scuttlebutt - fmca-si.com · 2 officers—2018 president john mcpherson po box 1347 yorktown va...
TRANSCRIPT
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SCUTTLEBUTT Singles International www.fmca-si.com Vol 34 Issue 5
Inside this issue:
President’s Message
1
Officers/Treas. Report
2
President’s message on
Bonus Bucks
3
FMCA info 4
Rocky Moun-tain Area News
5-6
National Direc-tor’s Corner
7
Happy People Report
8
New member-ship cards info
Asst tchotchkes
9
10-17
Upcoming Rallies
17-23
SI Brochure 24-25
Application/ new members
Cover page
26 27
Est. 1984
President’s Report October 2018
I am still receiving inquiries concerning our Singles International Chapter from the Chapter Spotlight article in the July 2018 issue of FMCA RVing but a wee bit disappointed that we did not generate more NEW members We have added a few new members from efforts at our Chapter Fairs and passing out our new SI brochure has also helped.
Since my request for some volunteer help in just redrafting our Bylaws to include the new FMCA initiative of including all recreational vehicles resulted in a NON response. I started on the rework but more pressing activities have slowed down that project.
The other INTO Chapter that also is known as SI, the Sa-fari International Chapter had their 30 year anniversary rally in Shawnee OK about 30 miles east of OK City on Au-gust 27 to Sept 1 2018. Being a member since 1994 we drove the motorhome out to the rally. It is also one of the chapters I represent as an INTO VP. AT the annual busi-ness meeting one of my questions was a show of hands for members since 1994 and there were not too many. We had about 30 first timers out of the 130 members present so that was exciting. Just to reflect on the fact, that at one time Safari was the largest INTO chapter with 3400 mem-bers and now down to less than 500. I talked to a few single people and discussed our SI Chapter and left our new SI brochure with them. It was a great rally with GREAT seminars, a tour of Tinker Air Force Base and delicious food etc.…My teammate and I won the Corn hole tournament on the final day of the playoffs (2days) The prize was a single Hershey candy bar and a certificate. (See Picture)
AS I mentioned before I am helping Host the Vintage Bird Chapter Rally( I represent this chapter as INTO VP and I am a member) here in Williamsburg Va from Oct 1-6,2018 and for the Yorktown events and the NASA Tour, so the reason why I will miss GEAR 2018. I had mentioned in the last issue of the SB for those attending to contact me so we could arrange a meeting time to go into the rally and I did not receive a SINGLE call so either no one is going or you want to park alone.
Another of the Chapters I am a member of and represent in INTO, is the Bluebird Chapter and we are going to the rally in Pigeon Forge TN from Oct 9-14, 2018
As mentioned in our last issue, RENEWAL DUES for 2019 ($10.00) are DUE NOW. PLEASE include all current information on our membership/renewal application form included at the end of this SB when you send in your check. I need your current mailing information so I can send your 2019 membership ID Card to you. NOTE : WE NEED YOUR DUES BEFORE DEC 1, 2018
I have been requesting that our SI Membership convert to e-mail for the SB, like the rest of the world. Many of you have volunteered to be removed and it is down to 14 members that require the mailed issue. So I will have these copies printed at Office Depot and I will send these to the 14. It cost us near $200.00 PER issue for the printer to do this. Maybe some-one will volunteer for this chore?????
Time is flying and it would be a good idea to get your reservations in for the Thanksgiving and New Year rallies as there are limited sites available at our group rates….
FMCA is again going back to Perry Ga for the winter rally in March 2019 I have again made arrangements for the Singles to conduct the Fun and Games like last year so when you regis-ter for Perry indicate that you will volunteer for the Fun and Games so you can receive all your perks and drop me a line so I can include you on my master list…I thought we had great parking last year with both the dry camping and electric across from each other…
