MARYSVILLE — The Klein family is calling all area Kleins, Kazens, Kruses, Knudsons, Otters and other families who might have married into the Kleins, so that they can all come together for the 44th annual Klein family picnic on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Jim and Bev Klein’s place in Marysville.

“Last year, I sent out 67 invitations,” said Shelley Klein, who’s been helping to organize the event. “This year, it was 150, plus I’ve sent messages to the people who had left their email addresses in last year’s guestbook, reminding them that the Klein family picnic is coming up. There’s one family that usually only has the dad come, and maybe his wife, but this year, they’re looking to bring their whole family, including their relatives in California and Arizona.”

Although the annual gathering is strictly limited to the Klein family and its extended kin, its hundreds-strong crowds of attendees each year have necessitated admission fees, but Shelley Klein hopes the silent auction this year will balance out the attendance fees, which have been eliminated.

“There will be no cost for this year’s family reunion,” Shelley Klein said. “With any luck, we’ll get enough bids and donations to cover the costs of putting on this picnic.”

Because she’d received feedback that last year’s auction closed too early in the day, Klein promised that this year’s auction wouldn’t close until 1:30 p.m., providing a half-hour buffer between the end of the auction and the start of games at 2 p.m.

“We’ve had relatives supply birdhouses and chairs that they made,” Klein said. “Our aunts used to crochet covers for clothing hangers, so the clothes wouldn’t slip off. I crocheted a ton of rugs last year, and I’m making a small stained glass window this year.”

Another new wrinkle this year will be hamburgers and hot dogs, in addition to the pot luck dishes traditionally supplied by attendees.

“We’ve never done hamburgers or hot dogs before,” Klein said. “With the pot luck, it seems like we always have more desserts than main menu items, so we asked for people to balance that out a bit more last year, and it worked out pretty well, but this year, we also bought a whole bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs, since not everyone who attends the picnic is well off.”

Jim and Bev Klein’s place is located at 6101 152nd St. NE in Marysville. For more information, or to donate items for the silent auction, call Shelley Klein at 360-435-2245 or 360-391-5032.