By Glenda Specht, F426796
December 2014
Members of the Pacers Northwest chapter gathered June 20-22, 2014, at Silver Cove RV Resort near Castle Rock, Washington, for the chapter’s 25th anniversary rally, an event coordinated by Martie Martin. Twenty-two coaches attended.
It was a “back to basics” rally: Our meeting room was actually a storage shed where picnic tables were kept; it had only two electrical outlets and a refrigerator. But on Thursday afternoon, a group of Pacers transformed the shed into a place worthy of our celebration. Thanks to Dryer Masonic Center, we were able to borrow enough tables to seat everyone. The center also loaned us chairs to supplement those provided by Pacers members. Then on Thursday night, a fair number of us ate at Peper’s 49er restaurant. A great time was had by all, as usual!
We continued on Friday to finish up the decorations, and by that afternoon the meeting place was fabulous. The men were a great help in getting on ladders, stringing streamers, and pinning up “swirly things,” and some members with lots of “hot air” blew up many balloons. Yes, there was some dizziness involved. Photo collages, scrapbooks, and an ongoing slide show with pictures of previous rallies kept us full of memories.
On Friday night, Martie prepared lasagna, along with salads and banana splits for dessert. A number of the gals cooked the bread and lasagna in their convection ovens, since there were no kitchen facilities in the meeting room. The evening concluded after a rousing game of the LCR dice game, which was won by Sue Tilley. It came down to the wire between Sue and George May.
At Saturday morning’s potluck breakfast, our members again outdid themselves with the wonderful dishes they prepared. Breakfast was followed by a business meeting during which Andy Balogh, FMCA’s Northwest Area national vice president and a Pacers Northwest member, presented the club with its 25-year certificate and a $100 check. We also received a letter from retired member Buzz Bosone, along with a donation for the Saturday night auction. Our only remaining charter members, Don and Gwen Dowdell, were presented with an inscribed clock from the chapter. We also recognized Russ and Jean Bailey for 17 years of continuous service to the club.
After the business meeting, some Northwest Pacers members went to Chehalis, Washington, for a celebration of the life of Dit Maass, a chapter member who died earlier in the year.
On Saturday, Bob and Shirley LeCoque visited. It was great to catch up on old times. George and Susie Blanchard, Don and Pearl Burrows, and the LeCoques joined us for dinner and the auction. Kimm Cady and Dale Riley barbecued our steaks and did an amazing job. We also enjoyed baked potatoes, salads, and vegetables. Dessert consisted of an anniversary cake and a hummingbird cake. The latter, made and decorated by yours truly, listed names of all the members who celebrated birthdays from January through June.
Rudi Schaffner conducted our auction with his usual élan! We had some laughs and brought in $967, which includes half the pot from the LCR game. What a great time!
At Sunday morning’s continental breakfast we said our good-byes, which are always bittersweet, and we looked forward to our next time together. Thanks to all who attended to make the 25th anniversary celebration special. We missed those who were unable to join us.