ing plan pieces of the week-

end’s events are wanted and

needed. We will be delegat-

ing as needed, so if you don’t

come to us, we will come to

you. In the meantime, sugges-

tions and ideas are desired

and expected. On page 3 of

this newsletter is a short piece

requesting information from

all of you. Please return this

as soon as possible.

Thank you, again, for your

patience as we waited for the

contract and the details

needed to move ahead with

planning. We are so excited

to see everyone next year.

One guarantee can be made:

the 2011 Schuster-Merten

Family Reunion will be an

incredible event on all levels!

-Lori Haigh, editor

Most of you are well aware

through Facebook, email, and

word of mouth that a family

reunion is in the works for

2011. We have promised

you an official notice via mail,

and here is the official news-

letter announcing the event.

Thank you for your patience

waiting for this. It took a few

months to coordinate logistics

with the resort. There have

been changes in ownership

and management at Izaty’s,

which contributed to a delay

in obtaining and agreeing on

an official contract. Also, they

had to establish their 2011

rates to make it worth while

spending money to get this

out to all of you. We are

happy to now move forward

and get the planning in place

for what will be a really fun

and memorable family event!

Nick Eckstrom and Lori Haigh

are kick starting the coordina-

tion of this event. A great

team that can swap leader-

ship during events like Nick’s

wedding, and Lori’s upcoming

due date with her baby! It is,

however, up to everyone to

help make it the best it can

be. Anyone interested in help-

WHAT: Schuster-Merten Family Reunion WHEN: August 11-15, 2011 WHERE: Izaty’s Resort, Onamia, MN

Events, Ideas & Projects

Most of the pre-planned events will take place

Friday the 12th through Sunday the 14th, as it is

expected most will attend those dates. We un-

derstand many are paying to travel from out of

state, and we want there to be flexibility for

arrivals and departures, and cost. The other

days will be for visiting with family that is al-

ready there, and exploring the Mille Lacs area

at your leisure. Here are some ideas being ex-

plored:

~John M. Schuster has volunteered to plan a

Scramble Golf Tournament. For those unfamiliar,

basically anyone can take part no matter your

golf experience or talent. It is a lot of fun. Prizes

will be awarded. More information to follow.

~T-shirts have been suggested by many, so we

are designing a t-shirt and will be taking orders

in the future.

~Lavonne Wontorek suggested a potluck type

gathering where we can share dishes and reci-

pes. The Townhome and Villa units have full

kitchens to accommodate this type of event. (cont. pg. 3)

Izaty’s Resort on Lake Mille Lace

Inside this issue:

December 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1

Y O U R S O U R C E F O R 2 0 1 1 F A M I L Y R E U N I O N I N F O R M A T I O N

Schuster & Merten Family Times

Contact Information:

REUNION ANNOUNCEMENT

1

EVENTS, IDEAS, & PROJECTS

1 &

3

RESERVATION INFO 2

RATE INFO 2

QUESTIONNAIRE 3

REUNION RELATED EMAIL

schustermerten2011@

hotmail.com

PHONE NUMBERS:

Lori Haigh: 612-998-7710

Nick Eckstrom: 612-578-5661

MAILING ADDRESS:

Reunion c/o Lori Haigh

902 Fairfield Place

Isanti, MN 55040

Page 1

Izaty’s Resort is a unique resort in regards to

lodging. The Townhomes and Villas on the resort

grounds are privately owned, and run under an

association. For this reason, blocking them off

falls under different rules than the rooms that

are reserved at the Links Lodge (owned by the

resort).

Originally, I was informed in mid-November that

they would block the Townhomes and Villas for 1

month. I had a letter written ready to go out to

all, but decided to renegotiate this, considering

we had been patient waiting for a contract.

Also, I didn’t like the idea that our block would

expire right before the holidays, requiring many

to pay a deposit when budgets are already

tight with the Christmas season.

Though they still require a deposit (detailed

below) they extended the Schuster-Merten Re-

union Block until January 31, 2011. After this

the Townhomes and Villas are open to the pub-

lic. You can still reserve them, but risk them be-

ing filled as time passes.

I encourage everyone to make reservations as

soon as you can. The Townhomes and Villas are

roomy and families/individuals can go in to-

gether to cut costs. The Links Lodge units will

remain blocked until July 11, 2011 as well.

These are like hotel rooms.

