🍕 Friday Night Pre-Party — JUST ADDED!Dave & Deb Mielock are opening up the cabin on Friday, July 24 from 6–10 PM for an early gathering before the big day. Fun fact: the cabin is in East Tawas—the same town they already live in, because nothing says “getaway” quite like a four-minute drive to your own house. Pizza, popcorn, cold beverages, and way too many opinions. 2545 Maple Avenue, East Tawas. Optional—but seriously, come on. Full details on the Schedule page →
1Day of Fun
FreeCost to Attend
12 PMEvent Starts
June 30RSVP Deadline
Our Venue
Tawas Point State Park Pavilion
A stunning peninsula jutting into Lake Huron — sandy beaches, a historic lighthouse, and breathtaking Michigan shoreline. This is where the Klein-Rodenberg family gathers in 2026.
📍Tawas Point State Park Pavilion, 686 Tawas Beach Rd, East Tawas, MI 48730
This reunion is our chance to reconnect, celebrate our roots, and make memories that will last another generation. Whether you’re driving in from Michigan or flying in from Texas — we are so glad you’re coming.
This site is your one-stop hub. Bookmark it and check back as plans develop.
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🗓️ Day at a Glance
When
Where
RSVP by
June 30, 2026
Cost
Free!
Highlights
Dish to Pass · Lawn Games · Family Photos
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Please Bring a Dish to Pass!We’re providing the meat — please bring a dish to share with everyone. A side, salad, dessert, or snack all work great. Please also bring a printed or written copy of your recipe, or email a PDF copy to so we can collect them and share with the whole family after the reunion!
Event Schedule
Reunion Weekend Agenda
Friday, July 24 & Saturday, July 25, 2026 — East Tawas, Michigan
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🧳 What to Pack (Don’t Blame Us If You Forget)🪑 Lawn chairs — we’re not animals · 🎱 Towels — you WILL get wet · ☀️ Sunscreen — lobster is a food, not a look · 🥿 Bathing suits — optional, but strongly encouraged for everyone’s sake · 👟 Comfortable outdoor shoes — flip flops are fine until they aren’t · 🍲 A dish to share — yes, a bag of chips counts · 💬 Your best family stories — the wilder the better, we’re all family here
🍕 Friday, July 24 — Pre-Party at Dave & Deb’s Cabin!
Optional but highly encouraged — kick off the weekend a night early at Dave & Deb’s cabin, 2545 Maple Avenue, East Tawas, MI 48730.
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Pizza, Popcorn, Beverages & Chaos 🍕🍿🍻 Dave & Deb are throwing open the cabin and pulling out all the stops. Pizza in hand, popcorn in a bowl, cold drinks within arm’s reach, and absolutely no itinerary. Show up, drop your bags, and immediately start debating who drove the longest. This is an unscripted evening of catching up, questionable stories from the last two years, and whatever chaos occurs naturally. Come for the food. Stay because you forgot how much you like these people. Wrap it up by 10 — big day Saturday. (We’re not your mother. Well, some of us are. Go to bed.)
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🏠 Dave & Deb’s Cabin — 2545 Maple Avenue, East Tawas, MI 48730Just off US-23 — easy to find, impossible to miss once the smell of pizza hits you. See the map below.
🌟 Saturday, July 25 — KR Reunion Day
All events at Tawas Point State Park Pavilion — 686 Tawas Beach Rd, East Tawas, MI 48730.
12:00 PM
Reunion Kicks Off! 🎉🎊 Doors fly open at the Pavilion — try to contain your excitement (we dare you). Grab a name tag, check in, and find a seat. Fair warning: if you show up late, we’ll still love you, but we WILL talk about it.
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Welcome, Prayer, Lunch & the Big Family Meeting 🍖🙏 We’re kicking things off right — a warm welcome, a prayer of gratitude, and then straight to the important stuff: FOOD. We’re providing the meat (you’re welcome), so bring a dish to share and an empty stomach. The family meeting happens while everyone’s eating — multitasking at its finest. Open seating, open arms, and if you don’t know someone, introduce yourself. You’re probably related.
2:30 – 4:00 PM
Music Bingo 🎵🎶 Brand New! Never played Music Bingo? You’re in for a treat. Already played it? You KNOW what we’re talking about. All ages, all skill levels, absolutely zero musical talent required. Prizes involved. Bragging rights guaranteed. You will LOVE IT — and if you don’t, we will be very surprised.
4:00 – 4:30 PM
Sandcastle Building Contest 🏖️🏆 Head down to the shores of Lake Huron and let your inner architect loose! Bring your sandcastle blueprints, your tools, your strategy, and your trash talk. Judging will be fierce. The title of “Klein-Rodenberg Master Builder” is on the line. May the best castle win — and may the Lake Huron waves hold off just long enough.
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Getting to the Pavilion686 Tawas Beach Rd, East Tawas, MI 48730 — parking available on-site. See the Location & Travel page for full directions.
🔥 Saturday Evening — After-Party at Jeff & Michelle’s!
The pavilion closes but the party doesn’t stop — head over to Jeff & Michelle Hadley’s place, 2251 Townline Rd, Tawas City, MI 48763, to keep the good times rolling.
