PRESIDENT S CORNER. America s Oldest Regional GMC Club Volume 43 Issue 5 October 2018

Transcription

1 America s Oldest Regional GMC Club Volume 43 Issue 5 October 2018 CORNER PRESIDENT S OK where did the summer go? I know the calendar says officially that the fall season is here but it doesn t seem possible that another Great Lakers rally season is almost over! Just one more rally in Stanwood, Michigan to wrap up the 2018 season, then you can winterize your GMC (unless you take it to warmer weather for the winter)! Even though the leaves have started to fall, there s still a lot of nice camping days left. If we are lucky, we ll even get an Indian summer before the first snow. Personally, I hope will get some Indian summer later this fall because we are still trying to get our new pole barn built. As some of you know, this has been a long and tedious process, since Steve started cutting down trees to clear the building site last January. The only deadline now is to get the building completed before winter, so we can park our GMCs inside. Since our last newsletter, the Great Lakers have enjoyed several rally gatherings. In August we went to Coshocton, Ohio, just prior to the first Coshocton Sunflower Festival at the KOA. I never knew there so many varieties of sunflowers! It was neat to walk through even a small part of the 5 acres of sunflowers that the KOA owner planted adjacent to the campground. In early September, about 12 Great Lakers and 4 other GMC owners gathered for a laid back week at Algonac State Park in Algonac, Michigan. If you ve camped at this state park before, you know that if you are lucky enough to get a campsite in the first few rows, you ll be able to see large freighters and other boats going up and down the St. Clair River. The first weekend we were at the campground in Algonac, we discovered there had been a gathering of Scamp trailers prior to our stay. Scamp trailers are small, egg shape, rounded fiberglass trailers. I did a little research and found that Scamp trailers were made starting in 1971 and are still being manufactured today. In the early years, all Scamp trailers made were only 13 feet long. The company eventually added additional 16 foot and 19 foot models. All three lengths are still sold today. These little trailers are pretty cute and have a style resembling the GMC. As we arrived at the campground, the Scamp trailers were finishing up their stay. A group of Great Lakers also traveled to Amana, Iowa for the GMCMI Fall Rally. This year s theme was Christmas in September. I m looking forward to hearing about the rally in Amana and what we missed. So now we are approaching our final 2018 rally. I hope to see a lot of you at the River Ridge RV Resort in Stanwood. By the next newsletter, I hope to give a good progress report on our pole barn! Be sure to check out the new Great Lakers Facebook page at GMC Great Lakers Motorhome Club ( ). Becky Johnson

2 Membership Meeting August 15, 2018, Coshocton, Ohio President Becky Johnson called meeting to order at 6:50 pm. Bill Helmore made a motion to approve July meeting minutes as published in the newsletter. John Shotwell, Treasurer, reported the bank balance as of July 31, The starting balance was $12, Income was $ Expenses were $ making the month ending balance $12, Expenses were officer tags and new member plaques. The plaques are pre purchased in lots of 10 to lower the piece price. Motion made by Peter Donaghue to approve Treasurer report. Steve Johnson reported membership at 118, no change in past month. Merle Carpenter, FMCA Director reported that Marv Miller, FMCA Alternate Director attended the FMCA Governing Board Meeting in Wyoming July 17 18, members attended and there was a major discussion regarding the financial budget and the FMCA Assist cost. See Marv's complete report, attached. Sara Halley reported the May 2019 rally will be in Zeeland, Michigan which is just 12 miles from Holland MI and the Tulip Festival. We will all need to make our own camping reservations. Cost is expected to be $38-40 per night. The June 2019 rally is open. GLAMA will not be considered our official rally. The September 2018 official rally will be in Amana, Iowa at the GMCMI convention. There will be no membership meeting, however on 9/22 the Great Lakers will get together. An alternate is a do nothing rally at Algonac Park, MI the week of September 9. A revised reservation form for the October 2018 rally in Stanwood, MI went out to confirm all attendees must make their own camping reservation at $40/night. If you are interested in hosting a 2019 rally please contact Sara Halley, she will be a great help especially for a new host. The election and proposed ByLaw change information along with the ballot will be sent out by September 1. Ballots must be sent back to Deb Pryzbylek by October 1 with results reported at October rally. Sunshine Lady, Deb Pryzbylek, requests you contact her with any information regarding members who should be sent a card. A reminder to all club members of our responsibility to spread information of our club to new GMC MH owners. The membership application is online at the Great Lakers website. Phyllis Thornburg suggests we start eliminating paper and Styrofoam cups and plates at rallies. We will now have "bring your own place setting" meals, including coffee cups. Walt Halley made the motion to adjourn at 7:11 Respectfully submitted, Bea Newman, Secretary 2