2011 LODGING RATES: 2-bedroom Beach Villa @ $175+6.88%tax= $187.04 per unit per night 3-bedroom Beach Villa @ $205+ 6.88%tax=$219.11 per unit per night 3-bedroom Townhome @ $245+6.88%tax0=$261.86 per unit per night 4-bedroom Townhome @ $295+6.88%tax=$315.30 per unit per night (two night minimum stay required in all lakeside units) Links Lodge standard king or double rooms @ $84+6.88%tax= $89.78 per unit per night Links Lodge King Suite w/ pullout @ $104+6.88%tax= $111.16 per unit per night (2010 Links Lodge hotel rates honored for this group) Weekly Rates are available for those staying seven nights or more. Deposit/Cancellation: one night’s lodging plus tax will be charged upon reserving a lake-side unit or hotel room. Lakeside units may be cancelled up to 60-days prior to arrival with a $50 cancellation fee and forfeiture of deposit. Lakeside units are non-cancellable within 60 days of arrival and will be charged the full length of the stay. Hotel rooms may be can-celled up to 30-days prior to arrival with a $25 cancellation fee and forfeiture of deposit. Hotel rooms are non-cancellable after 30 days prior to arrival and will be charged the full length of the stay.

Page 2

Schuster & Merten Family Times

GO TO

WWW.IZATYS.COM

TO VIEW FLOOR

PLANS AND

PHOTOS OF

LODGING.

Schuster-Merten Reunion Block

Rates

Villas and Townhomes held until January 31, 2011 Links Lodge rooms held until July 11, 2011

1 - Contact Resort Directly. Email Reservations@Izatys.com or call 320-532- 4574. Leave a message during the off season and it will be returned ASAP. 2 - Make reservation under the SCHUSTER-MERTEN FAMILY REUNION BLOCK. Please do not forget to mention this. 3 - All reservations MUST be guaranteed with a credit card.

Reservation Instructions

1 - Name(s):

2 - What is your email address?

3 - Are you planning to attend the reunion?

If so, who will be attending from your household?

4 -Ideas, suggestions, and questions you have (if mailing, continue on back):

Events, Ideas and Projects (continued)

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 1

“THE 2011

SCHUSTER-

MERTEN FAMILY

REUNION WILL BE

AN INCREDIBLE

EVENT ON ALL

LEVELS”

LORI HAIGH

(cont. from pg. 1)

~Tom Wontorek is busy putting

together a family history. This

will be such a treat to have! It

will also be meaningful and spe-

cial if everyone can gather

photo albums, videos, and slide-

shows to share over the reunion

weekend as well. It will provoke

a lot of stories and memories.

~Cindy Babetunde suggested a

race or competition of some sort

like has been done at reunions

past (Gophers vs. Badgers).

Only I agree with Cindy that our

parents generation can retire

and watch us nephews and

nieces get at it. Ideas, anyone?

~Other ideas being considered

and brainstormed are a dinner

and dance, games for the kids,

Friday night social gathering,

cook out, etc. A

lot of planning to

do! It is every-

one’s jobs to think

of ideas and

SHARE.

~There are also

plenty of events

taking place at the resort both

poolside and elsewhere. We

want some scheduled events,

but we want this to be relaxing

and flexible, too.

~The resort lodging is really

affordable compared to other

Minnesota resorts. However, we

have learned that they really

push their catering. The contract

has some strict rules about food

and large gatherings. We think

it would be good to plan a cou-

ple gatherings with the catering.

We want to keep costs as low

as we can for everyone, but

there will be some costs spread

out amongst all. In time, when the

the agenda and logistics are

coordinated, we will inform eve-

ryone of the cost per household.

Black Brook Golf Course located on site.

Club XIX Restaurant & Bar View of the Marina Volleyball Courts by the Pool

PLEASE send the following information via email to: schustermerten2011@hotmail.com. If you do not use email, please let us know and mail this instead to Reunion c/o Lori Haigh 902 Fairfield Place, Isanti, MN 55040. We

want to keep everyone in the loop! We would like to avoid as many “maybe” responses to question number 3 as possible, understanding that in some cases it is a necessary answer. Also, PLEASE send us anything relevant that comes to mind for question #4.

Questionnaire Due January 15, 2011

We are really excited about the reunion, and seeing everyone next summer!

Lori and Nick

The Links Lodge