Rally highlights included tours, presentations, and sharing of memories.
By Gene Grimm, F365986, Chapter President
October 2019
Days of heavy rains gave way to glorious sunshine during the Ramblin’ NoDaks chapter’s 25th anniversary rally, held July 11 to 14, 2019, at the Pierce County Fairgrounds in Rugby, North Dakota.
On Wednesday, extra-early arrivals were treated to free ice cream and a pleasant and relaxing concert in a city park. As additional RVs arrived Thursday, many members explored local restaurants and city highlights. In the evening, card bingo provided a chance to recoup some of the money spent during the day.
One of the rally’s highlights, the Heartland Bison Ranch tour, took place on Friday afternoon. The ranch is family-owned, and family members led highly educational tours. They treated us as though we were royalty. We rode a wagon into a bison herd; took a short walk to see Nokota horses, said to be descended from the last surviving population of wild horses in North Dakota; and checked out a display of arrowheads and other relics unearthed on the ranch.
Gary Milner, FMCA national vice president, Midwest Area, and his wife, Glenda, attended the rally and spent meaningful time with everyone. On Friday evening, they presented short seminars on FMCA’s member benefits package and on FMCA University. Their presentations were followed by member Darel Harrington’s 90-minute video of Ramblin’ NoDaks memories from the past 25 years.
After Saturday’s tour of the impressive Prairie Village and Museum, another highlight of the weekend was a pleasant evening at the Dakota Farms restaurant. We enjoyed a nice meal, and everyone had a chance to share some of their favorite memories.
Following Sunday’s breakfast and a worship service, the RVs departed to their separate corners of the world. By their presence, everyone contributed. We are ready for another 25 years!