3 FMCA UPDATE Submitted by Marv Miller Sally and I attended the Gillette, Wyoming Summer Convention. We had a wonderful time at rally that was attended by 1600 other members, plus over 200 display units for SALE. The agenda items for the 1-1/2 day meeting were listed in our 63 pages booklet. A lot of time was sent explaining and approving the 2019 budget. A major issue was the new anticipated cost of FMCA Assist was anticipated at be $1,283, That was compared to 2018 cost of $683, and 2017 cost of $16,543 and 2016 of $26,173. This 2019 anticipated cost would create an upside down (loss) for The finance group had numerous meetings and push back to this cost. An internal audit by the provider proved that a lot of costs were being charged to FMCA and these created erroneous costs. They revised and requoted and the actual numbers are now only $603,327. (Wow, what a difference). Also some travel and living budget lines were eliminated. Bottom line with the revisions, FMCA should show a positive cash flow (line item of Operating Contingency on budget of $662,859, instead of a loss. The budget then passed with a majority vote. Also, review the trend of active members by year, (left diagram below). The graph X- axis is the year and the Y-axis ranges from 60,000 to 130,000 members. In 2004 membership was at its peak 129,189; 70,154 in 2016 was at its bottom and 76,692 in If I recollect, new towable members YTD are around members. Also, Jon Walker, our National President, presented a sheet of New Benefits over last year (right diagram below). If anyone has any questions, call me but probably more important, everyone should learn to use the FMCA website even more than we do. (fmca.com). The FMCA university concept and videos is a positive, but probably offers nothing for our GMC owners. There was voting on minimal changes to the constitution, and generally I voted in support of the Executive Board s recommendations. I hope this information is helpful and can be redistributed to our members as Merle and our officers deem necessary. 3

4 Mark your calendars now for the 2019 GMC Great Lakers Motorhome Club Rallies. Consider hosting a rally at your favorite local campground - you will get plenty of help. It s your party do whatever makes you happy! May Birthday Rally Dutch Treat Campground Executive Board Gordon Street Zeeland, MI Tel: June 6 10 Joint Rally with Shipshewana Campground South Marv & Sally Miller The Six Wheelers 1105 S Van Buren St. (SR 5) Shipshewana, Indiana Tel: July August OPEN OPEN October GMCMI Fall Convention GMCMI Mansfield, Ohio For those members considering hosting a club rally, here is a list of convenient rally locations the Great Lakers club have visited in recent years: Shipshewana Campground South Elkhart Campground Midland Fairgrounds Camp Turkeyville RV Resort And other locations! Shipshewana, Indiana Elkhart, Indiana (site of 2017 GMCMI Fall Convention) Midland, Michigan Marshall, Michigan We are looking to expand this list! If any of these campgrounds are near you, and you are interested in hosting a rally, please contact Sara Halley or Becky Johnson for assistance, if necessary, in scheduling / planning a club rally. Remember all members now make their own overnight reservations directly with the campground for all club rallies. The rally host sets the rally dates, arranges for morning coffee, and, if desired, arranges catered, potluck or restaurant meals during the rally. A rally does not need to have a full schedule of activities or arranged meals. Great Lakers rallies primarily offer a location where club members can gather to spend time together as a group. GMCMI Conventions: Mar , 2019 Tallahassee Treasurers North Florida Fairgrounds Tallahassee, FL October 2019 Mansfield, OH 4

