up
• 9:45 am – Pay your bill before church, at the front desk!
• 10:00 am – Church service @ the Spitz Center
• 10:45 am – Family meeting to discuss donations, plans for next year and how well behaved Ellie and Zoe were this year.
• 11:00 am – Give a Lloyd a hug (Sr. and/or Jr.). See you next year!

Monday, July 6th

• Nothing official. Tell Christina if you want to stay.

Feel free to post any question or comments below.

Below is general information for the 2025 Sommerer Family Reunion. If you are looking for the rest of the information on the reunion, head back to the start page. There are pages for general information, reservations, schedules, and meals. If you have questions after reading these posts, please feel free to ask your question below in the comments.

When is the 2024 Sommerer Family Reunion?

We hope that you will be able to join us for all or part of the weekend: Friday, July 4 through Sunday, July 6 at Heit’s Point on the beautiful Lake of the Ozark’s.

What’s new this year?

1. Aunt Lolly will be providing the evening meal on Friday. The menu will be fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and desert. So you don’t have to bring a main dish this year (but, I mean, you still can if you want to Saturday; who am I to limit your culinary choices?)
2. Having the family picture before supper was such a good idea! Let’s do that again. Wear your regular family shirt colors for the picture (see bottom of this page for colors).
3. There will be a sign up sheet for jobs at the pavilion. Everyone should sign up, except for those with babies.
4. We are asking each family to bring TWO disposable tablecloths to use on the tables we eat on. We are hoping this will keep food from falling to the floor and make clean up easier.
5. Reservations start NOW!
6. Is there anything else new this year that I need to tell people?

Will I get a letter about this in the mail?

No! Now that Uncle Lloyd is retired from the Postal Service, we no longer feel like we have to send letters to everyone.  If you have someone in your part of the family who needs this information and does not have access to email or the Sommerer Family website, please contact them and assist them with reservations, questions and so forth. Feel free to just print these pages out and send them to them if you want. I think it’s been over a decade since we sent out letters. I should really just take this question off the list.

What should I wear for the family picture?

We will be doing colored shirts again this year, so dust off your shirts! You can change your family’s color if you want, but make sure it’s not too close to another color. However, we will not be standing in family groups… Our photographer likes it better if we mix it up, so be prepared to move if there are too many people of the same color around you.

• Aunt Elizabeth’s Family – Tie Dye
• Aunt Lillian (Sis)’s Family –  Green
• Uncle Bud’s Family – White
• Uncle Felix’s Family – Black
• Aunt Margie’s Family – Orange
• Uncle Vernon’s Family – Red, White and Blue
• Aunt Beatrice’s Family – Lavender
• Uncle Mahlon’s Family – Teal
• Aunt Cleo’s Family – Periwinkle Blue
• Aunt Theresa (Lolly)’s Family – A soothing, traffic light, sort of yellow
• Aunt Naomi’s Family – Medium Dark Grey 
• Uncle Lloyd’s Family – Red Hawaiian Shirts
• “Nebraska” Sommerers – Nebraska Red, or whatever you guys want, as you can see from the photos, we don’t really care what color people wear anyway.

Do I need to make a reservation if I don’t plan on staying at Heit’s Point overnight?

Yes. This worked out much better than how we’ve done it in the past. In the past it has been hard to get an accurate count of how many people would be present for meals because we were using the list of people who were staying at Heit’s Point. We are now asking for “reservations” from everyone whether or not you will be staying the night at Heit’s Point.

How do I make reservations for the reunion?

All reservations should be made through Christina unless you want to stay in a camp facility that is not part of our reserved Sommerer lodging (one that is not listed on the reservations page). On the reservation page is a registration form to assist you in this process.  You will need to have: arrival date, desired lodging location, number of nights staying, number of people staying, and number of people to include for group meals.

When can I make reservations?

Reservations will begin NOW.

Please make sure your reservation is as complete as possible before you submit it (e.g. check with your kids to see if they are dating someone who they might bring with them or maybe will be married to by July 4th –hey, you never know). All reservations should be made as early as possible and no later than May 18th.  If you need to add additional people to the meals after May 18th but before June 14th, please e-mail or text Christina.  If you are adding additional people for meals after June 14th, please contact Jim Sommerer, Courtney Knipp and Whitni Upton as they will all be purchasing food for this event. (that means contact each of them, not just one of them)

What’s this crazy business with older family members and the Spitz Center?

We want our older family members to be able to enjoy a room in the Spitz Center if that is their desire. We will reserve the same room for them that they had last year.  If any of you (you know who you are) would like different accommodations, please let Christina know right away.

Can I get the same lodging that I had last year?

Yes, if you are quick enough. We are reverting back to the original game plan for reservations for anyone other than our oldest family members.  FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.

Did you get my reservation information?