John McPherson
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Officers—2018
President
John McPherson
PO Box 1347
Yorktown VA 23692
757-880-9347
Executive VP
Rosalie Comisky
298 Wynnewood Rd
Trenton NJ 08628
609-883-3552
Recording Secretary
Roberta Harden
65 Sunrise Ct
Dawsonville GA 30534
678-617-5748
Secretary
Vicki Glover
6317 Revere Ct
Flower Branch GA 30542
404-274-3651
Treasurer
Daryl Sponseller
300 Tigitsi Way
Loudon TN 37774
865-805-2536
Newsletter Editor
Patricia Moore
1213 Lakehouse Ct.
Sun City Center, FL 33573
813-731-5690
Webmaster
Bob Kelley
210 Dale Road
Wethersfield CT 06109
860-563-4259
REMINDER TO ALL SINGLES INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS: DUES ARE PAYABLE BY OCT 1 OF EACH CALENDAR YEAR. PLEASE USE THE FORM ON PG 11, THIS NEWSLETTER, SO WE CAN HAVE YOUR CURRENT INFORMATION. MAKE CHECKS TO SINGLES INTERNATION-AL. SEND DUES AND FORM TO DARYL SPONSELLER 300 TIGITSI WAY, LONDON TN 37774. Web site: fmca-si.com or singlesinternational.org
National Director
Carol Klenow
3916 N Potsdam Ave PMS #2969
Sioux Falls SD 57104
810-287-1486
Alternate National Director
Joanne Harnit
124 Rainbow Dr.#2420
Livingston TX 77399-7396
307-630-7396
Eastern Area VP
Betty Howard
342 Jay Street
Murrells Inlet SC 29576
703-581-7262
Southeast Area VP
Jeannine Fontaine
231 Hwy 255 South
Cleveland GA 30528
706-200-0876
Northeast Area VP
Bob Burnham
PO Box 203
Hinsdale NH 03451
603-762-0172
Great Lakes Area VP
Sue Balmert
12900 Mason Rd
Vermilion OH 44089
440-315-8417
Rocky Mountain Area VP
Joanne Harnit
124 Rainbow Dr. #2420
Livingston TX 77399-7396
307-630-7396
Vacant
Midwest Area VP
South Central Area VP
Northwest Area VP
Western Area VP
Beginning Bal 6996.03
Income Expenses
Dues 240.00 Name Badges 12.75
Badges sold 60.00 Scuttlebutt printing 132.12
T-Shirts sold 10.00 Postage &Office supplies 72.95
Total 310.00 217.82
Ending Bal 7088.21
TREASURER’S REPORT Aug 1—Sept 30, 2018
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Welcome to our newest members:
Bill Hamilton Bob McComb Carol Bradshaw Chris Rynhart
We need new members, ask your friends to join us and win
Bonus Bucks!
The story on SI Bonus Bucks - June 2018
The story on the Singles International Bonus Bucks that I designed was to entice our SI Members to recruit new members or bring back our old members that haven’t been active for over 6 months and was from a motion at our annual Busi-ness Meeting at Perry GA on March 13, 2018.
Make sure the New SI Member follows these steps. On our revised membership/renewal application FORM is the line “If referred by a SI Supporter Member write in their Name. (Any SI Member) Now they are known as a Supporter Member.
This is a $10.00 voucher that can be used for anything SI such as SI Dues, Pur-chase SI merchandise, towards SI Rally fee’s (when needed). There is NO limit on how many you can earn. Each Bonus Buck has a serial number and date filled in by our SI Treasurer or President and we will keep a log book. IF you like, they can be cashed in after 180 days. This is a new addition to our SI Standing Rules
John McPherson-President
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Recruit & Get Rewarded!
Did you know? You can earn a thank-you when you recruit your RVing friends or even a
business to join FMCA. Yes — your favorite campground or service provider can be an FMCA
member, too!
For each member you recruit, you will earn a $10 FMCA Rewards voucher.
Use these vouchers to pay for your membership renewal, event registration fees, and FMCA
Store purchases. It's essentially FREE money in your pocket just for encouraging others to join your favorite RV club!
Help us reach our goal of 90,000 families enrolled in FMCA by October 1, 2018! Recruit 5 member families and earn a 9th Edition FMCA North American Road Atlas. If you recruit more than 5,
you'll also earn an FMCA RVer's Log Book!
It's Easy To Start Earning!
Just have your friends reference your membership number (e.g. F123456) when they join, so you get the credit you deserve! Encourage them to sign up online, call us at 800-543-3622, or mail in a paper application.
Help us grow FMCA! More members = more fun, more savings, and more member benefits.
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Rocky Mountain Area
Next Rocky Mountain Ramble will be at the Pima County Fairgrounds, Tucson AZ, 17-20 October 2019. More information of SI pre-rally/post-rally to come later. Put these dates in your calendar!!!
Western Area RAlly 2019 will be in Indio CA at the fairgrounds, 9-13 January 2019, with ONCE UPON A TIME theme. Pre-rally will begin Saturday, 5 Janu-ary, at the Spotlight 29 Casino off Dillon Road exit of I-10. Caravan into grounds date is not set yet. May register for general/dry camping or elec-tric. Gathering spot will be set later.
2nd report of Gillette though North Dakota to Amana IA Caravan:
Bismarck is the North Dakota capital. We had a good tour of the Capital build-ing, of Art Décor beautiful wood and lighting as it was built in 1930s after orig-inal building was destroyed by fire. It has 17 floors and lovely views from the top floor. Then we toured the State Museum, recently remodeled. It had sep-arate areas for Native peoples, flora and fauna--dinosaurs, bison, oil and farm-ing and more. Then we drove to Washburn ND where the Lewis and Clark expe-dition spent their first winter in the area at Fort Mandan. The fort reproduc-tion was toured and we enjoyed visiting with pioneer re-enactors and had fresh lemonade and watched meat roasting on a spit. Then off to the L&C Interpre-tive Center and learned more of their journey and saw art work of the time and places they went. Decided we didn't want to chop a canoe or pull a boat upstream !!! Fort Abraham Lincoln and the On-a-Slant Indian Village had SIs seeing where Col Custer lived before he led troops into ambush at the Little Big Horn Battle. The Indian dwellings were of interest, too. Of course, we had social time in the Walmart parking lot and went out to eat--not much shopping, though.