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Bonfire, Jenga, Bucket Golf, Drinks & Optional Karaoke 🔥🪂🍻🎤 The pavilion closes. The party does not. Head to Jeff & Michelle’s for the full evening experience: a bonfire where you’ll stand around holding a drink and having the exact same conversation you had two years ago (we love it), Jenga and Bucket Golf where dignity is optional and trash talk is mandatory, cold drinks because you earned every single one of them, and — wait for it — optional karaoke. That word “optional” is doing a LOT of heavy lifting. The mic will be there. The judgment will be suspended (mostly). If you don’t participate, you WILL be called out by name. You’ve been warned. Bring your least flammable outfit.
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🔥 Jeff & Michelle Hadley’s — 2251 Townline Rd, Tawas City, MI 48763About 15 minutes from the pavilion — just follow the smoke (the bonfire kind, not the “something’s burning” kind). See the map below.
Location & Travel
Getting Here
Everything you need to arrive stress-free.
📍 Our Venue
Tawas Point State Park Pavilion
A peninsula park on Lake Huron’s Tawas Bay — home to the 1876 lighthouse, sandy beaches, and wooded trails. Surrounded by water on three sides.
📮Tawas Point State Park Pavilion, 686 Tawas Beach Rd, East Tawas, MI 48730
☎️(989) 362-5041
Driving Directions by Region
Download Google Maps directions before you leave. Cell service can be spotty en route.
Coming From
Best Route
Est. Time
Metro Detroit / SE Michigan
I-75 N to US-23 N
~2 hrs 30 min
Lansing / Mid-Michigan
US-127 N to I-75 N to US-23 N
~2 hrs
Grand Rapids
US-131 N to M-115 E to US-23 N
~3 hrs
Flint Area
I-75 N to US-23 N
~1 hr 30 min
Chicago Area
I-94 E into Michigan then I-75 N
~5 hrs
Dallas / Texas
Fly into MBS, FNT or DTW, drive north
Flight + 1–2.5 hrs
Nearest Airports
Flying in? Here are your best options.
MBS
MBS International Airport
~60 min from Tawas Point
Closest airport. Saginaw/Midland/Bay City area.
FNT
Flint Bishop International
~90 min from Tawas Point
Best for most travelers. Direct service from Dallas, Chicago & Atlanta.
DTW
Detroit Metro Wayne County
~2.5 hrs from Tawas Point
Most routes, best fares. Major Delta and Spirit hub.
TVC
Traverse City Cherry Capital
~2 hrs from Tawas Point
Limited routes but a scenic small airport. Add a Traverse City night!
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Cell Service NoteSolid in East Tawas town but spotty at the waterfront. AT&T and Verizon are most reliable. Download maps before you leave home.
Register Now
RSVP — Save Your Spot
One submission per family unit · Takes less than 3 minutes
🗓️
RSVP Deadline: We need a final headcount for food, space, and activities.
Your Information
🎉
You’re on the list!
Thanks for RSVPing! Brian will be in touch as soon as possible. Watch for our final logistics email in late June.
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Can’t make it to this reunion?Please still fill out the form so we can keep you on the family list for updates and photo sharing.
🚧 Under Construction
Family Gallery
Good things are coming. Great things, actually. Maybe even legendary.
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The Gallery is Under Construction
Our crack team of highly motivated family members (okay, it’s just Brian) is working tirelessly to build something truly spectacular here. Photos, flip cards, family portraits, bios, reunion memories — the whole enchilada. It’s going to be so good that future generations will speak of it in hushed, reverent tones. Probably.
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Klein Family Portraits
Flip cards for every Klein family member — photo on the front, life story on the back. Like a baseball card, but with more genealogy and fewer statistics.
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Rodenberg Family Portraits
Same deal for the Rodenberg side. Hover to flip, tap to reveal. We’re basically building a family museum here. You’re welcome.
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Reunion Moments
A searchable, filterable photo wall of every reunion — filter by year or by person. Find every photo you’re in. Or every photo you’re NOT in because you were hiding.
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We want YOUR input at the Reunion!Brian will be talking about the gallery at the July 25th meeting. Got ideas? Opinions? Strong feelings about flip cards? Bring them. This is a family project and we want it to be exactly what YOU want.
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Want to contribute a photo or family bio?Don’t let the construction sign stop you! Email your photos, family info, and life stories to and Brian will add them when the gallery launches. The earlier you send them, the more legendary your card will be.
Family Heritage
Roots & Branches
Tracing the Klein and Rodenberg lines from Germany to the American Midwest.
The Klein-Rodenberg reunion celebrates the stories that connect us across generations. Below is what we’ve uncovered so far about each branch of the family tree.
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The Klein Line
German Origin · est. 1185 AD
Name meaning: From the Old High German klein, meaning “small” — a nickname for the youngest son or someone of smaller stature. The earliest recorded instance is Herolt der Kleine of Würzburg, Bavaria, in 1185 AD, making it one of the oldest recorded surnames in the world.
