Vintage Bird Words July August, 2013 WWW.VINTAGEBIRDS.COM ANNUAL DUES $15.OO Charles McKeehan; VB1331 President (423)-745-8774 bluebird88@yahoo.com Bob Dilks; VB 1055 1st vice President (580)-564-3517 bjmd@netcommander.com Shane Fedeli; VB 1469 2nd Vice President Webmaster vintagebirds@vintagebirds.com Jim Hamrick; VB 1333 Secretary Treasurer, Parliamentarian 318 E 4th Street Rome, GA 30161 (706)-232-2486 vintagebird@comcast.net Sue Marino; VB 880 National Director (321) 431-5874 Susiem100@yahoo.com Andrea Dixon, Editor dixson2295@aol.com (606)789-4809 RALLIES Vintage Birds Chapter BAILEY S HARBOR, WI, AUG 4-8, 2013. After Oshkosh go up to delightful Door County on Green Bay to eat cherries, fish for salmon, and see the goats on the restaurant roof. Contact Jane and Gregg Gesse, 423-785-7525. Information in this issue ATHENS, TN, OCT 16-20, 2013. Visit the proclaimed Garden Spot of the earth in east Tennessee hosted by Peggy & Charlie Mckeehan and Jane & Gregg Gessee. Information in this issue. Blue Bird Chapter CREEDE, CO, AUG 29 SEP 1, 2013. Enjoy the cool mountain air at 8,800 feet. Mountain View RV Resort, 719-658-2710. Hosted by Garland & Sharon Kirby, 386-365-8181. SAVIERVILLE, TN, OCT 29- NOV 2, 2013. Annual chapter meeting. River Plantation Park, 800-758-5267. Hosted by Tom & Sandy Bay, 352-361-9001. Oshkosh OSHKOSH, WI, JUL 29 AUG 4, 2013. Hish & Sue Amaral will be convening a group of Blue Birders and friends at Oshkosh this summer. A great Wisconsin summer Oshkosh then on to Door County. Call Hish at 248-935-5390 for information. Lone Star Birds No information at this time Wanderlodge Owners Group Forum WOG RALLY (formerly Rats), PINE MOUNTAIN, GA, OCT 23-27, 2013. Totally relaxed, potlucks, walk about techs. Pine Mountain Campground, 706-663-4329, pinemountain.rvcoutdoors.com/reservations.
Door County, WI Rally Sun. Aug. 4 Fri. Aug. 9, 2013 ( Immediately following the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, WI Fly In) All Birds Welcome! Hosts Jane and Gregg Gesse Come join us in beautiful Door County surrounded by Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Door county has something for everyone to enjoy locally grown cherries, salmon fishing, art galleries, shopping, fish boils, cheese houses, wineries and breweries, Washington Island, hiking, kayaking, biking, plays, concerts in the park, golf, dining out, picnics by the lake, sailing, antique shopping, lighthouses, and the world famous Al Johnson s Swedish Pancake Restaurant with the goats on the roof just to mention a few. Baileys Harbor is a lovely little lakeside town conveniently located within a short car ride to everything Door County has to offer. Located just about 125 miles from Oshkosh, WI, the Door County Rally is a great rally to combine with the Oshkosh Fly In ending on August 4 th. Whether you have been to Door County before or not, come join us for a great time. Check-in is Sunday August 4 th from 2:00 until 5:00 P.M. Immediately following check-in is happy hour (bring your own drink). Appetizers will be provided. Dinner is on your own. Monday begins with bring your own coffee, tea, or juice to the hall for light breakfast and short planning session. For those interested, we have a get acquainted with Door Co trolley tour planned Dutch Treat. We will car pool to the trolley station for a 2 hour tour of Door Co. This tour is a quick overview of some of the sights. Lunch is on your own. For dinner, if Captain Jane and First Mate Gregg have been successful salmon fishing, we will grill fresh salmon caught locally in Lake Michigan. Everyone is asked to bring a side dish to contribute. Those who do not eat salmon are welcome to bring a burger or piece of chicken or whatever to grill. Dessert will be provided. Tuesday again begins with bring your own coffee, tea, or juice to the hall for a light breakfast and short planning session. We encourage you to visit many of the wonderful county and state parks today. Cave Point County Park and White Fish Dunes State Parks are nearby as is Peninsula State Park. Cave Point is my favorite. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a great day by the water. If you paint, you do not want to miss the beauty of Cave Point Park. If you like to hike or take nature walks, you ll enjoy these parks. Dinner is on your own. Wednesday begins with bring your own coffee, tea, or juice and a light breakfast as everyone joins to make their plans for the day. For those ladies interested in checking out the unique shops in the various little towns, I have planned today for shopping. Guys are welcome to join us or make plans to go out on a charter boat to try their hand at salmon fishing. I have information for several charter boats going out of Baileys Harbor. Or you are welcome to strike out on your own to explore. For dinner tonight, those who are interested can sign up to have a famous Door County Fish Boil at the campground. The cost will be $16.00 per person and includes dinner, dessert, and tip. All others are on their own for dinner. Thursday anyone interested should plan to go to Al Johnson s for a look at the goats of the roof and some great Swedish Pancakes. If you are going to Al Johnson s, I suggest you plan to get there around 7:30 AM. It is VERY popular and fills up fast. But it is a treat you should experience. From there, you