Rocky Mountain Report continued on page 6
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Leaving Bismarck on Sunday, 29July,we headed to the Inter-national Peace Gardens---with stops for 'cheaper' gas and brunch at a Minot truck stop. There we found sour cream rai-sin pie, which some of us grew up enjoying!!!
The campground at the Peace Gardens was sites cut out of the trees, some whose electric didn't work with the pull of our rigs. Bugs weren't bad. Weather all along our trip has been great. We drove the road through the park after walk-ing through the beautiful gardens--the aroma of the flowers was wonderful and could even smell them at our campsites--the landscaped panel that follows along the US-Canadian bor-der, the water falls and fountains, trees of all kinds and shrubs, the carillon bell tower, and the giant cactus green-houses (originally a private collection, then donated to the Gardens, and still being enlarged by its founder--more than I've seen in AZ !!!).
We left the park for lunch in Boissevain Man. Canada at a small Oriental café. Had the dinner for 8, and the platters kept flowing out of the kitchen !! Enjoyed !!!
We took a scenic drive across the Turtle Mountains (hills to those whose home states have real mtns.) and saw a site with formations like Stonehenge and a tube that shows the North Star. Built in memory of a local man who worked in space pro-grams. We then drove downhill to Bottineau and had lunch and purchases at the bakery!!
Wednesday,1August, we stopped at the Geographical Center of North America in Rugby ND, on our way to Jamestown ND. There we toured the National Bison Museum, and hoped to see the 'white' buffalo but the herd was elsewhere.
The next/3rd part of our trip will take us to Amana Colonies, IA. See you in the next issue...……..
Joanne Harnit, [email protected]
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CAROL’S CORNER
Carol Klenow, the SI National Director has worn several hats. She was the National Treasurer for the INTO Area until July 15,2018. This is the award she received in Recognition of this posi-tion at Gillette.
Congratulations, Carol.
I am suggesting you fill out a Registration Form for Perry, GA early as they are going to draw a name for a free registration for the event and this will end Oct. 11, 2018 at midnight. The winner will be randomly drawn on Oct. 12, 2018. So please take advantage of this and good luck.
HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE REGISTRATION: https://site.fmca.com/fmca-perry-2019-learn-more
When you fill it out, write across it Park with Singles International, A volunteer for FUN & Games
Bob our wonderful Webmaster has started a Facebook page for us, it is called Singles International. It will be a great place for us to share information about upcoming events and rallies.
We need a new treasurer! Our SI Treasure Daryl Sponseller has asked me to ask for a volunteer to step up to take over the duties of the Single International Treasure posi-tion. She as been involved with this position for two year and now she is requesting someone else to volunteer for SI Treas-urer.
if you are interested in this position, please contact John McPherson 757-880-9347
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I have just returned from the SEA Captains and Officer’s Meeting at Sun & Fun in Lakeland. I drove down on Tuesday & Wednesday, the two days of the meeting because I had cataract surgery on Thurs-day.
The February SEA Rally will be February 6-9. We will go in on Sunday the 3rd. We will meet in the Hold-ing Area from 12 to 3. They will take us in at 3 p.m. No charge for coming in early.
We will be in charge of the games Card Bingo & Bean Bag Baseball. We will have each one two times. I need volunteers to give me a call. There will be a volunteer dinner Tuesday the 5th. You will receive Vol-unteer Pins and Bucks.
Hanger A will have AC. The Chapter Fair will be in the back Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30.
Volunteers need to register for the Rally as soon as you can. You need to put your FMCA plaque in the center of the windshield.
Happy People dues are due in October. Please send your money to Dale. Dues are $5. Dale Koepka 870 Poplar Springs Rd, Dallas GA 30157
We need new members.
Thanks,
Martha Werre
352-787-9290, 352-874-0212
Martha’s Rally – March 3-6th at Martha’s 37134 Rolling Acres Rd, Lady Lake FL. Please call Martha and let her know you are coming. 352-787-9290 or 352-874-0212. We will have a Sunday night Pot Luck. No rally fee. We will caravan to Perry on Thursday the 7th.
Perry Georgia Rally – We will have a Pre-Rally for the Perry Rally. We will be caravanning up on March 7th from Martha’s Rally to Perry. The Pre-Rally will be from March 7-11. We will go into the Fairgrounds together on the 11th.
PROBLEM
First I want to thank all of you who volunteered to receive your newsletter online only. We are down to 14 members who still are receiving the Scuttlebutt by mail ! Thank You.
