Jul 2013 Newsletter Vol 4

TIDBITS FROM PENNY
July 2013
Volume 4 No. 4
Edited by Louise Birett—lbirett@comcast.net
PENN COACHMEN RALLY RECAP - SPRING GULCH
MAY 24-27, 2013
Executive Board:
Ron Buckley, President
Jim Lothert, Exec. V.P.
Bill Freed, Treasurer
Barbara Arcati, Secretary
Ron Becker, Area VP
Jim Lexa, Area VP
Norma Moss, Area VP
Larry Troutman, Area VP
2013 Rallies:
4/18-4/21—Schnecksville, PA
5/24-5/27—Centre Hall, PA
6/11-613—New Holland, PA
7/19-7/21—Lebanon, PA
Karl and Linda Deardorff together with Jim Lexa and Barbara Arcati ran a
great rally at a new location—Spring Gulch Campground in New Holland,
PA. What a great place!
This was the second time we had a mid-week rally. It worked out very
nicely, not counting some rain!
Tuesday included a catered evening meal of carved chicken with all of the
trimmings. Delicious!
After a continental breakfast on Wednesday morning, there was a fun time
playing “bean bag baseball.”
Wednesday afternoon offered a tour of the New Holland Machinery Company followed by a buffet dinner at Yoder’s Restaurant. What a feast!
The evening entertainment was a Ho Down Square Dance with 4 couples in
each square. We had two squares of “swingers.” Quite a few attendees participated in line dancing also.
Thursday, we had another continental breakfast before cleaning up and going
home.
Submitted by Joanne Freeman
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8/23-8/25—Bloomsburg, PA
9/20-9/22—Harrington, DE
10/5-10/9—Gardners, PA
DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THE LEBANON
RALLY BY JULY 1, 2012.
10/9-10/13—GEAR—York, PA
11/8-11/10—Bethel, PA
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I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the
time I got my leotards on, the class was over.
THE NEWBY TABLE AT SPRING GULCH. HOPE YOU FELT WELCOME!
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DOIN’ THE ELECTRIC SLIDE
DO SE DO WITH YOUR PARTNER
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MORE FUN DOING LINE DANCING
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Here we are close to halfway through the 2013 rallies.
George and Sue Young at Center Hall and Karl and Linda Deardorff at Spring Gulch did a great job.
Six new families visited Penn Coachman at the last two rallies. I hope they will all join our chapter. Thank you to everyone
involved in inviting them to be new members. Let’s all keep up the good work! When new members come to our rallies ,
please make them feel very welcome.
Just received the e-mail from Bob Moss, National Director, attending the FMCA rally in Gillette, WY. Everything went
well, and Penn Coachmen were well represented.
Jim Lowthert is working on getting a new location to replace Schnecksville next year.
The Lowtherts, Joanne and I looked at Mountain Springs in Shartlesville, PA which would be nice. Negotiations are ongoing as we think about the near future.
We are looking for volunteers to join Linda Deardorff on the Chapter Fair Committee at the upcoming GEAR Rally in October at York.
Helen Young has agreed to provide ideas for Penn Coachmen’s participation in the Chapter Parade at York. However, we
need someone to take charge of it and form a committee. Please get involved and let us make a good showing.
Attention Rally Masters. Make sure you have the list of attendees forwarded to the Parking Captain a week prior to the
rally. It makes it a lot easier for Jim Lexa when he parks you.. Bring him a Kit Kat or something sour, and he will give you
a good spot. Remember, just agree with him!
I am seeking a volunteer to act as Historian. It involves the history of our club going back to the 1960s. I have boxes of
information on this matter. Please advise if you are interested.
I am looking forward to seeing you at Lebanon. It’s going to be a fun rally!
Submitted by Ron Buckley.
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OLDER THAN DIRT QUIZ—DO YOU REMEMBER
Candy cigarettes
Coffee shops with tableside juke boxes
Home milk delivery in glass bottles
Party lines on the telephones
Newsreels before the movie
TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows
started again in the morning. (there were only 3 channels !!
Peashooters
Howdy Doody
45 RPM records
Hi-fi's records
Metal ice trays with lever
Blue flashbulbs
Cork popguns
Studebakers
Wash tub wringers
If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age, &
If you remembered 11-15 = You're older than dirt !!!
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REPORT FROM GILETTE, WY FROM OUR NATIONAL DIRECTOR
The 88th Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase which marked the 50th Anniversary of the FMCA was held June 19-22, 2013 at
Gillette, Wyoming. As your National Director, I attended the Reunion and the Board of Directors meeting on your behalf.
Gillette is located in the northeast quadrant of Wyoming in what is known as the High Plains Desert. It is approximately 1,800 miles
from Harrisburg, PA. It is wide open country with few trees and is known for its production of coal and natural gas.
The weather is usually temperate, but the region has been having a drought for the last 3 years. That is until this past week! Thunder
showers and storms and several tornado watches were the order of the day. However, the mood of the attendees and the vendors was
good and the rally has to be called a success.
