By Charlie Adcock, F311374
September 2013
My Dear Fellow FMCA Members and Family,
It seems only yesterday I penned the August issue article, and now it is time to write the September article. As you probably know, I have to write these about a month and a half before you get to read them. But that’s okay; I have a lot I want to say to the membership.
As of this writing, we here in the United States are all still reveling in the celebration of one of our most cherished holidays, Independence Day! Probably many of you, like us, were on the road all over this great country as we participated in the festivities with our fellow Americans. Of course, our friends in Canada held their own celebrations on July 1 for Canada Day. What better way to see and appreciate all that North America has to offer than from the vantage of our motorhomes.
In this day when patriotism seems to be on the wane, it just feels so good to see so many waving the flag, enjoying friends and families, and relaxing under the many fireworks displays commemorating the freedoms we all enjoy. And, it is a reminder that it is up to us to guard those freedoms diligently for our children and grandchildren.
Now I want to tell about our wonderful experiences over the Fourth of July holiday.
On the way home from Gillette, I received an e-mail from Eleanor “Norky” Mastrobattisto inviting Gloria and me to a rally at Scussett Beach State Reservation in Massachusetts. This is an annual event hosted by three chapters: the Yankee Travelers (president Bob Pierro, F334753), Northeastern (president Terry Trottier, F275613), and Cape Codders (president Norky Mastrobattisto, F114001).
Gloria and I arrived on Monday, July 1, with other coaches arriving as late as Wednesday evening, July 3. A total of 56 coaches were in attendance. I am here to tell you that we got the New England hospitality treatment. We had barbecue and ice cream on the Fourth and a lot of fellowship. We could see fireworks from miles away in all directions. A great time was had by all. They even had their own repairman on site. Joe Samara, F56963, is a jack-of-all-trades and can fix anything. He is like an expectant mother waiting for the coaches to arrive to see whether they have anything he can repair for them, and the cost is nothing. We should be lucky enough to have Joe at all our rallies. Gloria and I want to say thank-you to all who attended the rally for your generous hospitality.
From the Scussett Beach rally we traveled to Halfmoon, New York, to the home of John and Nancy Alguire, F82262, where we joined members of the Bussin’ Buddies chapter. John and Nancy have a home on the Hudson River, and it is a little slice of heaven. For evening entertainment, Nancy piloted the party barge and took those who wanted to go on a tour up and down the river between locks. After we returned from the river tour, we had our own fireworks display. There were approximately 12 coaches in attendance, and we all had a great time.
This is one Arkansas boy, and girl, who really had a wonderful Fourth of July week. We spent five days going back to the basics, “dry camping.” It wasn’t a problem because “we were having fun.” We want to express our gratitude to the four chapters we visited and the many other chapters that those in attendance belonged to. I want to tell you that the Northeast Area is alive and well and going strong.
After spending some “duty” time at the national office in Cincinnati, which is where we currently are, we anticipate visiting with many more of you at the Midwest Area, Northwest Area, South Central Area, and Great Lakes Area rallies from July through September. All four of your national officers thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with the FMCA staff in early July. Our week culminated with a staff appreciation lunchtime barbecue sponsored by the 2012-2013 and the 2013–2014 Executive Board.
One final note — we recognize that we need to tap into the ideas of our younger members to continue to draw motorhome owners to FMCA. Are you under 60 years old? Would you like to have a voice in shaping the future of FMCA? If so, I invite you to join our newly formed Under 60 Task Force by contacting Penny Gortemiller (pgortemiller@fmca.com; 513-474-3622 or 800-543-3622) at the FMCA national office. We want to hear from you.
Please take these opportunities to get to know us better (and vice versa!) and feel free to offer us suggestions and recommendations to help us make our great organization even better.
Remember: “It’s All About Having Fun!”