We have a problem. The cost of the printed version of the Scuttlebutt is very high. It costs us about $130.00 for the 22 copies that we had been getting printed per issue! That is almost $6.00 per issue, per person, or $36.00 a year per person. Your dues are only $10.00. This is non-sustainable.
John is going to print and mail them himself because of the cost of our printer. It would re-ally help us out if you would volunteer to receive the email version only. I understand that a very few (three) of you do not have computers, if one of your good friends would volunteer to print one copy for you it would be wonderful.
We are trying something different again this month. The printed version is the normal length, but online the Scuttlebutt is twice as long!. Many more articles and items of interest for your reading pleasure. I am attaching the short version to your notification email in case you wish to print it. If you just wish the brochure for recruiting purposes, print the second attachment, which is the brochure—there is an application right in it.
Please, if you are willing to stop receiving the mailed paper copy of the Scuttlebutt, let me know ! [email protected]. We need to save some trees...and reduce the throwing away of all of our money.
.
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REMINDER TO ALL SINGLES INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS:
DUES ARE PAYABLE BY OCT 1 OF EACH CALENDAR YEAR. PLEASE USE THE FORM ON PG 11, THIS NEWSLETTER, SO WE CAN HAVE YOUR CUR-RENT INFORMATION.
MAKE CHECKS TO SINGLES INTERNATIONAL. SEND DUES ( $10.) AND FORM TO DARYL SPONSELLER 300 TIGITSI WAY, LONDON TN 37774.
ALSO, IF YOU ARE A HAPPY PEOPLE MEMBER THEIR DUES ARE DUE ALSO. PLEASE
SEND $5. DUES TO DALE KOEPKA 870 Poplar Springs Rd, Dallas GA 30157
* * *
John our President has designed a membership card for us. When you pay your 2019 dues you will receive yours! On the back is a discount card that will save you money when you purchase items from Office Depot.
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RVers love obsessing about deodorizing and cleaning holding tanks, and many swear by a homemade RV holding tank deodorizer recipe that controls odors and keeps tank sensors oper-ating smoothly. As a bonus, it’s kind to Mother Nature, which makes it a frugal RVer’s dream.
The Geo Method cleans RV gray and black tanks with these three inexpensive cleaning prod-ucts:
Liquid or powdered water softener (Calgon, for example)
Powdered laundry detergent or dish soap
Household bleach
You’ll find these homemade RV holding tank deodorizer recipe in-gredients in nearly any grocery store cleaning aisle. When you use them in your tanks, you have a cost-effective homemade RV holding tank deodorizer that’s better than commercially sold prod-ucts.
How to do the GEO Method The first time you make your homemade RV holding tank deodorizer, you’ll want to be hooked up to city water with full holding tanks ready for dumping.
Step 1: Empty Your Tanks
Go through your normal process of dumping your holding tanks (black first, then gray). Close your valves, then go inside to pour two cups of water softener into a one gallon bucket filled with steaming hot water.
Step 2: Pour the Mixture into the Tanks
Pour the mixture down the kitchen drain first, then make another batch and pour into your bath-room sink. Next, whip up another batch but add one cup of laundry detergent, then pour it into the toilet. In case you’re wondering, gray water tanks don’t need laundry soap because they nor-mally get enough detergents inside them to keep solids flowing.
Use your RV as normal and wait until your tanks are about halfway full. Dilute a small amount of unscented household bleach into about a gallon of water, then pour it into your holding tanks to instantly halt bacteria odors growing in the waste water.
Step 3: Dump Your Tanks
The Geo Method recipe ingredients will stay in your tanks until they are full again. When you need to dump, the softener, detergent and solids wash away. Follow up by repeating the Geo Method recipe and instructions.
If you’re tired of wasting money on conventional holding tank treatments but you don’t want odors spilling out of your tanks, give the Geo Method a try. You’ll know it’s working when the weather heats up and you can’t smell a thing.
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FMCA UNIVERSITY –this is a new benefit for you. There are many videos and articles on the FMCA site to help you know your motorhome, here is one.
Keep The Power Coming
Ensure that your 120-volt-AC electrical system is operating at peak efficiency by performing these annual preventive maintenance tasks.
If you expect your motorhome’s 120-volt-AC electrical system to provide reliable service each time you plug in at your campsite, it’s important that you give it a yearly checkup and perform some preventive
maintenance. Follow the steps below to help reduce the chances that you will be left in the dark during your next outing.
Start with your shore power cord and adapters. Make sure all the con-tacts are clean and shiny. If they are not, use 200-grit sandpaper to clean the prongs, or coat them with DeoxIT Contact Cleaner and Reju-venator, which will transfer the cleaner to the female parts of the adapter that can’t be reached with sandpaper. Ensure that the rubber around the prongs is not melted or cracked, and that the prongs are not badly arced or pitted from connecting/disconnecting under heavy load. If you find this kind of damage, replace the adapter. If the dam-age is to your shore power cord, replace it or install a new cord end.
