International Chapter of FMCA

Transcription

1 International Chapter of FMCA Newsletter Issue 35 September, 2009 Patsy Kessler, Editor Chapter Officers President: Ted Hindes 7244 S. Porter Rd. Branch, MI Vice President: Bob Clipfell Broken Creek Cir. Carmel, IN Secretary: Frank Whiston 1057 Jewel Pl. NE Albuquerque, NM Treasurer: Donna Whiston 1057 Jewel Pl. NE Albuquerque, NM National Director: Sena Frank 411 Walnut St. #3966 Green Cove Springs, FL Alt. National Director: Patsy Kessler 1561 Century Oaks Dr. Lewisville, TX News Editor: Patsy Kessler 1561 Century Oaks Lewisville, TX Website: Chapter Business Meeting is held at Pla-Mor Campground in Bremen, IN A Message from the President Well, Newmar International Chapter of FMCA has a new President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, all elected at the pre-rally in Bremen. We, the new officers and the membership as a whole, want to thank the outgoing officers for their hard work and dedication to duty these past years. We also hope to do as good a job during our term in office. First, on a very sad note, on behalf of the chapter, Ruth Ann and I want to take a moment to extend our condolences to chapter member Sandra Eslick, on the tragic loss of her husband, Lonnie, who suffered a fatal heart attack on August 8. Ruth Ann and I last saw Sandra and Lonnie in a campground in north Nashville following the Perry Rally in March. He will be missed. With a chapter membership as large as ours, there are likely other folks that need mentioning. I apologize if we missed anyone. If you know of members that need special mention please send an or letter to our editor Patsy Kessler or me. See our contact information on the sidebar of the newsletter, or the website. For all of you that missed the Pre-rally in Bremen, Indiana, at Pla-Mor Campground, there were over fifty rigs of member owners to enjoy the activities. Thank you, Jerry and Sena Frank, and Charlie Gaines and Sharon Miller, for hosting this rally. Our hosts did a great job of providing interesting activities throughout the pre-rally. I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that Pla-Mor Campground did a great job of supporting our hosts. The Newmar factory techs were onsite throughout the pre-rally to perform warranty work on member coaches. This was greatly appreciated. Thank you, Newmar! On Tuesday, the Newmar executives talked to all of us about the health of the industry, Newmar in particular, and what the future looks like. As always they asked for input from us, their customers. Newmar also

2 grilled burgers for our dinner the first night. We had several seminars over the 3 days. Wednesday was a free day. On Thursday, Precision Paint of Bremen gave a seminar followed by a lunch for the group. Many members later took a tour of their facility in Bremen. The business meeting was conducted in the afternoon. See the meeting minutes for details. Thursday evening began with a pizza party provided by Lee s RV, followed by the second night of the 3-night-long bean bag baseball tournament. Friday was another free day with the evening climaxed by the finals of the bean bag baseball tournament with the winning team collecting their share of the week s ticket sales as their prize. Saturday was a leisure day with most attendees going to Amish Acres Theater for a play followed by a family style Thrashers Dinner. I don t think I was the only one that ate more than I should have. The meal was so good. Sunday morning about 35 rigs loosely caravanned the 130 miles to Bowling Green, Ohio, the site of FMCA's 82nd International Convention. Most of the chapter parked in the electric area, and we socialized a great deal during the convention. A special thank you to Sena Frank for updating the chapter website and fixing a bug we were having during the pre-rally. Our next pre-rally will be in Albuquerque, NM, in March of 2010 at American RV Resort. There is space for just 40 rigs so please get your reservations in early so you are not disappointed. We hope to see you there. The rally Hosts, Gary and Tammy Beeler, and Co-hosts Frank and Donna Whiston, are putting together a great program for you all. I want to take a few lines here to introduce the threesome in the presidential coach. First and foremost, is my wonderful and energetic wife Ruth Ann. She is the social butterfly of our coach. Next, is Mom, my wife s mother, Marion Mitchell. She has lived and traveled with us for the past five years. We three are snowbirds. We reside in our home in northwestern Michigan from mid April to just past Thanksgiving, and then we travel south and usually west for the winter. We are active in the Michigan Northern Lights FMCA chapter during the summer. We have four grown children and soon we will have our twelfth grandchild. In 2005, I retired as a certified project manager after a 38 year career with IBM. I still consult 3 days a week for the same manager I worked for before retirement. This is a great part time job I can do from anywhere as long as I have an internet connection. If you ever get in our neighborhood, stop in and camp. At the house, we have our own little campground for friends and family. Come out to the Albuquerque pre-rally and share the fun with us in March. Ted Hindes, President Vice Presidential Ramblings The Summer Newmar International Chapter Rally was hosted by Jerry and Sena Frank at Pla-Mor Campground, in Bremen, IN, assisted by Charlie Gaines and Sharon Miller. A good time was had by all with the Bean Bag Baseball Tourney and the 50/50 Raffles being the highlights of the rally. As always, the food was excellent and abundant. Scott and Wanda Brady s Pancake Breakfast was a surprise addition to the schedule and a delight to all. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this rally enjoyable for all attendees. On Sunday morning we caravanned in groups of three to Bowling Green, OH, for the FMCA International Convention. We held several impromptu socials and enjoyed getting to know each other. We look forward to seeing many of you in Albuquerque in March. Be sure to put the dates of March on your calendar and register with Gary and Tammy Beeler. Bob Clipfell, Vice President