5 Report on the August 14-17, 2018 Little Rally at a Small Campground in Coshocton, Ohio All those in attendance deemed the August 2018 Great Lakers Rally held in Coshocton OH a success. It was hosted by Teresa and Rick Little (in a small campground), which just recently achieved KOA status. We began Tuesday evening with happy hour; folks brought potluck hors d oeuvres and their drink of choice. Lots of happy greetings handshakes and hugs. Later we waited hopefully on a couple of late arrivals who had been experiencing mechanical difficulties. Those folks eventually arrived and were welcomed into the fold. Wednesday began with coffee and doughnuts followed by a good-sized group of ladies refreshing their lock-hooking skills while some were raw beginners. Teresa Little led the group, however, they were teased often by some of the guys hanging around the area about such things as being "happy hookers" or the "novice hooker". Otherwise, members pretty much did their own thing Wednesday with some visiting the Canal boat ride in Roscoe Village, enjoying the vivid description of canal building and canal era life in the early nineteenth century given by the very talented canal boat operators. They explained in great detail when, why, and how the Ohio and Erie Canal was built, how the boat was steered and kept away from the banks by the tiller and how it was turned 180 degrees at the end of each sojourn with the help of the horse driver and the tour guide. The length of the rebuilt canal is a little over a mile. Some folks also visited the nearby "Triple Locks" in Roscoe Village. This is a series of three huge locks fastened together to accomplish a drop or rise in water level of about 30 feet. At the lower end of these locks was originally a large five-story grain mill that ground grain into flour for export via the canal. The mill was powered by water from the canal when first built but later converted to electricity, which was generated by a hydro plant upstream from the mill. Others visited quaint Roscoe Village with its 1800s style restaurants, bars, candy and ice cream shops, markets and a blacksmith shop. Local Amish villages were also visited where one can find buggy shops, cabinet and furniture shops, and lumberyards and of course many fine eateries. Wednesday evening brought us a wonderful catered dinner in the KOA banquet pavilion. After dinner we were entertained by a lady named Alice Hoover who regaled us with a first person "in character" (and dress) impersonation of an early eighteen hundred's wife of one of the original Roscoe Village founders named Arnold Medbery. Mr. Medbery built during his career, among other things, two sawmills, two hotels, the Empire Mill, the Warehouse, and employed dozens of people if not hundreds in the process. Several of those buildings are still in use. The large Medbery Home is now a B&B. This marvelous presentation ran for over an hour and when she finished there were several long seconds of dead silence - and then we burst into a resounding round of applause. After that people complimenting her and asking questions rushed her. Following Thursday s breakfast at the picnic shelter the second installment of "Lock Hooking" with Teresa Little convened. Meanwhile, twenty-one of our members met along with twenty-one other people from the Coshocton area at the "Age of Steam Round House. We were given a fascinating tour of a "working museum" if you will, depicting a reconstructed early nineteen hundreds steam locomotive roundhouse. The buildings and premises were constructed in just the last eight years on a forty-three acre tract of flat farmland near the village of Sugarcreek OH. Our tour guides were very well versed on the history and operation of the twenty two locomotives housed in the building, the design and structure of the building and roundhouse, all of the adjoining structures and pieces of equipment. Great detail had been given to authenticity of the buildings or at least the appearance of such. (Many millions of dollars invested) The turntable itself was purchased from a location in New Jersey and moved, at great expense, only to discover that there was much greater deterioration due to rust then had originally been realized and the structure had to be almost completely rebuilt. Thirty-two of our members met for a (light, ha-ha) lunch at the East Main St Restaurant in the village of Baltic OH, just four miles south of Sugarcreek. We enjoyed good food, good service and reasonable price. The business meeting followed a catered dinner at the KOA dining pavilion. Friday an hour or so of great camaraderie, hugs and goodbyes followed morning s breakfast and then it was packing up and heading home time. Those in attendance consisted of seventeen coaches, several pooches, and one couple who could not bring their coach but stayed in a nearby motel. We hope this was one to remember and we had a lot of fun doing it. Rick and Teresa Little 5