may want to head for Washington Island. The ferry ride is wonderful. But you may want to car pool to split the cost. Lunch is own your own. Dinner TBD. Friday is time to say good bye. Bring your favorite breakfast beverage and come to the hall for a light breakfast and well wishes for our fellow travelers as we make our way toward our next destination. Check out is 11:00 AM. Depending on everyone s thoughts, we may change dinner-on-your-own to potlucks. We want this to be an easy going rally that gives everyone the freedom to explore and experience Door County, WI. The daily planning sessions at breakfast will allow the opportunity to move activities around should weather become a factor. The rally will be based in Beantown Campground in Baileys Harbor, WI by beautiful Lake Michigan. There are 15 full hook up sites with 50 Amp service available and additional full hook up sites with 30 Amp service available. Those planning to attend should call Beantown direct for site reservations. Let them know you will be part of the Blue Bird Rally August 4 August 9, 2013. Call 920-839-1439 or visit www.beantowncampground.com for reservations. Those interested can contact Jane Gesse at janegesse@gmail.com or call 423-667-9488 for more information. The rally fee is $75.00 per coach with two people. There will be a charge of $37.50 for each additional person. Checks should be made out to Jane Gesse. Please mail them to: Jane Gesse, 350 Jim Hale LN, Decatur, TN 37322. Checks should be mailed no later than July 1 st. Otherwise, contact me and we will make arrangements for payment at the time of arrival. For more inf ormatio n on Door C ounty, ch eck the fo llowing websites www.doorcounty.com www.door-county.com www.godoorcounty.com www.doorguidepublishing.com w ww. doorco untyn avi gator.com www.doorcountytoda y.co m/2012-go-guide/ w ww.a lj ohnson s.com (Be sure to check out the goat cam.) Sign Up Form for Vintage Birds Annual Meeting Rally 2013 Name: Number Attending Contact Information Phone number: E-mail: Names of those attending: Amount included: $
Vintage Birds Annual Meeting Rally October 16 20, 2013 Athens Tennessee The Friendly City Write up by Jane Gesse President Charlie and First Lady Peggy McKeehan invite all Vintage Birds to join them near the beautiful small southern town of Athens, Tennessee for the 2013 Annual Meeting rally. This Annual Meeting will mark the end of Charlie McKeehan s presidency. President Charlie, with the support of his First Lady Peggy, has been the longest serving president in Vintage Bird history. Please join us in celebrating their contributions to the Vintage Bird Chapter of FMCA. The rally will be based just off I-75 in the Athens Regional Park. Athens Regional Park is a lovely spacious 160 acre municipal park with a 3 mile nature trail for walking, mountain biking, and in-line skating. The park offers a country setting close to restaurants, shopping, and is just minutes away from the home of Peggy and Charlie McKeehan. The rally will be relaxed allowing attendees time to explore local points of interest including the Great Smokey Mountains, the Tellico Mountains, the Lost Sea, Fall Creek Falls, the home of Mayfield Dairy, a local cheese house, and local wineries to name a few. For those who love history, Athens was the site of the 1946 Battle of Athens where the WWII soldiers returned home and took on and conquered corrupt local politicians. The armory where the soldiers armed themselves and the jailhouse where the battle peaked are still standing. There are still bullet holes in the jailhouse as a reminder of the battle where the people of Athens reclaimed their basic rights as U.S. citizens. For more information about the Battle of Athens, go to the website en. wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Battle_of_ Athens_( 1946) You will be just a short car ride from Chattanooga and all its Civil War attractions for history buffs. Visit Chickamauga Battlefield, Signal Mountain, or Lookout Mountain to name a few. Or visit the beautiful Chattanooga aquarium. The rally kicks off Wednesday October 16th with check-in. That evening Peggy and Charlie invite us to join them at their home, a mile from the campground, for grilled burgers and all the trimmings. As we dine and catch up on our travels, we can look out and enjoy the lovely view of the valley with the mountains rising in the background. A sight you will not want to miss. Thursday begins with a light breakfast on site to give everyone time to organize and plan the day. For those interested we are working to organize a tour of Mayfield Dairy and hopefully a peek at how some of the wonderful ice cream treats are made. (Hopefully we ll even get to taste one of their delicious treats.) Lunch is on your own. Thursday ends with a dinner invitation to the home of Peggy and Charlie for one of Peggy s phenomenal homemade meals. It s rumored she is planning to make her