3 Matt Miller, Newmar President, grills burgers, assisted by members Dave Kelsey and Harold Starr National Director s Corner The Governing Board meeting was called to order at 9 AM on July 20, 2009 in Bowling Green, OH. One of the major items discussed was the 2010 budget. As I reported at our annual meeting, the finance committee recommended canceling the Medex contract for After much discussion the governing board directed that the premium of $518,586 be paid for 2010 adding to the budget deficit. In addition, the governing board passed a motion to increase the dues by $5. This action requires a mail ballot be sent to all National Directors 120 days after this meeting. A proposal to eliminate the dues prepayment of 5 years for the price of 4 was defeated. The governing board approved the proposal to increase the monthly charge for the mail forwarding service to $10 per month. It should be noted that the line items for the executive board have decreased considerably. The reimbursement for travel by motor home has been set at the IRS rate instead of two times this rate as it has been. Additional savings will be realized by having committee meetings by conference calls rather than bringing the members into Cincinnati where ever possible. All employees have had their salaries reduced by 10%. After all amendments, the deficit for 2010 will be $794,092 which will require taking funds from the reserves of FMCA. After lengthy discussion, the governing board approved the amended budget. Various committee reports were presented and then filed by the secretary. We were presented with 11 bylaw amendments. Of particular note was the reduction of required meetings for a chapter from 2 per year to 1 per year, and the new class of chapter, Associate chapter, which permits a group of 10 FMCA members to form a chapter and petition a charter. These Associate chapters would not have representation on the governing board. Additionally, the name of the President s Council was changed to the FMCA Review Council. (The procedures for the FMCA Review Council require election of the council members from nominations submitted by the governing board. This will help make the review council more independent from the influence of the national president.) The governing board defeated a proposal to have elections conducted by mail ballot. They also sent a proposal for regulation of Interactive Electronic Communications back to the committee for further consideration and action. All of the bylaw proposals have an impact on the policies and procedures and these were discussed at length. The executive board recommended conferring a Life Membership posthumously on Max Durbin for the

