FL 027 : First Time Rally Experience

[chaimemet]

We just returned from the rally. We took a bottle of hard liquor to the happy hour no one said anything I guess they were too busy polishing it off! I walked around most of time without the badge and ribbon. Ignorant I later bought another badge for $2.50. One night I walked clear through the main hall with 900 people there w/o the ribbon and badge and only one person asked me about it. That person I later went to their 34' and talked to them about there generator hookup as they were running it for AC out of their pickup. The flea market they asked me to go get it, I think it was stuffed under a coke can somewhere. We were in the handicap area. You would be amazed! 70 year old and up volunteers came to set up the water, electricity, and gray water hookups! Their military experience is really evident. I have no complaints. Being totally out of step with "carbon footprints" we had loaded tanks early in the experience. So we thought we would dump at the end at "Fun & Sun" thinking it would be just a mess trying to line up to use the dump station, but the setup at the rally was great we had no wait upon leaving dumping our tanks, all volunteers with hoses. A great bunch of people! I just pray I am in as good as shape as they are in my 70s! The last morning we were woken by a jogging mass of Marines as they were singing in cadence at 6am!

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by Skater

One time I was traveling with my parents and we pulled into an Airstream-only campground around 9 p.m. The host said, "Running a little late tonight?" We laughed, then realized he was serious.

Our most recent forumsrally two of us pulled in at 11 PM. We were #2 and #3 to arrive and we were expecting one in the early AM. Nobody cared.

Thats the way it should be.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by overlander63

The cutoff time is set because the parkers are volunteers, and usually not young ones. One year all the parkers quit in the middle of the rally, and several of us non-official people wound up parking rallygoers. I personally parked people at 10pm. I think it would be better to have two shifts, the early parkers and late parkers, but I guess the powers that be think if you aren't there by 4 pm, you aren't going to be there.
It is the same issue with meals or other activities, if you arrive on time, you are 15 minutes or more late, and all the food is gone.

I agree - two shifts for a rally that large seems reasonable. Unless WBCCI is a retirees club only, the old guard needs to wake up to the fact that the Airstream community is changing. 10PM seems to be a good cutoff. 4PM is ridiculous.

Had I been told to "go to the bullpen", I would of bullpenned it right out of there never to return, all the while re-thinking the benefit of WBCCI membership (as I continue to do now while reviewing all the different discussions on WBCCI).

[wheel interested]

The bullpen isn't terrible if you show up with water and battery power, but at Salem it was over 101 degrees and I showed up just after parking was over. I heard there was electric in the bullpen at Perry, nice feature. They actually wanted me to pull to the side the next day and wait until parking was over at 4:00 again, to see if I could get in the 30amp section even though there was plenty room available in those sections, but it had to go through "channels" (woman with a clip board) to clear it. I settled for 3 amp to get out of the heat and pop my awning and settle in before the heat of the day and run the new fan I went to buy along with the overheads.

This was Lansing parking.

[flitzwhopper]

Wow! I guess I should keep the practices of the renegade FCU to myself. The fun we have on rallies seems to have the potential to be violating a lot of rules. Good thing though. Had we been confronted with the rules and consequences as noted here, we would be happily running solo and have missed all of the cool people that show up at rallies.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by flitzwhopper

Wow! I guess I should keep the practices of the renegade FCU to myself. The fun we have on rallies seems to have the potential to be violating a lot of rules. Good thing though. Had we been confronted with the rules and consequences as noted here, we would be happily running solo and have missed all of the cool people that show up at rallies.

Donna & Mike,

I have only seen or heard about these procedures at the large international and regional rallies. I have not seen them at any of the unit rallies which I have attended. We have attended unit rallies for three different Region 12 units.

There was a parker at the only VAC rally we attended in 2002, but again it was on a field, not an established campground with daisy chained water.

Bill

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Donna & Mike,

I have only seen or heard about these procedures at the large international and regional rallies. I have not seen them at any of the unit rallies which I have attended. We have attended unit rallies for three different Region 12 units.

There was a parker at the only VAC rally we attended in 2002, but again it was on a field, not an established campground with daisy chained water.

Bill

Unit rallies are usually based at a commercial campground, everyone knows in advance where they are parking, and there is available 30 amp power at all site, unless noted well in advance. This is not so for the International rallies, which have to use unusually large areas to accomodate the rigs.

[flitzwhopper]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Donna & Mike,

I have only seen or heard about these procedures at the large international and regional rallies. I have not seen them at any of the unit rallies which I have attended. We have attended unit rallies for three different Region 12 units.

There was a parker at the only VAC rally we attended in 2002, but again it was on a field, not an established campground with daisy chained water.

Bill

Bill,
I supposed that. Just doing my part to try to add some silliness to what seems to be a serious topic for some. I had enough large, efficiently run, highly organized events in the military to last me a lifetime (aka - hurry up and wait). Besides, learning new rules requires short term memory which is in - ahem - short supply at my age

Regards

[wheel interested]

Originally Posted by flitzwhopper

Bill,
I supposed that. Just doing my part to try to add some silliness to what seems to be a serious topic for some. I had enough large, efficiently run, highly organized events in the military to last me a lifetime (aka - hurry up and wait). Besides, learning new rules requires short term memory which is in - ahem - short supply at my age

Regards

That's it! Pure genius, you hit the nail right on the head, these older folk just forgot we already did the MOHO vote! And all the rules are like a label maker, marking the steps to find their way.