6 Coshocton, OH August

7 October 11-14, 2018 Rally Report Stanwood, Michigan (Hosts: Frank Griffin/Barb Rhoades and Dick/Jan Serreyn) The Michigan Fall weather arrived at the start of the rally in Stanwood, Michigan with a crisp and cool breeze. Earlier in the week, Michigan temperatures topped 84 degrees but by Thursday of that week the high temperatures were only 48 degrees! Everyone had to pull out the warm clothes for this rally. If you ve been to any of our previous rallies at River Ridge RV Resort, you know that this facility is top notch with paved campsites, beautiful landscaping, and a large, warm and cozy Community Center overlooking the Muskegon River. Our rally hosts had plenty of hot coffee and good food for the group throughout the rally weekend. Frank made his famous French toast from his homemade bread each morning for breakfast. Can anyone guess how many loaves of homemade bread Frank brought to the rally? We also had two wonderful home cooked dinners each evening pork & sauerkraut and beef pot roast. Frank and his crew spent many hours in the kitchen preparing these delicious meals. We had about 20 coaches in attendance and a brand new GMC owner (Joe Keene) who visited our group from Midland, Michigan. The rally concluded with the last regular membership meeting/ combined corporate business meeting of the 2018 season. Everyone had a terrific time! Looking forward to seeing everyone next Spring! Submitted by Becky Johnson Election Results The ballots have been received, tabulated and the official results are as follow: 2019 GMC Great Lakers Executive Board Members President Becky Johnson Vice President Sara Halley Secretary Bea Newman Treasurer John Shotwell FMCA National Director Merle Carpenter Alternate FMCA National Director Marv Miller Director at Large Margie Baumbarger Recently approved Club By-Laws and Club Standing Rules updated documents will be available on the Great Lakers website at A couple of elderly RVers who d recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary were sitting on the sofa in their GMC motorhome, when the wife said, Dear, do you remember how you used to sit close to me? He moved over and sat close to her. Dear, she continued, do you remember how you used to hold me tight? He reached over and held her tight. And, she went on, do you remember how you used to hug me and kiss me and nibble on my ear? With that, her husband got up and started to walk toward the rear of the motorhome. Where are you going? she asked. Well, answered the husband, I have to get my teeth. 7

8 PEACH COBBLER BREAD From Taste of Home BECKY S FAMOUS ORZO PASTA SALAD Dressing: Mix together the following ingredients and refrigerate. 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 Tablespoons vinegar 4 Tablespoons sugar 1 Tablespoon salt 2 Tablespoons parsley Almonds: 6 oz. sliced. Spread almonds evenly in a large frying pan. Temperature should be medium/low. Pour sugar over almonds (3/4-1 cup sugar). Mix and let mixture set until sugar and almonds start to caramelize. Continue cooking and stirring until almonds are light brown. Be careful - they can burn easily! (Note - this step can take awhile, up to minutes!). Cool mixture and chop up. Salad: 16 oz. box of Orzo pasta (sold in the dry pasta section at the grocery store) 4 stalks of celery (sliced thin) 2 bunches of green onions (chopped) - I used just 2 individual green onions pieces but if I don't have any on hand I skip the onions oz. cans of mandarin oranges (drained). Cook orzo according to directions. Drain. Add celery, onions and dressing. Add almonds just before serving so they stay crisp! Submitted by Becky Johnson 1/3 cup soft butter 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup diced, peeled peaches 1 2/3 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ cup chopped nuts Topping 2 tablespoons chopped nuts 2 tablespoons brown sugar Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, beat in water and extracts, add peaches. Combine dry ingredients and add to the creamed. Add nuts, stir and put into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Add topping and bake at 350 o F for minutes. Check with a toothpick. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove. Submitted by Sara Halley APPLE TOFFEE DIP ¾ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 ounces cream cheese, softened ¾ cup toffee bits 1 cup pineapple juice 8 apples, sliced (Granny Smith or Red Delicious) Up to 12 hours ahead, combine brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cream cheese. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add toffee bits, mix well. Cover and chill. Combine juice and sliced apples in a bowl, toss well. Drain apples and place in a zip lock bag, seal and chill. Serve when convenient. Graham crackers are also good with this dip. Submitted by Bea Newman 8