4 contributions he made to FMCA. This was unanimously approved by the governing board. Joanne Durbin was overwhelmed with the action and thanked the governing board. The Governing Board approved Pomona, CA for the winter 2011 convention and Madison, WI for the summer 2011 summer convention. The 2010 winter convention will be held in Albuquerque, NM and the summer convention will be in Redmond, OR. The results of the elections for the national officers are as follows: President: Charlie Schrenkel Senior Vice President: Judy Czarsty Secretary: Joanne Durbin Treasurer: Wil Young The Governing Board meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM. INTO Gathering: As you may know, there are 9 regional areas in FMCA plus the International Area (INTO) - our chapter is part of the International Area. On Wednesday, July 22, 2009 the Annual INTO Meeting was held. Our Area Vice President, Sonny Gillespie presented award certificates to the winners of the 2008 newsletter contest and presented 11 chapters with anniversary certificates. After the secretary s, treasurer s and audit committee reports were filed the 2010 INTO budget was passed. The budget for the 2010 INTO Rally was presented along with a brief discussion of the rally agenda. The cost for the rally is $125 (early bird registration). There are plans for games, a ladies/red hat luncheon, a craft or two, and an all you can eat hot dog bash. The 2010 INTO rally will be held in Quartzsite, AZ, at Rose RV Park, from January 20-24, 2010 which coincides with the RV show. For more information and to register online, go to We look forward to seeing everyone at the INTO Rally in Quartzsite, the Newmar International Chapter pre-rally and the FMCA Convention in Albuquerque. Safe travels, and remember... every day is an adventure! Submitted by, Sena Frank, National Director luvcats20@yahoo.com Pizza Night

5 Minutes of the Business Meeting July 16, 2009 Bremen, IN The business meeting of the Newmar International Chapter of FMCA was opened at 3:10 PM by President David Kessler, at Pla-Mor Campground in Bremen, IN. The invocation was given by Beth Czech. The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag followed. A total of 53 coaches attended the rally. David introduced officers who were present and acknowledged first time attendees of our rally. David introduced Charter Members Bev & Herb Weinman who have been married 55 years and members Jan & Bob Aberle, married 57 years. Gene LeMeur moved that the minutes of the previous meeting be accepted as published. The motion was seconded by Larry Faller. Motion carried. Treasurer Jane Chandler reported. The balance of the treasury was $14,000 at the beginning of the year, $2300 dues and expenses of $4, members are on our roster. Glenn Ostberg reported that he and Muriel audited the books and everything is in top shape. Gene LeMeur moved that the treasurer report be accepted, seconded by Eleanor Rizzi. Motion carried. Sena Frank reported that the Governing Board will meet to approve a budget for the next year and elect new officers. Budget discussion about Medex followed. Sena asked the members directions in voting for Board Members. Charlie Schrenkel, President, Judy Czarsty, Vice President, and Wil Young, treasurer were the members choices. Patsy Kessler urged members to sign up for the Newsletter. Gary Beeler reported that the next chapter pre rally will be held at the American RV Park of ABQ in Albuquerque, NM March 16-20, Make your registration early, there are only 40 sites available. The Redmond pre rally, August 5-8, 2010 will be at MT. Hood Village Resort, Welches, OR. Dave & Linda Motsenbocker will host. There was no unfinished business. Bob Hefta reported that there are 8 spaces open for the Spartan Post Rally. Frank Rizzi invited everyone to the NE Area rally in Essex Junction, VT. August 12-15, The price is 5 nights w/e $ Bob Clipfell explained the caravan to Bowling Green. President Kessler thanked Lees RV and Precision Painting for their participation in our rally. Candidates for office; President Ted Hindes, Vice President Bob Clipfell, Secretary Frank Whiston, Treasurer, Donna Whiston, National Director Sena Frank, Alternate National Director Patsy Kessler, Temporary Delegate Judy Faller. Motion by Tammy Beeler moved that the slate be accepted by acclamation, seconded by Gene LeMeur. Motion carried. A Nominating Committee of John Pilkington, Bob Czech, Frank Rizzi, Joan Caserta, Chuck Ringer, and David Kessler were appointed. Gene LeMeur moved to adjourn, seconded by Jim Hagedon. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:16 PM. Submitted by Frank Whiston