delicious homemade lasagna with salad and dessert. YUUUMMM! (For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of eating one of Peggy s homemade meals, you are in for a real treat.) Friday s only planned event is breakfast. We encourage everyone to come to breakfast and make plans to explore local sights with others in our group. We will be glad to provide information to help you plan your day. Lunch and dinner are on your ow n. Saturday is breakfast followed by our annual meeting and election of officers. Lunch in on your own. Saturday afternoon is a tech meeting for those interested. Saturday evening, everyone is once again invited to the home of Peggy and Charlie for a hot dog roast with all the trimmings and a bonfire. Sunday is coffee, doughnuts, and goodbyes as we depart for our next adventure. Check out is 11:00 A.M. It s just a short day s journey for those of us heading to Pine Mountain for the Wanderlodge Owners Group Rally. The rally fee is $160.00 per coach for two people; each additional person is $50.00. (The rally fee includes 4 nights on a paved campsite with power hookups. Though campsites include power hookups only, water and dump will be available. The rally fee also includes 5 meals.) Send your rally fee along with the following sign up form to: Charlie McKeehan, P O Box 528, Athens, TN 37371. Checks should be made payable to Charlie McKeehan. Contact Charlie if you have questions or to make your rally and campsite reservation. Home (423)-745-8774, Cell (423)-887-3177 or blubird88@yahoo. com. We extend an invitation to all Vintage Birds to join us at our 2013 annual meeting rally and experience the proclaimed Garden Spot of the earth in east Tennessee hosted by Peggy & Charlie McKeehan and Jane & Gregg Gesse. Sign Up Form for Vintage Birds Annual Meeting Rally 2013 Name: Vintage Bird Member Number: E-Mail: Phone Number: Number of people attending: Names of those attending: Amount included: $
Azalea Blossom Rally By Martha Vaughn Gardner and Judy Wright and Charlie and Peggy McKeehan were hosts for the Azalea Blossom rally starting on April 2 nd in Pine Mountain, Georgia. We spent our first day, Wednesday, among the hundreds of gorgeous azaleas and blooming flowers at Callaway Gardens. The day was enhanced with a visit to the Butterfly House and the Raptor Show on the garden grounds; marvelous. Thursday morning we carpooled to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia where we attended a graduation ceremony of the latest class of U. S. Infantrymen held at the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center. Quite a spectacle, the soldiers were in their dress uniforms, they looked so proud and so young. The Museum pays tribute to our infantry soldiers who are the last units to become engaged in a war. The Last Hundred Yards exhibit depicts the changing methods of war and war equipment; a moving experience. Add it to your bucket list. Friday brought us a different view of war at the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus where we learned about the battles by the Union and Confederate Navies. The museum displayed two resurrected ironclad hulls, the CSS Jackson, built for coastal defense and the CSS Chattahoochee, a gunboat built to protect Port Columbus. Port Columbus, 200 miles inland, supplied war material to the Confederacy. The Springer Opera House in Columbus, a National Historic Landmark, was our next stop of the day with an artistic view of a bygone era. Built in 1871, it was a stop over between New York and New Orleans for entertainers. Many famous performers, such as Tom Thumb, W. C. Fields, and more recently Bert Reynolds entertained at the Springer. Saturday produced a visit to Warm Springs and Franklin D. Roosevelt s Little White House. A poignant visit, the Little White House displays the chair in which the president died while sitting for a portrait. The house is endearing, so small and humble. Amazing that a president spent time there; a testament to a kinder and gentler age. Of course the rally produced food, food and more food, such as: a catered barbeque dinner, breakfast pastries, an ice cream break we all needed one of those a potluck dinner, lunch at Houlihan s, a fried chicken lunch in Warm Springs, Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast and a farewell dinner at the Carriage and Horses Restaurant in Pine Mountain. All in all the Azalea Blossom was a most fun filled and fat-filled, I gained four pounds, rally; s cuse me, I meant fact-filled rally. Thanks to Judy, Gardner, Peggy and Charlie for hosting. ATTENDEES Crocker, Joe & Susan, Enfinger, Steve & Kathy, Hamrick, Jim & Nell, Jacquinet, John & Ruth, Kirby, Garland & Sharron, McKeehan, Charlie & Peggy, Newton, Geoff & Marita, Taylor, Teddy & Janice, Van Den Berg, Jack & Ila, Vaughn, Charlie & Martha, Wright, Gardner & Judy, and Zerveskes, Vincent & Sharon.
