By Gail Werschler, F166521
December 2013
In 1983 the B.C. Bus Nuts chapter was formed by 20 FMCA members from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Originally, as our chapter name suggests, the members were bus converters who created functional motorhomes from bus chassis. Today we have 70 members who hail from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, and Oregon, and a fair number of those own bus conversions. But plenty of our members travel in manufacturer-built motorhomes as well. Our emphasis is fun, food, and travel experiences.
B.C. Bus Nuts members celebrated the chapter’s 30th anniversary September 6 through 9, 2013, with a “Christmas in September” rally in Kelowna, British Columbia. Andy Balogh, national vice president, Northwest Area, and his wife, Kathy, attended and presented the chapter with a certificate from FMCA commemorating our milestone anniversary.
In all, 30 coaches were gathered at the rally, with most of them decorated for the “holiday” season. Rally hosts Omer and Madeleine Gauvin decorated their property with everything from lights to a Christmas tree in the cover-all building where we had our meals. Attendees enjoyed a turkey dinner complete with all of the trimmings on Saturday night. This was followed by a visit from Santa, who made each person sit on his lap and sing a Christmas carol before receiving a present. The women attended a Red Hat tea on Sunday that included a cookie exchange, and each of us came away with two dozen assorted goodies. Everyone had a fabulous time, and it certainly was a memorable anniversary celebration for our chapter.
Our rallies are held at least twice a year, in spring and fall. The locations are determined by the volunteer rally hosts, who also decide what type of rally it will be. Some are simply potluck meals, while others include catered dinners. During some rallies, we spend most of the time visiting and catching up with each other, while others are filled with activities such as golf, bocce ball, cribbage, or dominoes. What remains the same is that we never leave hungry, we laugh a lot, and we enjoy the company of our fellow B.C. Bus Nuts friends.
The next chapter rally is scheduled for May 9 through 12, 2014, in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. This 1950s and ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll-themed rally is already shaping up to be another fun chapter event. We welcome FMCA members in our area to join us. For more information about the B.C. Bus Nuts, including upcoming rallies, contact chapter secretary-treasurer Gail Werschler at gailwerschler@gmail.com.