6 Newmar International Chapter Winter 2010 Pre-Rally American RV Park of ABQ in Albuquerque, NM, March 16-20, 2010 Our next Newmar International Chapter rally is March 16-20, 2010 in Albuquerque, NM. We hope you will join us. The FMCA International Rally will be held at the NM State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque March You must pre-register for the FMCA Convention in Albuquerque, NM, if you wish to caravan and park as a group. Caravan cards will be issued to all members at the pre-rally. On Saturday, March 20, we will leave the RV park and meet up in the FMCA Holding Area at the parking area where we will caravan together to our parking spaces. We have four nights reserved at the American RV Park of ABQ for only 40 rigs. American RV Park is the highest rated park in ABQ. Trailer Life rates it at 9.5/9.5/9. They have a conference room which we will be able to use for some of our meals and meetings. Included in the rally price is a 1/2 day at the newly updated Indian Cultural Center with lunch, entertainment and tickets to tour the museum. We will also have a unique dinner at a Brazilian restaurant in downtown Albuquerque. A few of the optional activities in ABQ for you to pursue on your own include several outstanding museums, a zoo, planetarium, aquarium, a tram ride to the top of Sandia Peak and shopping in Old Town. Newmar Service at rally It s unknown at this time whether or not Newmar service will be available at the rally. If you need service, complete the form at the bottom of the registration form and mail to Newmar. If service is available, you will receive a work order request from Newmar. The rally fee is $310 per rig with two people and $100 extra for each additional person. The rally price includes four nights of camping, three dinners, one luncheon, two continental breakfasts provided by the RV park and one catered breakfast. Early arrivals or extended stays can be arranged by the rally host for an additional cost of $35 per night with the money to be included at the same time you send in your rally registration form and check. Rally registrations and checks need to be sent to your rally hosts by February 1, All checks must be payable to Gary Beeler. Any checks made out to Newmar will be returned. There are a limited number of sites, so please respond soon. If you do not receive a confirmation by , call Gary at or Send your registration form and check (include any extended stay fees) by February 1, 2010 to: GARY BEELER E. STONEY RIDGE DRIVE TUCSON, AZ Rally Hosts: Gary & Tammy Beeler gnbeeler@aol.com Phone: HM: CELL: Rally Co-Hosts: Frank & Donna Whiston fwhiston@sprynet.com Phone: CELL: CELL:

7 Newmar International Chapter Winter 2010 Pre-Rally Registration American RV Park of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM March 16-20, 2010 FMCA # Last Name Pilot Co-pilot Address City State Zip Telephone: Home: Cell: (required): Handicapped Parking? Yes Wheelchair or Scooter? (circle) Diabetic? Yes Coach model Length Rally fee: 2 people in coach: $310 Additional person in coach: $100 Due by February 1, 2010 $ Extra $35 per night (Dates of extended stay:,, ) TOTAL (rally fee and extra nights) $ (Confirmation will be sent by ) Send reservations & rally fee to: Gary Beeler E. Stoney Ridge Drive Tucson, AZ Make checks out to: Gary Beeler For Questions Call: Gary at OR (or to gnbeeler@aol.com) cut here cut here cut here cut here Will you be requesting Newmar service at the pre-rally? Please complete and mail the form below to: Newmar Corporation Service Department Attention: Ron Weaver, FMCA Pre-Rally, Albuquerque, NM P.O. Box 30 Nappanee, IN You will receive a work order request from Newmar IF service is available: Name Address City State Zip Phone Number FMCA Number Newmar Coach Serial Number Original Purchase Date

8 Treasurer s Report January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009 Beginning Balance January 1 $14, Income Expense Dues Other Income Total Income $2, Rally Expense Newsletter Recruiting Expense Other Expense Total Expense $4, Net Increase (Decrease) -$1, Ending Balance June 30, 2009 $12, The chapter has 335 members at the end of June. We will continue monthly mailings to prospective members, whose names are provided by FMCA Headquarters. Submitted by Jane Chandler, Immediate Past Treasurer Beanbag Baseball Tournament at Pla-Mor in Bremen