Most RV manufacturers use breaker boxes with standard screw-type connections — the same type of connections are used in most auto-
matic transfer switches. One of the most frequent causes of failure and fire is that the screws securing the wires will loosen from the vibration of traveling down the road or the warming (expansion) and cooling (contraction) of the compression area. Loose connections will cause resistance and heat, which will accel-erate the melting of insulation and oxidation of the wire, leading to additional resistance. This can continue until you lose power; damage the breaker box or automatic transfer switch; or, if the neutral connection fails, until major damage to your coach’s electrical system occurs. So, make sure to put a little more torque on these screws when you tighten them.
The next part should be undertaken only by someone familiar with 120-volt-AC electric and is confident working with it. Turn off the shore power breaker and unplug the cord from shore power. Verify that the
generator is off and the auto-start function is disabled. Turn off your inverter (if equipped). Verify with a voltmeter or test lamp that all power is off. If this is beyond your technical skill level, no problem — just make sure your RV service tech does this once a year.
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P 2 Electrical from FMCA University
With all 120-volt-AC power confirmed OFF, remove the cover to your breaker
box. Verify that all wire insulation is intact and that the wire strands are clean and shiny. Clean all wires (I use
DeoxIT). If you find damaged wires, replace them. If there is enough extra wire, remove the damaged portion
and strip a new portion of the wire for the connection. Tighten all set screws — hot, neutral, and ground. Veri-
fying that the wires in the breaker box are in good condition is a wise investment of a few minutes.
Do the same with the automatic transfer switch. Again, ensure that the insulation for all wires is in good con-
dition, the copper is clean, and the screws are all tight. Many automatic transfer switches have had to be re-
placed because of damage from loose connections that lead to heat and cause the device to fail.
Know Your Service
There is a misconception among some motorhome owners that 50-amp service provides just 20 additional
amps of electric over 30-amp service. It’s not hard to see why. Subtract 30 amps from 50 amps and it’s rea-
sonable that you’d come up with 20 amps. But with motorhome electric, that’s not how it works. Yes, 30-amp
service allows you to use up to 30 amps of 120-volt-AC electric. But 50-amp service will provide up to 100
amps of 120-volt-AC electric, because there are actually two 50-amp lines that come into the motorhome. So,
when compared to 30-amp service, 50-amp service provides an additional 70 amps of AC electric to run all of
your motorhome’s electric-powered accessories.
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If you want a campsite right on Lake Michigan,
Manistique Lakeshore Campground is for you
Manistique Lakeshore Campground, 320 Traders Point Rd, Manistique MI 49854
The new Manistique Lakeshore Campground provides the ideal setting for today’s camping experience. Whether you want full amenities with convenient pull-through sites or rustic camping, Manistique Lakeshore Campground has it all. Located on beautiful Lake Michigan, Manistique Lakeshore Campground is within easy walking and driving distance of many unique at-tractions: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, beaches, golfing, lighthouses, waterfalls, winery, Kitch-iti-Kipi (The Big Spring), Manistique Boardwalk and River Walk, and local shops.
The Boardwalk runs down the Lake Michigan shore in the town of Manistique. Go for an early morning walk or take an afternoon and picnic in the park. You can view the Manistique Lighthouse or ships passing by. It is a wonder-full way to spend a day.
SI Caravan to Michigan enjoying the lake waters
KEWADIN CASINO, Try your luck and join the millions of players who take their chances, become high rollers, or beat the odds at the area's largest gaming complex.
View from the campsite and SI group out at the light.
Places to Go:
Winery on the Harbor
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BISHOP BARAGA SHRINE
During his lifetime, Baraga founded many missions in northern Michigan. The original Indian Lake mission, the third of Bara-ga's faith, was built in anticipation of his first visit to the area in May of 1832. The chapel, built by local Chippewas, used tra-ditional Indian construction methods and materials such as logs and bark. The Bishop Baraga Shrine near Indian Lake includes a chapel, Indian dwellings, and buildings open to the public
Kitch-iti-kipi, The Big Spring. "The Big Spring" is the largest in Michigan - forty feet deep and over 10,000 gallons of clear water gush per minute from the fissures in the underlying limestone. Crystal clear, 45 degree water supports a large raft from which you can view this beautiful, giant spring and its inhabitants http://www.visitmanistique.com/bigspring.shtml It is a unique experience, you actually propel the raft across the spring with a hand cranked winch. The water is super clear and there is a glass insert in the bottom of the raft so you can watch the fish.
The newly restored Siphon Bridge spans the Manistique River and flume and was originally built in 1919 to channel water into the paper mill. In its original form the bridge was listed in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" because the road was actually be-low the level of the water in the flume.
I need your help… We seem to be having a problem with communication. I can only put information about upcoming pre-Rallys that I am sent. I am aware that before most of the national or regional Rallies we have pre-Rallys where members of Singles can enjoy getting to know each other and explore the region the rally is in. But unless someone sends the information to me, I cannot put it in the Scuttle-
butt so that the rest of the chapter can know about it. We are a nation-wide organization. The pre rallies are so important to our chapter, as are the caravans to the rallys, they are what makes us a Chapter ra-ther than just a group of singles.