Roots: Primarily the Rhine-Palatinate, Rhineland, and Bavaria regions of western Germany. The name spread across German states by the 1500s and into France’s Alsace-Lorraine, where German and French cultures blended for centuries.
Coming to America: Klein families emigrated in large numbers during the great German migration wave of the 1840s–1870s, driven by political upheaval and the promise of Midwest farmland. Most entered through New York or Baltimore, then traveled west via the Erie Canal and Great Lakes to Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
Michigan connection: Michigan actively recruited German immigrants from 1845–1880 through a state-funded agency that distributed German-language promotional guides throughout Bavaria and Prussia. Many Klein families answered this call and put down roots in Michigan’s lower peninsula farming communities by the 1860s.
Want to go deeper?
Search Ancestry.com (123,000+ Klein immigration records) or FamilySearch.org for Michigan and German church records. Also appears as Kline, Cline, or Kleyn in older American records.
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The Rodenberg Line
German-Dutch Origin · est. 1358 AD
Name meaning: A locational surname from the Middle High German rotenburc — meaning either “a dwelling by a red fortified castle” or “a castle on cleared land.” Roots are rot (red) or roden (cleared land) + berg/burc (fortified hill or castle). Earliest known record: Henrica Van Rodenburch, 1358, Markelo, Netherlands.
Roots: The borderlands of northern Germany and the Netherlands — particularly the Rhineland and the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Utrecht. Coats of arms were formally granted to Rodenberg families in Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam and Utrecht, Netherlands by the 1600s, suggesting established merchant or landowner status.
Coming to America: A rare surname — only about 1,453 people in the United States carry it today. Immigration records show families arriving primarily in the mid-to-late 1800s, settling in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. The US population grew 875% between 1880 and 2014, meaning immigration was concentrated in a relatively short window.
Midwest roots: 1940 census records show Rodenberg men predominantly working as farmers, consistent with German immigrant families establishing agricultural homesteads across the upper Midwest. The rarity of the name means virtually all American Rodenbergs likely share a common ancestor who made the journey within the last 200 years.
Want to go deeper?
With only ~4,000 US census records, every Rodenberg record matters. Search Ancestry.com for immigration and military records, or FamilySearch.org for German church records from the Rhineland region.
Where to Stay
Accommodations
Real properties near Tawas Point — something for every family and budget.
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Book Early!July is peak season on Lake Huron. Most properties fill up fast. Don’t wait.
Resorts & Hotels
Full-service options on or near the water, steps from downtown East Tawas.
Brian will get back to you as soon as possible at the email address you provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cost to attend? ▼
No — the reunion is completely free! We ask only that you RSVP and bring a dish to pass for the group meal.
Can I bring a guest? ▼
Absolutely. Spouses, partners, and close friends are always welcome — just include them in your RSVP headcount.
What should I bring? ▼
Lawn chairs, towels, sunscreen, a water bottle, bathing suit, comfortable outdoor shoes, a dish to pass for everyone, a copy of your recipe, and your very best family stories. The wilder the better.
Is the venue ADA accessible? ▼
Yes. Contact us in advance if you have specific accessibility needs and we’ll make sure the right accommodations are in place.
What’s the cell service like? ▼
Solid in East Tawas town but spotty right at the waterfront. Download your maps and key docs before you arrive. AT&T and Verizon are most reliable.
What if I can’t make it? ▼
We’ll miss you! Still fill out the RSVP so we can keep you on the family list and make sure you get the reunion photos.
How do I add photos to the gallery? ▼
Email your photos to with the year taken and the names of anyone in the photo. Brian will review and add them to the gallery. To add a family member portrait, include their photo along with name, date of birth, birthplace, and a short bio or fun facts.
🍴 Family Recipes
The KR Family Cookbook
Dishes passed down, recipes shared, memories made. One pot at a time.
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No recipes in this category yet. Check back soon!
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Want to add YOUR recipe?Email your recipe to with the recipe name, ingredients, steps, a photo if you have one, and the number of servings. Brian will add it to the cookbook for everyone to enjoy!
6servings
Ingredients
Directions
Nutrition per serving
🛍️ Official KR Merch
KR Reunion Swag Shop
Look good. Rep the family. Support the kitty.
👕🧢🧪
Official Klein-Rodenberg Reunion Merch is HERE!
T-shirts, hats, mugs — all decked out in KR Reunion glory. Show up to the reunion looking like you planned ahead (even if you didn’t). Nothing says “I love my family” like wearing matching merch on a beach in Michigan.
Rock the KR logo on a comfy tee. Perfect for the reunion, the beach, or just confusing people at the grocery store.
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Hats & More
Keep the sun off your face and the family pride on your head. Also great for hiding bad hair days at the reunion.
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Mugs & Drinkware
Start every morning with coffee and family pride. Or whatever’s in Dave’s mug — we’re not asking questions.
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100% of Profits Go Back to the KR Reunion Kitty!
Every dollar of profit from the swag store goes straight into the KR Reunion cash fund — helping to make future reunions even bigger, better, and more legendary than the last. So really, buying a t-shirt isn’t shopping. It’s an investment in family. We’re basically financial geniuses.