9 Bremen Pre-Rally We feel that the Pre-rally in Bremen was a huge success. We had 52 coaches attend and everyone appeared to have a good time. The weather was great sunny, but not too hot and cool in the evenings. Thanks go out to our co-hosts Sharon Miller and Charlie Gaines and Gene and Jackie LeMeur. Also, a big thank you to Jim Hagedon for creating the picture pages as a keepsake for the attendees. Thanks also to Mount Comfort RV and Midway RV Center for bringing new models to the grounds for tours. Our first night, we had a cookout, with the Newmar Exec s doing the cooking. As a way to say thanks for all their help, we invited the Newmar techs, service writers, phone board reps and Jeannie from Parts to the cookout. It was nice that so many of them could attend. After dinner the bean bag baseball tournament began with Matt Miller throwing out the opening bean bags. There was plenty of free time for shopping and sightseeing in addition to the seminars. Precision Paint conducted a seminar, cooked lunch for us and then took us on a factory tour. Throughout the rally we had a progressive 50/50 drawing. The last evening one person won half of the 50/50 pot the other half went to the winning bean bag baseball team! The food was plentiful and delicious! We had a special treat when one of our breakfasts was prepared by Scott and Wanda Brady. Two other breakfasts and one dinner were catered by Mullets Dining, and Lee s RV City sponsored a pizza dinner complete with salad and cinnamon sticks. We had many valued door prizes that were well received by everyone. On Sunday morning the group left a few coaches at a time and made their way across Hwy 6 to Bowling Green, OH to attend the FMCA Convention. Hosts, Jerry & Sena Frank Editor s Notes I have removed the name badge order from the newsletter, in the interest of space. It is available on the website: There is a lot of information on the website, and it has been beautifully updated by Sena Frank. Again, I m reminding you that the newsletter is available by . Send me an at: patsyjk@peoplepc.com with your name and preferred address. It will save the chapter postage, and you can make extra copies if you need them. The pictures will be in color, also. It is cost-prohibitive to have the newsletters printed in color. Please send me news, recipes, stories, trip reports, RV Park recommendations, or anything that you think should be in our newsletter. Also, if you know of a member who is ill, or has passed away, please let me know, so that I can pass the word. We do the newsletter only three times a year, so some news may be a little late, but that s better than not at all. I am hoping to find a replacement as newsletter editor. If you are interested, please let me know. I will help you in any way I can. It s not a hard job. If you have a few computer skills, it s easy. I ve learned a lot over the six years that I have been editor. Below is Donna Whiston s recipe for her cheesy onion spread. It was the first dish to be depleted at the social hour snack table. In Bremen, I wasn t one of the last members to arrive, only to find an empty plate, as I have previously. It was worth the effort to arrive early this time! On a sad note, we offer our condolences to Sandra Eslick and the rest of Lonnie s family due to his passing. He died of a heart attack in his sleep the night after the closing of the Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally in Goshen. They had been members for a couple of years, and we enjoyed having them at our rallies. Many of our members know Jane Werfal. She is presently dealing with some medical issues. Our thoughts and prayers are with her at this time. Patsy Kessler Cheesy Onion Spread 1 Vidalia onion or other sweet onion, sliced or coarsely chopped 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup mayonnaise Combine ingredients and bake at 350º for minutes.

10 Member motorhomes parked at the FMCA Convention in Bowling Green, OH DUES: Dues are $10.00 annually (January through December), payable January 1, or earlier. No statements are sent. Please send to: NEWMAR INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER OF FMCA c/o Donna Whiston, Treasurer 1057 Jewel Pl. NE Albuquerque, NM The year on your mailing label shows the year your membership is paid for. If you feel this is incorrect, please contact our treasurer, Donna Whiston. For those who are receiving their newsletters by , and are unsure whether their membership is expiring, send Donna Whiston an at: (Check One) Application for membership Renewal Personal information update NEWMAR INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER OF FMCA FMCA Number Date: Last Name Pilot Copilot Address City: State: Zip: Telephone/ Home: Cell: Address: Newsletter by ? Yes No Newmar Motorhome Model: Dues are $10.00 per calendar year Please remit to: Newmar International Chapter of FMCA To qualify for membership in the Newmar c/o Donna Whiston International Chapter of FMCA, you 1057 Jewel Pl. NE must own a Newmar Motorhome and Albuquerque, NM be a member of FMCA.

11 Planning Ahead March Newmar International Chapter of FMCA Pre-Rally 2010 American RV Resort, Albuquerque, NM Gary & Tammy Beeler, Rally Hosts Frank & Donna Whiston, Co-Hosts March FMCA International Convention 2009 Albuquerque, NM August 5-8 Newmar International Chapter of FMCA Pre-Rally 2010 Mt. Hood Village Resort, Welches, OR Dave & Linda Motsenbocker, Rally Hosts August FMCA International Convention 2010 Redmond, OR