The Gateway Getaways chapter gets back to rallying and having fun.
By Dennis Hunt, F19904D
July 2021
Coca-Cola likes to say that it’s the real thing. Not for members of the Gateway Getaways. We like to say that our chapter’s motto — “It’s all about having fun” — is the real thing! That’s how it’s been since the very beginning, and on Saturday, April 17, we gathered at Cottonwoods RV Park in Columbia, Missouri, to celebrate our 25th anniversary. And, yes, we had fun.
Chapter president Guen Douglas and vice president Dick Bonin planned and hosted the event, which drew 18 of our chapter’s 34 families. We held our annual meeting, which included Joe Wright, FMCA national vice president, South Central Area, as well as longtime members Gary and Glenda Milner. Gary is national vice president from FMCA’s Midwest Area.
Once the business portion was out of the way, we broke out the cake and champagne to honor the occasion, and the fun began.
Joe Wright, FMCA national vice president, South Central Area, presents Gateway Getaways president Guen Douglas with a certificate recognizing the chapter’s 25th anniversary.
Gateway Getaways was founded in March 1996 primarily to attract members from Missouri and western Illinois. Today, those states are a primary membership focus, but we have members in South Dakota, Texas, and other states. Initially, there were 58 charter members, and the organizational meeting was held at the KOA in Eureka, Missouri. Skip and Jane Sullivan were among the charter members, and they maintain their membership to this day.
The chapter tries to hold rallies every month between April and October. We also try to stay within 250 to 300 miles of St. Louis, but we have traveled to many places, such as FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Door County, Wisconsin; the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky; the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival in Rockville, Indiana; the former Harley-Davidson factory in Kansas City, Missouri; and to the shores of Lake Michigan in Holland, Michigan.
Members also have traveled to many FMCA international conventions, including those held in West Springfield, Massachusetts; Perry, Georgia; Chandler, Arizona; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Gillette, Wyoming, to name a few. Other fun rally spots include the crawfish festival in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and South Central Area rallies in Texarkana, Arkansas; Shawnee, Oklahoma; and Conroe, Texas.
With the current growth of RV sales, Gateway Getaways is focusing on recruiting new members and helping them to settle in and enjoy the many fun rallies. If we sound like a group you would like to be part of, we encourage you to give us a try — for free. Check out our website, www.gatewaygetaways.net, and look at our rally schedule. Find one that looks interesting, contact the rally hosts, and tell them you would like to try out our club. The chapter will pay your rally fee; all you pay is the camping cost. Or, feel free to contact chapter president Guen Douglas at guen38@yahoo.com or (618) 407-0114.
We are a relaxed, friendly group, and we look forward to hearing from you. Remember: It’s all about having fun!