Family and Friends: Happy (OK) Wanderers Celebrate 25th Anniversary

December 1, 2016

By Mary Powell, F63930, & Dwayne Davis, F194996
December 2016

Members of the Happy (OK) Wanderers chapter have been happily wandering for 25 years. It has been a memorable journey. An anniversary rally was held April 21-24, 2016, at Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA in Durant, Oklahoma. Members arrived in 42 motorhomes, and a few couples stayed in motels.

Saturday’s anniversary party was attended by 117 chapter members and guests. It was quite a sight to see all the members dressed in their blue chapter vests with white shirts or blouses. Following a delicious catered lunch, Rod Sartwell, FMCA national vice president, South Central Area, presented a chapter certificate of recognition to Dwayne Davis and Manuel Jackson. Dwayne is the current chapter president and Manuel was the chapter’s first president, along with his wife, Ramona. Charter members were recognized. Creekhouse Crew provided musical entertainment, and cake and ice cream were served. Door prizes were awarded courtesy of Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA and Camping World.

The Happy (OK) Wanderers chapter was chartered in 1991 in Oklahoma City and founded on the basis of fellowship, fun, food, traveling, and volunteering. An initial goal was to enjoy Oklahoma state parks, plus hold one rally a year out of state. In the early years, members volunteered to enclose several shelters in the Oklahoma state park system. That adventure often included a weeklong rally with food preparations for the workers who were transforming covered pavilions into walled buildings. 
 
Happy (OK) Wanderers members now enjoy six chapter rallies a year with motorhomes, and an annual Christmas luncheon without coaches. The chapter often schedules two to three rallies in nearby states to widen travel and sight-seeing opportunities. Rallies officially begin on Thursday and close following a Sunday morning devotional service, but many members arrive early to trade travel stories and explore the area. 
 
In 2016, in addition to rallies in Oklahoma, members traveled to Santo, Texas, and Carthage, Missouri. Over the years, rallies have been held in all six states in the South Central Area, as well as Mississippi, New Mexico, and Colorado. The South Central Area Rally is included in the chapter’s annual schedule; many times the chapter has provided volunteers and cadre members for that event. The chapter contributes homemade quilts to South Central Area charities and prepares boxes of goodies for military members on deployment.
 
If you are interested in joining a group that considers fellowship to be key and whose rallies are like reunions of an extended family, visit www.happyokwanderers.com or contact Dwayne Davis at newell78@att.net. You can also check our rally schedule in this magazine. 

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