9 Membership Meeting October 10, 2018, Stanwood, Michigan President Becky Johnson called meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Big thank you to Frank and Barb for cooking such delicious meals for this rally. Thanks also to Dick and Jan and Margi and Joe for helping out. The weather was cold outside but we were all warm inside the beautiful clubhouse. Frank passed out gift cards to Meijer to all attendees due to the lower than expected expenses. Bill Helmore approved, and Rita seconded the corrections made to the August minutes. John Shotwell, treasurer, reported bank balance of $12, Steve Johnson, membership, reported total members at 120. The Wilsons renewed as Associate members; and Joe Keen was a guest at this rally with his newly acquired coach. Rally s for 2019 so far: The May Birthday rally will be in Zeeland, Michigan, just a week after the Tulip Festival. The Fall GMCMI convention will be in Mansfield. Becky asked members to make a list of campgrounds we ve had rally s at and would like to return to. Election results: President Becky Johnson, Vice President Sara Haley, Secretary Bea Newman, Treasurer John Shotwell, FMCA National Director Merle Carpenter, Alternate Marv Miller, Director at large Margi Baumgardner. By-laws changes and rally refund policy were approved. Bill Helmore moved to destroy the ballots. Posted were updated standing rules, rally guidelines are now out of standing rules. Standing rules were approved, first motion by John Stehlick, Jerry Newman seconded. Becky suggested club yearly membership dues be reduced from $15.00 to $10.00, since the expense of mailing the newsletter out is greatly reduced due to electronic delivery, Marv motioned to approved, Merle seconded. Becky also suggested members who do not receive the newsletter electronically buddy with someone who does so that when news comes up that does not warrant a mailing, the buddy can alert you. The club decided to add a new club affiliation category for those members active in the past but now they no longer have a GMC but are still interested in the club. This category could be called Friends of the GreatLakers. They would not be required to pay dues, would not have to be a FMCA member since they would not be camping with the group as rally participants. They would not have a vote in club elections, and if they chose to come to a rally as a guest of the club, they would not have to pay the rally fee (their overnight accommodations would be on their own). Rita Stehlik motioned to create this new affiliation category. The majority of the members present voted to approve this category. One member felt active members who must cancel out of a rally and do not receive a rally refund are being penalized. He further stated that the Friends of the GL and their benefit is not fair to the long active members. Marv reported that Dick and Phyllis Holly were recognized at the GMCMI in Amana, Iowa in September, as being the oldest members of GMCMI and the Great Lakers. Dick and Phyllis carried the American flag at the opening ceremony. Nancy Donague suggested the club work harder on getting new members. She said the future of our club is in the new members. Becky said she is working on some ideas to make our Cub known among new GMC owners. She will send out more information over the winter months. Bea Newman will take care of Sunshine until Deb is feeling better. Cards will be sent to Deb Pryzbylek, Pat Crow, Dick Balsley, Jan Bosler, Dick Wilson, and Larry Whisler. Marv Miller motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:40 PM. Respectfully submitted, Bea Newman 9

