Family RVing Magazine
  • FMCA.COM
  • CONTACT US
familyRVing
  • in this issue
  • tech
    • Tech talk e-newsletter archives
    • more tech talk
  • Digital editions
  • towable guides
  • Classifieds
  • contact
    • contact us
    • advertise with us
    • media room
  • FMCA

Family RVing Magazine

Unconventional Conventions

May 1, 2013

By Robbin Gould, Editor
May 2013

The FMCA tradition of motorhome owners gathering for fun and fellowship started with the association’s formation meeting in Hinckley, Maine, in July 1963 and was cemented with the first official convention the next summer in Ticonderoga, New York. That 1964 gathering drew families in 106 motor coaches from 20 states and Canada.

To date, FMCA has held 87 — soon to be 88 — conventions of varying sizes. These gatherings initially occurred once a year in summer. In March 1976 the first winter convention took place at Fiesta Park in Harlingen, Texas, which heralded the start of two events per year. A third event was added to the annual schedule for just two years: FMCA’s first spring convention in Richmond, Virginia, in June 1989, and first fall convention in Sacramento, California, in September 1990.

The largest FMCA convention ever? That would be the assemblage at Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, August 18-20, 2000, when 7,422 coaches gathered on-site, an event FMCA members still talk about.

Other unconventional convention locations have included the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Most FMCA events have been held at fairgrounds, although several have taken place on college campuses, such as the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana; Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge; New Mexico State University in Las Cruces; and the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Location aside, FMCA Family Reunions feature many much-anticipated events: an extensive seminar schedule; motorhome and accessory exhibits; chapter meetings; dynamite entertainment; morning coffee hour, with music from FMCA’s Frustrated Maestros; ladies’ teas; and ice cream socials. Other activities have included canoe battles, sack races, bean bag baseball . . . even a dunking booth.

For many folks, camaraderie is at the top of the convention amenities list. There’s always time to make a new friend or three, or to reunite with pals from conventions past.

Fun and fellowship are what make FMCA conventions particularly special. They’re anything but conventional.

fmca convention historymotorhome gatheringticonderoga
previous post
2013 Officer Nominations
next post
Family Motor Coaching Digital Edition: Sample Issue

You may also like

Kids’ Section

July 1, 2013

Mail And Messages For FMCA Members

April 1, 2013

President’s Message: Our Journey

November 1, 2013

Full Timer’s Primer: The Family Factor

December 1, 2013

Towables For 2013

January 1, 2013

Rear View: March 2013

March 1, 2013

Tiffin Phaeton

May 1, 2013

RV News: March 2013

March 1, 2013

Letterboxing: Treasure Hunting With A Twist

July 1, 2013

Recall Corner: January 2013

January 1, 2013






  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

©2023 - Family Rving Magazine All Rights Reserved.


Back To Top

FMCA members have access to exclusive articles and RV tips, plus a digital library of RVing know-how. For full access to website content, plus must-have travel benefits, join FMCA today and get instant access to Family RVing magazine.

If you already have a membership with us, sign in now to get full access!

Join Now Sign In