There were approximately 2,350 family coaches and 150 vendor coaches at the rally. The facility was excellent for this kind of rally
with very adequate buildings and parking. Some of those who had to park on the grass had to be helped out of the mud, but the scene
was nowhere near what some of us have experienced at Perry, GA.
Norma and I saw and spoke with 5 other Penn Coachmen couples, including John and Jayne Reynolds, John and Nancy Breisch, Ed
and Rae Molinsky, Earle and Nancy Christman, and Jon and Maryanna Hall.. Norma and I had dinner with the Christmans and the
Molinskys., the latter saying several times that they already miss the camaraderie of our Penn Coachmen members as they embark on
their journey as full timers.
Now onto the National Directors meeting. As you are aware, the National Directors from each FMCA Chapter meet once a year to
oversee the actions taken by the elected officers and the FMCA staff. The passing of the budget is always a major concern as is the
election of the National officers. This year was no different.
We heard from the treasurer that the organization was in sound financial condition, and the yearly drain on the treasury had stopped.
There were no losses from the last two rallies and revenue from advertising, rallies, tours and campground affiliations was up.
The budget was presented and passed. The budget for 2014 calls for $7,799,878 in revenue and expenses of $7,757,851 resulting in an
expected surplus of approximately $42,000.
There were a few proposals presented, mainly to qualify and better explain the policies and procedures of the organization.
Also the proposed locations for future rallies was voted on and they are as follows with the caveat being that contracts for some of the
locations have not yet been ratified. The locations are Winter 2014 Perry, GA; Summer 2014 Redmond, Oregon; Winter
2015 Pomona, California; Summer 2015 Madison, Wisconsin; and Summer 2016 Indianapolis, IN. NOTE that we are going back to
two National Rallies or Reunions a year beginning in 2014.
Lastly, the National Directors voted for the officers who will lead the national organization for the next two years. The newly elected
officers are: President-Charlie Adcock; Senior Vice President-Jon Walker; Secretary-Vicky Ferrari and Treasurer-Percy Bell.
All of the above being done, the Board of Directors meeting was adjourned.
Now just a few observations.
I thought the meeting was very upbeat and void of any unpleasantness. Charlie Schrenkel, the outgoing President, did an outstanding
job of conducting the session.
The dedication of the FMCA Chapters to keep the organization strong and alive is extraordinary. More than 73% of the chapters were
represented even though great distances were traveled to get to Gillette and fuel prices are high.
Last but not least, I want to mention that we can all be proud of our own John Breisch who made a presentation on recruiting as the
Chairman of the Membership/Member Services Committee.
Norma and I hope to see many of you at our next rally at Lebanon in July.
Submitted by Bob Moss
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Hobbies or craft how-tos
Request from the Editor:
In order to make forthcoming newsletters interesting, I would
like to request your help by sending me any of the following
throughout the year at lbirett@comcast.net:
Vacation tidbits or advice
Poems, stories, vignettes
New camping gear/equipment you have learned about and
where to purchase them
Special camping experiences
Seeking items to purchase or items for sale
Funny pet stories
Family news such as births, deaths, illnesses, prayer concerns,
accomplishments, etc.
Funny grandchildren stories or sayings
Favorite recipes
Motor home repair/upkeep advice
Life on the road
Interesting people you have met along the way
Interesting stories or vignettes
Nature encounters
Out of the way places you have found to be of interest
Photos taken at rallies
Special anniversary celebrations
Members and former Penn Coachmen who are ill, have had
surgery, or have passed away
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THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS:
Dan Zydorczyk - Shoulder Reconstruction
Betty Moyer - Chronic Neck Pain
Joe Veneziale - Congestive Heart Failure
Stan Tomczyk - Hip replacement
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It’s not too early to be thInkIng about regIsterIng for
the 4th annual grandkids weekend at the Bloomsburg
fairgrounds from August 23-25, 2013 register on the website with hal amos and send $50.00 deposit by august 9th
to hal amos at 13 hemlock drive, Mechanicsburg, pa
17053. be sure to indicate number of adult dinners and
number of kId’s pIzza dInners.
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FMCA DOINGS
Coming Soon:
Midwest Area Rally, July 24-27, 2013, Manchester, IA
Northwest Area Rally, August 8-11, 2013, Albany OR
South Central Area Rally, September 11-15, 2013, Sedalia, MS
Great Lakes Area Rally, September 18-22, 2013, Goshen, IN
Eastern Area Rally, October 9-13, 2012, York, PA
Western Area Rally, January 8 12, 2014, Indio, CA
FMCA’s 89th Family Reunion, March 17—20, 2014, Perry, GA
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Those known to be celebrating a birthday during July and August, 2013:
July 2
Jim Lowthert
July 5
Barbara Tomczyk
July 5
Andrea Lee
July 17
Fred Thum
August 2
Reed Franks
August 7
Esther Bedard
August 10
Jim Smith
August 12
Dan Zydorczyk
August 13
Judy Iasiello
August 16
Stan Tomczyk
August 17
Mary Ann Borell
August 19
Earl Ruch
August 22
Dick Strain
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THE SENILITY PRAYER :
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
the eyesight to tell the difference.
Always Remember This:
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
You grow old because you stop laughing.
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