So please, if you hear of plans for a Pre-Rally or a Rally Caravan send the info to me at [email protected] and share the fun. You do not need to be the one putting on the pre rally/caravan to share the news. If you do know who is putting on the event, please include their name so I can get all the details. Also: if there are plans to meet somewhere to go into the Rally together (like the hold-ing area, etc.) please send me the information about that so the group can all be together. The people who are planning the pre-rallys work hard and they are always fun, we just need to be able to pass the word about them around.
Pictured Rocks, a very nice day trip while you are in the area.
More to see and do in Man-istique
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Tom Sawyers’ RV Park
1286 South 8th St.
West Memphis, AR 72301
The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise," writes Mark Twain, its most famous champion. The Mississippi is the most significant river in the United States culturally, commer-cially, and for its biological diversity. It is an important part of American history, made famous by people like Mark Twain, who was born near Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. One of his most famous literary characters is Tom Saw-yer. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, we see a character who is clever and a bit mischievous, who spends his energy finding ways to take it easy. Named after him, is an RV park down on the other side of the river from West Memphis, Arkansas, on land that has been in the family for over 100 years.
Many people agree with the beauty of the land and with the attractions of the area. The main attraction, according to the website, is to watch the river traffic flow down the river. With over 230 reviews at 4.5/5 stars on Google, it is a place that many enjoy. One user notes, "This is how you do an RV park. Very well run. Spacious pull thru sites with con-crete pads. Enough trees for some shade. Gorgeous views of the Mississippi River. Some of the sites are right on the river...Quiet. Peaceful. This is a lot more than just a place to pull off the road. It feels like a destination in and of itself."
Of course, it is important to check the water conditions before visiting, especially in the Spring. As the website notes, "We are so close to the Mississippi that sometimes we are in it!" Widdicombe says that they pull up the electric and pic-nic tables and he has become familiar with the high spots that don't flood. "Parts become like an island that is only ac-cessible by boat," he describes. This remained true, until the major flood of 2011. This flood was among the largest and most damaging in the past century, causing $2.8 billion in damage along the Mississippi. "I was kayaking into my living room and had to duck to not hit the ceiling," he recalls
The unique aspects of the park cause Widdicombe to come up with some unique solutions. "I want to build some bed and breakfast treehouses on the property," he says. He has built one that has a kitchen and a bath. "When the river floods, you can lie down on your bed, take out the screen, and go fishing," he says humorously. He wants to build more and continue to expand in that direction. "I was really working at it for a while and then it almost cost me another mar-riage," he laughs, "So now we are focusing on the RV sites." They are building 40 more sites that will be ready next year.
For a well-reviewed, unique and affordable place to stay, Tom Sawyer’s RV Park is an option good as any. In it, you’ll find a lot of peace, and perhaps understand when Mark Twain says, “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy con-science: this is the ideal life.”
Email [email protected]
Telephone (870) 735-9770
We only take reservations by phone.
http://tomsawyerrvpark.com/rates/
"I started the RV park in 1987 and nobody came for 10-15 years," Abbott Widdicombe, owner of Tom Sawyer’s RV Park, laughs, "But the area is so beautiful I could never give it up." There are 100 sites right on the Mississippi in Ar-kansas. It is about 10 miles away from Memphis and 20 miles away from Graceland. Its upkeep and expansion is purely a labor of love from Widdicombe, as it is in an environment that Widdicombe laughingly calls, "insane."
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Pre Planning for the GEAR rally in York Pa. Oct 2-6,2018
We will not have a official host for this rally as our EVP can not attend this rally..I committed a year ago to help host a FMCA Chapter here in Williamsburg Va during the same dates..I would appreciate those that are registering to attend GEAR to let me know so we can have a contact person to organize this gathering of Singles..We can get to-gether in the holding area so we can enter and park together and plan our events...John McPherson [email protected]
Another subject...
A reminder that you are always welcome to stay at my place in Yorktown Virginia, near Williamsburg Va and only 50 miles from Virginia Beach Va.
