The younger Imhoffs, Sonneks and Thorps, ready to take over the planning for the next 50 years and beyond. Photos: Amy Sonnek
Neighbors gather in Stillwater’s North Hill neighborhood for an annual social.
When Amy and Aaron Sonnek began their house search, they envisioned a tight-knit community much like the North St. Paul neighborhood Amy grew up in, where everyone looked out for each other. They found all that and more when they moved into a blue house on Stillwater’s North Hill in March 2012.
“I grew up in a community where everybody looked out for one another. We brought each other’s trash cans in when we were on vacation. We could borrow a cup of sugar. The kids would run around and play tag and ghost in the graveyard at night,” Amy says. “I very much wanted that for our own family, and I feel like we have that here.”
Neighbors were quick to welcome them into the fold with cookies and conversation. Many shared the history of the home and its importance in an active North Hill tradition. “In the closing paperwork … there was actually a little note at the very end, a handwritten note, just saying, ‘Whoever the new owners are, we would love it if you could continue the tradition of having the yearly neighborhood root beer float social,’” Amy says.
Neighbors rotate responsibilities for the party, bringing cups, spoons, root beer and ice cream to the Sonneks’ home each year
The annual root beer float social was initiated by the home’s previous owners, the Nelsons, who hosted the festivities for more than a decade. “Somebody would bring the cups, somebody would bring the spoons [and] somebody brings the ice cream—it was very much a collaborative thing,” Amy says.
At the Sonneks’ first root beer float social that August, their newborn son, Abe was just a few weeks old. Amy recalls the neighborhood matriarchs saying, “Just put up a table, and we’ll bring the rest.”
The Sonneks have continued to host the event every August since, providing the setting for an event that is still very much a community effort. Under twinkle lights and surrounded by Amy’s lush flower beds, neighbors gather in a spirit of collaboration. They bring their own lawn chairs, rotate who brings the ingredients and chip in on the cost.
The three Sonnek kids, Abe and twins Anni and Arlo, create and deliver the invitations to area homes. Even folks who have moved away or transitioned to assisted living receive an invite. “We have their grandkids’ contact info and say, ‘Hey! The neighborhood root beer float party is coming up. Can you bring your mom or grandma?’ And so they usually do,” Amy says.
The social is just one way that the Sonneks help to spread kindness and build community. Since 2020, Amy has been an ambassador with Growing Kindness Project, a national nonprofit where home gardeners spread kindness by gifting fresh flower bouquets in their community. In the winter, the Sonneks keep another tradition alive—a neighborhood luge course that starts on their back hill and continues through multiple yards to the next block.
“You don’t have to be best friends. You can have different yard signs. I still feel very strongly that being connected with your community and your neighbors is invaluable, and it can just really make a difference in the way you live and general happiness,” Amy says.
