By Peggy Jordan, Associate Editor
March 2019
Where are you going this year in your RV?
The answer is easier if you belong to an active FMCA chapter. Mary Alice Gast of Middletown, Ohio, said she and her husband, Bob, joined the Ohio Nomads for that very reason. “The biggest thing for me was going places we never would have seen on our own,” she said. “But because the club is going there, it’s, ‘Hey, come on, let’s go!’” Mary Alice is now chapter secretary; Bob serves as the group’s alternate national director.
Over the years, the chapter, which was formed in 1978, has traveled to sites and festivals all around the Buckeye State and beyond. “We travel to Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, mostly,” Mary Alice said. Most, but not all, members live in Ohio.
Mary Alice said the Nomads’ first rally of 2019 will be in Holland, Michigan, which they visited several years ago. They’ll meet at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds May 3 through 5 to enjoy the Tulip Time Festival. “It’s time to go back, because we all enjoyed it last time,” she said.
The 56-family chapter is growing, partly because it’s inclusive — all FMCA members can join, regardless of the type of RV they own. Also, “We have a good group and we have fun,” Mary Alice said. “And the friendships are priceless.”
The chapter meets every year at GLAMARAMA, the Great Lakes Area Rally, typically held in June. Look for them there at the chapter fair or on chapter night, as they get together in the evening.
August will see them in Port Clinton, Ohio, along Lake Erie, at Tall Timbers Campground. “Our chapter treasurer puts on a wonderful fish fry. And we stay at his campground. We have a nice big dinner,” Mary Alice said.
“We also enjoy going to Walnut Creek, Ohio, in the Amish country. Most every year we make a trip there.”
Besides activities, a typical Ohio Nomads chapter rally has them all going out to dinner one night, and holding a large hors d’oeuvres party another night. Members also play card games. Over the years, the chapter has visited Indiana’s Covered Bridge Festival; Cincinnati’s Old West Fest; and the Pumpkin Festival in Circleville, Ohio. It’s no surprise that this September, they will be in Marion, Ohio, for the Popcorn Festival.
Another fun place to go!
For more information, see the Ohio Nomads’ newsletter, “Scope Ohio,” which can be downloaded from the chapter’s website, www.ohionomads.com; the website also has a collection of helpful info. Check the FMCA Events Calendar for upcoming rally details as well. Or, contact Mary Alice Gast at [email protected]; (513) 594-0774.
For general information about FMCA chapters, contact the Chapter Services Department at (513) 474-3622 or (800) 543-3622; [email protected]
If you would like your chapter to be featured in Chapter Spotlight, contact FRV associate editor Peggy Jordan, (800) 543-3622, ext. 212; [email protected]