I just added three 30AMP hookups at my annex location and added a new 30AMP hook up at my office to comple-ment the 3 other hookups plus a number of 20AMP outlets. I have the 50/30/20 amp site with water and sewer where I used to park my motorhome. I can mail you copies of the Yorktown Brochure but you can get this infor-mation also on line at www.visityorktown.org and historyisfun.org
John McPherson Your Eastern Area Officers and members are hard at work on the up and coming GEAR being held in York, PA? The entertainment has been selected and booked for our enjoyment and the seminars and vendors are getting as-signed into their specific location and/or time slots. Don’t forget to wear red, white and blue at the rally. GEAR ENTERTAINMENT The GEAR planning committee members recognize how much you want good entertain-ment at our Rallies. Otho Tew with the help of Mike Getto have out done themselves this year. Thursday evening, “Still Surfin” will be taking us back to the good old days with the Beach Boys. Remember “Wipe Out,” “California Girls,” “Surfin USA,” and many more of those good old day tunes when you could understand the words. Friday evening, “Let’s Hang On” will be paying tribute to Frankie Valli. Put on your dancing shoes and be ready to rock and roll to some of those Frankie greats: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Walk Like A Man,” and many more of those old greats that bring back memories of proms, sock hops, and running out of gasoline on back roads. LOL. Saturday evening, “Second Time Thru,” a local group from York, will be doing a wrap-up of some of those favorite rock and roll songs that may have been left out the two nights before. Bring your dancing shoes and be ready to boogie
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SINGLES INTERNATIONAL THANKSGIVING RALLY
Southern Palms RV Resort, Eustis fl
November 21-25, 2018
Don’t want to spend the holiday alone? Come join your fellow Singles for a Thanksgiv-ing Rally at Southern Palms RV Resort in Eustis FL.
Cost $ 28 night. Phone number for reservations is 888-841-5636.
This is a very nice resort near Mt. Dora, we will have a clubhouse for our Happy Hours and the park has a Holiday Dinner that we are invited to.
Hostess: Jeannine Fontaine and Patricia Moore. Please contact Pat if you are coming 813-731-5690 [email protected]
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Dec 29 through Jan 2, 2019
Red Oaks RV Resort, Bushnell FL
Put on your dancing shoes, bring your appetite and come have a fantastic time at the annual New Years Party!
We are returning to Red Oaks RV Park in Bushnell. We will again join in the party and have delicious hors d’oeuvres and a champagne toast!
On New Year’s Day we will have a traditional lucky New Year luncheon to start your year right!
Call the park for reservations, be sure to mention you are with the SI group. 352) 793-7117 - $ 28 night.
Please also email Jeannine that you are coming.
Jeanine Fontaine - ([email protected])
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Join the Fun
Come to the FMCA Southeast Area Rally February 6 through 9, 2019. We have lots of fun events planned for you while at the Sun 'n Fun Expo Campus in Lakeland, Florida.
Wednesday, February 6 - The vendors will open at noon, and there will be a review of the coach displays during the afternoon. That evening you'll have your choice of a movie night or card bingo!
Interesting seminars
Three evening entertainers that promise to please
Coffee and donuts three mornings
An ice cream social
Crafts and games to keep you busy —- WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE GAMES, MARTHA NEEDS VOL-
UNTEERS. PLEASE CALL HER AT 352-787-9290, 352-874-0212
Enter the chapter fair and have a chance to win a prize for the best decorated table.
Saturday, Feb. 9 - Enjoy a complimentary box lunch from Lakeland Barbeque while The Rogues entertain you.
Event Reminders
Don't forget to sign up for the ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) and JULIET (Just Us Ladies In Eating Together) luncheon. The event includes buffet lunch, speaker/entertainer, door prizes, and smiling with your friends. There will be no tickets sold at the door. The limit is 350 people, and we sold out last year - don't for-get to sign up when you register!
SEA's annual meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9 where we will elect a new slate of officers. If you are interested in running for an office, please get in touch with nominating chairman Steve Parks at 561-504-1155 or [email protected].
Register Today
And don't forget — if you can find time, there's lots to see and do around the Lakeland area!
It's easy to register for the event. Look for the registration form in the September Family RVing magazine, register online, or call the FMCA Events Department at 800-543-3622. Or Online at FMCA.com
Full hookups and water and electric sites are limited. Register soon!
Looking forward to seeing you in February, if not before!
Yours in FMCA, Betty Duncan, F253901 National Vice President, Southeast Area
We will go in on Sunday the 3rd
. We will meet in the Holding Area from 12 to 3. They will take us in at 3 p.m. No charge for coming in early. PRE RAL-LY FROM FEB 3-6.
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Peachy In Perry
"Peachy In Perry" Registration is open!
FMCA's 99th INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND RV EXPO | MARCH 13-16, 2019 | PERRY, GEORGIA Looking to get your 2019 travel season off to a sweet start? Then join thousands of RVers for FMCA’s 99th International Convention & RV Expo. You’ll discover an orchard of activities throughout the four-day event that will have you grinning from ear to ear.
• Find products and services you need for your RVing lifestyle. `
• Tour the latest RVs, one of which might be your next!
• Soak up RVing knowledge at more than 100 seminars.
• Enjoy four nights of entertainment, plus a bushel of daytime diversions. Meet old friends, harvest some new ones, and discover the joys of chapter membership.
Martha’s Rally – March 3-6th
at Martha’s 37134 Rolling Acres Rd, Lady Lake FL. Please call Martha and let her know you are coming. 352-787-9290 or 352-874-0212. We will have a Sunday night Pot Luck. No rally fee. We will caravan to Perry on Thursday the 7
th.