Check the reservations page first.  Your name should be after the room you want if it was reserved for you.  If you do not see your name on a room within 24 hours, Christina probably did not get it and you should contact her again at either 636.485.1369 or cmrowland22772@yahoo.com or leave a comment on the reservations page.

Can I check in on Thursday, July 3rd?

Yes? Heit’s Point is hosting camps through July 1st (before our reunion), some rooms may be able to check in after 3:00 pm on Wednesday.  Please let Christina know if you would like to check in early when you make your reservation, and she will see if your room will be available.

What time can I check in on Friday?

Rooms should be available for check-in  around 3:00 pm. 

What time do I need to check out on Sunday?

Check out on Sunday is at  9:45 am.  Church starts at 10:00. Be sure to get your bill from Christina on Saturday.  Note that we will need everyone’s help to make sure the pavilion is clean and ready before we all take off (see schedule page).   Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.

Can I stay an extra day, checking out on Monday?

Maybe. Heit’s Point is hosting camps and other reunions during the week after July 4, but some rooms may be available through Tuesday.  Please let Christina know if you would like to check out on Monday or Tuesday when you make your reservation, and she will see if your room will be available.

Who/How do I pay for my reservation?

Payment is not necessary until the reunion weekend, at which time you will receive a “bill” from Christina.  Please wait until you have received this “bill” before paying Heit’s Point.  They will not have the necessary information to take your payment without this “bill”. “Bills” will be handed out after dinner on Saturday. If you need to leave earlier, please see Christina. You can pay your bill at the Spitz Center office. Checkout time is 9:45 Sunday.

Note:  Per Mark, Heit’s Point is waiving the 6% “replacement fee” added to the cost of each reservation. –This is from 2024. I don’t know if it’s still true with the new director (who seems like a nice guy) –Lloyd

How do we pay for everything else? 

There will be a free-will offering to cover the costs of anything that we purchase as a group for meals, any of the incidentals that we all use, and the Pavilion & Spitz Center use fees.

How big an offering should I give?

Enough that you feel a little bit smug about how much you gave is probably about right. We have $5.00, $10.00, $20.00 and $100.00 bills in the donation bucket. We have poor college students in our family and people who are reasonably well off in our family. We have families of 1 and families of 12. If you’re in a position to pay more, you should do so. If you can’t afford to pay anything at all, that’s okay too; just take something out of Becky’s purse and give that.

What is happening with Lunch?

We’ll do it like we did last reunion with everyone bringing something from the list. Let Lloyd know what you want to bring, and he will add your name after the item. The signup sheet is at the bottom of the meal page.

How much food should I bring to the reunion?

Basically, for every potluck meal you should bring enough to feed your family. It’s okay to just bring your world-famous pasta salad, or your world-famous Mediterranean 3-bean salad, or your world-famous chicken fajitas, but you should bring enough so that everyone in your family would be full if that’s all they eat. You can, of course, bring more than one thing. In that case you would not have to bring as much of each. For more information, see the meal information post.

Will there be lines on both sides of the tables for meals?

Yes! That is such a good idea. If you see someone setting food tables up against a wall, explain to them that we’re not doing that anymore. There’s no reason it should take 30 minutes to go through a line.

What should I do with all the pictures I took at the family reunion?

Email them to Lloyd and he may post them on the family website: Lloyd@LloydAndLauren.com or you can e-mail them to Christina and she may include them in her 2023 scrap book: cmrowland22772@yahoo.com

Are we going to sing, play softball, play cards, play volleyball, swim, eat, drink, be merry?

Yes. See the Schedule page.

Will the Schedule be accurate? 

No. Sommerers are really not much for schedules. It’s like when you “schedule” a visit with a doctor.

Will there be a signup sheet for the talent show?

Will there be a talent show? If there is, the signup sheet will be at the pavilion. It might be there now.  We really left this up in the air.

Will there be babies?

No one requested additional babies at the meeting last year, so I’m not sure if we’ll have any or not.

Is there going to be Karaoke? 

First of all, I had no idea that you all were so into Karaoke. You were surprisingly unanimous in your desire to do a little karaoke at the reunion. It was equally surprising to me just how many of you had karaoke machines, so I was a little disappointed last year when no one brought any.

Is Lloyd going to bring a 17 foot long family tree?

Probably not. He’s made some updates, but probably won’t have time to get it printed again before the reunion.

Will we be showing old family movies again?

I don’t think we will. Let Lloyd know if you missed doing that. I’m thinking that can be an every other year type thing as well. Note to Lloyd: next time we do the movie thing, copy the text from the 2021 reunion for this question.

Can we do this other thing that I think would be neat?

Absolutely. Just figure out how you want to do it, and where you want to do it, and when you want to do it. Let Lloyd know, and he’ll put it on the schedule.

What’s next?

Feel free to post any question or comments below.