10 Financial Report Sept. 30, 2018 Starting Balance: $ 12, Revenue: $ 0.00 Expenses: $ 0.00 Ending Balance: $ 12, GMCMI Fall Convention Amana is a great site for a rally. When it rained the water kept our feet clean, not too many were stuck. Our new president is Dolph Santorine and our rep for the Great Lakes Region is again Dale Ropp. There were around 97 coaches at the park, some were off site and some people came for the weekend. There were 15 first timers in attendance. The Great Lakers get together was well attended and we also had the Six Wheelers join us, as they were only 9 attendees. Sara Halley Get well cards have been sent to these individuals: Debra Pryzbylek Dick Balsey Dick Wilson Sympathy Card: Pat Crow Jan Bolser Larry Whisler When contacting The Sunshine & Rainbows person to inform her of any current or former member that is ill, has lost a loved one, or otherwise needs encouragement, it would be most helpful to provide the appropriate mailing address. This would facilitate the mailing of a greeting card especially to former members of the club as well as the current snowbird members who prefer to spend the winter months outside of the GMC Great Lakers Motorhome Club geographical boundaries. Dick and Phyllis Holley were recognized at the September 2018 GMCMI Fall Convention in Amanda, Iowa as the oldest members of GMCMI and the GMC Great Lakers who still attend conventions and rallies even though they no longer have a coach. They have fun wherever they go, just sit and chat with them awhile. You will learn a lot about the GMC motorhome and hear a lot of stories about their years of GMC adventures. Deb Pryzbylek Deb and I are overwhelmed by the prayers, get well cards, flowers, telephone calls, etc. we have received since she was hospitalized on September 10, This illness and the associated complications have been very difficult for our family but the GMC community has been incredibly supportive. I have always admired the "family affiliation of the GMCers and now, more than ever, I can truly appreciate the kindness and compassion of the extended GMC family. Thank you for your friendship and continuing support. John and Deb Pryzbylek 10

11 NO PUN INTENDED Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery. A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded. If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons? Sea captains don't like crew cuts. A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Without geometry, life is pointless. When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination. Reading whilst sunbathing makes you well-red. When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I. Alarms: What an octopus is Membership Dues Reduction The Great Lakers Executive Board voted to reduce the club annual dues from $15.00 to $10.00 for Don t send in your renewal money just yet! All Great Lakers members will receive a renewal notice for 2019 at the end of this year, which will be payable to the club in January MEMBERSHIP AND DUES Please be sure to contact Steve Johnson, Membership Chair, with any changes or additions to your address, telephone and accounts. All members of the GMC Great Lakers chapter of FMCA must be current in both their FMCA and Great Laker dues. Chapter dues are due and payable January 1. Members are considered delinquent when their dues payment has not been received by March 1. See Article III Members, Section 4 of the Chapter Bylaws for additional information Club Officers and Staff President Becky Johnson Telephone: president@gmcgreatlakers.org Vice President Sara Halley Telephone: vice_president@gmcgreatlakers.org Secretary Bea Newman Telephone: secretary@gmcgreatlakers.org Treasurer John Shotwell Telephone: treasurer@gmcgreatlakers.org FMCA National Director Merle Carpenter Telephone: fmca_director@gmcgreatlakers.org FMCA Alternate Director Marv Miller Telephone: alt_fmca_dir@gmcgreatlakers.org Director at Large Margi Baumbarger Telephone: dir_at_large@gmcgreatlakers.org Sunshine and Rainbows Debra Pryzbylek Telephone: sunshine@gmcgreatlakers.org Membership Chair and Webmaster Steve Johnson Telephone: webmaster@gmcgreatlakers.org Club Historian Bill Helmore Telephone: historian@gmcgreatlakers.org Newsletter Editor John Pryzbylek Telephone: newsletter@gmcgreatlakers.org

12 GMC Great Lakers Motorhome Club, Inc. Newsletter Editor 103 West Ridge Drive Swanton, Ohio