Perry Georgia Rally – We will have a Pre-Rally for the Perry Rally. We will be cara-vanning up on March 7
th from Martha’s Rally to Perry. The Pre-Rally will be from
March 8-11. We will go into the Fairgrounds together on the 11th
. Pre Rally at the field at 110 Woodlawn Ave. This is by Woodlawn Cemetery on Sam Nunn Blvd (US 341) 1/2 mi west of Exit 136 off I-75. empty field by road.
For more information:
Martha Werre
352-787-9290, 352-874-0212
Now is the time to register for Perry!!!
We will again be volunteering for the games. Be sure on your application to list that you park with the Singles International/ Happy People and that you volunteer for the games.
We are arriving on the 11th and will enter together. For more information contact Martha Werre. 352-787-9290, 352-874-0212
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RVillage Rally 2.0:
Spirit of the Road
March 27-31, 2019
Join us in Live Oak, Florida
If you missed RVillage "Rally One", don't fret!
We are pulling out ALL the stops for Rally 2.0.
Something for Everyone!
Live Music & Dancing EVERY night!
Folk Music Icons "The New Christy Minstrels"!
FIRE SCULPTURES!
Seminars & Discussion Groups!
RV Vendor Booths!
Kayaking on the Suwannee River!
And SO much more!
Most of all, RVillage Rally 2.0 will be all about connecting with fellow RVillagers for five amazing fun-filled days in beautiful Florida! To-gether...with friends old and new!
We picked the PERFECT venue for this Rally, and we invite you to join us for what will be a very memorable event.
Singles International Members.
RVillage is having its 2nd Rally IN FLORIDA this time !
It will be held at
Spirit of the Suwannee Music
Park Live Oak, FL
The tickets go on sale Aug 20 for the rally March 27-31, 2019
The first rally was such fun and it would be great if a bunch of us went to this one. We could park together as a “Village” and enjoy now only the rally but time together in a beautiful area of Florida.
Take a look on the RVillage website for more information
https://www.rvillage.store/
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Eastern Area Rally
October 3 - 7, 2018 York Expo Center York, Pennsylvania
Read about it on the York (GEAR) rally page of this newsletter.
March 13 - 16, 2019
99th International Convention & RV Expo
GA National Fairgrounds & Agri-center, Perry, GA . We will be caravanning up on March 7
th
from Martha’s Rally to Perry. Pre Rally will be from March 7-11 at the cemetery. We will go into the Fairgrounds together on the 11
th. Call or
email Martha or Jeannine for info.
Thanksgiving Rally— Nov 2018
Nov. 21-25. 2018 Southern Palms RV Resort, Eustis FL $28. night.
(352) 357-8882 Spend Thanksgiving with your friends in Central Florida. Close to Mt. Dora, Leesburg - call NOW for reservations
RVillage Rally 2.0
March 27-31, 2019 Live Oak FL
Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park
Tickets are on sale NOW. We need to park to-gether as a group, or Village. Tell them you are with Singles International.
Read about it on RVillage events page.
New Year Rally - Dec 2018
Dec 29-Jan 2, 2019 Red Oaks RV Resort, Bush-nell FL. (352) 793-7117. $ 28. night. There will be a New Year Party and a Special New Year Lunch-eon
Call NOW for reservations.
Great Lakes Area Rally June 5 - 8, 2019 Allegan, MI
Northwest Area Rally June 6-9, 2019
Albany, OR
Western Area Rally
Jan 9-13, 2019 Indio CA
Registration is open on FMCA website
2019 FMCA 100th Convention & RV Expo
August 14-17, 2019
100th International Convention & RV Expo
North Dakota State Fairgrounds, Minot, North Dakota
Registration starts February 13, 2019
Southeast Area Rally
February 6 - 9, 2019 Sun n Fun Expo Campus at the Airport, Lake-land, FL and our Pre Rally—3-6- We will go in on Sunday the 3
rd. We will meet in the Holding Area
from 12 to 3. They will take us in at 3 p.m. No charge for coming in early.
South Central Area Rally
September 18 - 21, 2019 Shreveport, LA
Eastern Area Rally
Oct 2-6, 2019
York, PA
Martha’s Rally – March 3-6th at Martha’s 37134
Rolling Acres Rd, Lady Lake FL. Please call Mar-tha and let her know you are coming. 352-787-9290 or 352-874-0212. We will have a Sunday night Pot Luck. No rally fee. We will caravan to Perry on Thursday the 7
th.
Rocky Mountain Area Rally—
Oct 17-20, 2019
Tucson AZ
INTO Rally– Myrtle Beach SC
Oct 21-26, 2019
Myrtle Beach SC
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Next Issue Deadline: December 1
Singles International
Patricia Moore, Scuttlebutt Editor
11213 Lakehouse Ct.
Sun City Center, FL 33573
Oct 2018