BYLAW CHANGES 2013 MANDATORY CHANGES At a business meeting on November 1, 2012 the members unanimously approved a motion to present for a vote, at the next business meeting, a change to the Chapter Bylaws to eliminate the positions of regional vice presidents. Upon coordinating with FMCA for the change, we discover that, through miscue, our Chapter Bylaws were not in accordance with mandatory FMCA requirements in that we had omitted to identify as elected officers the national director and alternate national director. FMCA Bylaws Article XVII, paragraph 5: provides, A chapter shall elect a president, one or more vice presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, a national director and an alternate national director for a one or two year term. FMCA Bylaws require chapter adherence to, and Vintage Birds Bylaws provide, under Article VIII (b), acquiescence to FMCA mandated bylaw provisions. Accordingly, the following Chapter Bylaws will be changed to accommodate the FMCA mandated requirements: Article IV 1. Elected Officers: will reflect the FMCA wording shown above, Article IV 5. Executive Board (a) will provide the elected officers will constitute the Executive Board, and under Article VII 2. Nominating Committee Duties (b) the wording will be limited to nominate candidates for the Chapter offices. The above changes are necessary to meet FMCA mandates, and thus there will be no membership vote. VOTABLE CHANGE Upon due motion, second and vote, the Executive Board approved a motion to submit to the members for a vote, a chapter bylaw change which would allow anyone who has previously owned a Blue Bird Wanderlodge or BMC to remain a member of Vintage Birds. Accordingly, the members are notified of a vote to be taken at a business meeting to be held Saturday morning October 19, 2013 at the Athens, Tennessee rally to change Article III, 1 Eligibility: (a) by deleting the word own and substituting the words currently own or previously owned. NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE Review the mailing label on this newsletter to find the expiration date of your dues. Please send us remittance sheet when sending payment to ensure accurate credit for payment. Also, If any changes need to be made to your address, send the information to Jim Hamrick.
VINTAGE BIRDS Andrea Dixon, Editor P. O. Box 1000 Paintsville, KY 41240 NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Executive Committee has elected the Nominating Committee for the 2013 elections to be held at the business meeting during the Athens, Tennessee rally from October 16 th to the 20 th. Elected to the committee are Bob Dilks, 580-564-3517, Janet Owen, 910-322-5427, and Mary Lou Stockton, 321-452-7838. It is the committee s responsibility to nominate the chapter s officers to serve for a two year period commencing January 1, 2014. The committee meets its objective by encouraging members to volunteer for positions which include President, First Vice President, who coordinates rallies, Second Vice President, who coordinates membership, Treasurer, Secretary, National Director who attends the national FMCA meeting, Alternate National Director, and regional vice presidents for the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West. Please call any of the Nominating Committee members above to inquire about the details involved or to volunteer for a position. The most time demanding position is that of Treasurer. The least time demanding position is that of Secretary. Candidates for a position can be nominated from the floor at the time of the election. It is anticipated the positions of regional vice presidents will be eliminated by a vote for a bylaw change during the business meeting.