[GStephens]

Hey fellows, I've been a WBCCI member for over three years and I've only seen situations involving a bull pen at one Regional Rally. Of course I've never been to an International Rally, but the point is that some of these posts make it sound to the uninformed that this is common practice throughout the organization and it just isn't true.
GStephens

[Mackhopp]

Originally Posted by Midamrail

Had we judged the WBCCI in its entirety based on our first rally experience, we likely would have never come back. The reaction to our numberless vintage trailer, our two Labs, and sum total of our combined age being still ten years less than that of the average rally attendee, combined with the fact that we arrived...horrors!...after work on a Thursday was quite a bit less than welcoming. And then being "fined" a quarter each by the "badge marshal" while we were getting unhitched for not yet having our WBCCI badges on...and then being told that we had better not bring any alcoholic beverages to the happy hour (not that we intended to do so, but I guess being in our late twenties/early thirties made us appear frat party-worthy)...let's just say it was a miserable experience, and we swore we'd never go back.

But eight years later, we can reflect that was by far the worst rally experience we've ever had, and if we hadn't stuck with it because we're stubborn, we would have missed out rallies and friends that have become high points of our Airstream experience.

This was a very interesting read. I am not a member of WBCCI, and now more than ever, I do not intend to be. Oh sure, we briefly batted around the idea of joining when we first got our Airstream, but stopped short when we saw pictures of the unit's rally. I mean no offense - really - but when I see pictures of people coming together and having knitting and crocheting contests, I have to politely bow out and and say "No Thanks - never ever."

So after reading about being fined a quarter each for not wearing the badge (while unhitching no less!!!), being informed not to take any alcoholic beverages to happy hour (??) , and reading about flag bans on 4th of July, dress codes, I now have a very sour taste in my mouth.

I was reading a thread started by PeeWee entitled Airstream/WBCCI "To Have Fun" - I think all executive members of this group ought to read it.

"To Have Fun". Great concept. But it's not like that for the most part, is it? It seems to be run by power-hungry bureaucrats who thrive on making rules infinitum.

I know not all units are run like that - some are probably alot of fun. And I know that rules are required for very large rallies without standard campgrounds. But the KISS rule would apply nicely, wouldn't it? Why fine people for not wearing their badges? Why limit the amount of flags, or where to affix them? When I read a WBCCI newsletter about concerns of membership declines, I'm not surprised.

I'd be curious to find out what new Airstreamers would think of all this...

Cheers, and happily camping with no rules,

Michelle

[2airishuman]

well here is another view on this escorted parking issue...

which only happens and BIG events, that are NOT really camping or rallies as we know them.

it may be the BEST service provided at a BIG wb' sardine can event...

imagine taking 500-1000 trailer/trucks and moho/toads...

and parking them 5-7 FEET from each other, on grass without ANY road markers or real signs...

just some painted grass, a few plastic flags and sticks.

then have them divided by unit or rank or pets or 3/30amp/genset...

but all these divisions are abstract like 'blue 1' or 'red 4' or 'yellow 3'

the add hundreds of folks walking around or riding in golf carts, paying NO ATTENTION to trafffic....

get the picture?

the parking escorts are one of the FEW essential committees needed for this size event.

sure they could do two shifts, but...

-cocktail hour would be interupted...
-most of the folks already parked are driving their suvs, 4x4s or edsels around INSIDE the camping areas then...
-or leaving to go to DINNER about this time...
-after dark bad things happen while parking!


the bull pen/staging area is important for these massively large circus events...

it should have a power or generator access for 'late arrivals'...

having been to the international and experiencing this almost fubar...

i really don't want folks pulling in without escorts...

even those already parked and unhooked, driving around in vehicles are a HAZARD!

arrival and docking really is dangerous, and it is NO small challenge getting these blind, deaf, shaking folks tucked in...

otoh there is early morning bridge play, prayer meetings and speed checkers to start the day!

keep in mind these BIG SHOWS are not about camping as we know it...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f289...gon-23910.html

cheers
2air'

[overlander63]

I think DARK is a good time to stop parking. If you arrive after dark, you will have to wait until daylight to be parked. Stopping at 4 pm is too early...Then again, I think dinner at 5 is too early. Dark is a little after 6 this time of year, the parkers could work from 8-1, and 1-6, in two shifts.
Most adult-oriented establishments I have visited (taverns, lounges, bars) have happy hour from 5-7 pm. Dinner could be at 8, entertainment at 9, and everything breaks up to go back to their trailers at 10. Still early, but reasonable.

[Skater]

I'm okay with parking organizers. But, yelling at the people who didn't know about the bullpen? That's simply uncalled for. More to the point, though, that sort of information should be provided to rallygoers ahead of time so that they do know the situation.

If I'm ever at a major rally, I'll volunteer to help park campers after dark. I'm sure we'll be able to pull it off without upsetting the ghost of Wally.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Skater

I'...If I'm ever at a major rally, I'll volunteer to help park campers after dark. I'm sure we'll be able to pull it off...

guess again.

first volunteers for parking committee are arranged MONTHS in advance.

second they often LOCK the main gate after parking stops...

and have a volunteer GUARD with a CB at the other open gates...

i'm not supporting the entire process, and was YELLED at many times in salem...

but folks pulling in with an UN-ESCORTED trailer, are ALWAYS escorted right back OUT...

i've seen the wb' police in action!!!

them grumpy old ex mp-z and retired sheriffs, n their gun tote'n first ladies don't mess around...

cheers
2air'

[altamont]

Originally Posted by Macfrodge

This was a very interesting read. I am not a member of WBCCI, and now more than ever, I do not intend to be. Oh sure, we briefly batted around the idea of joining when we first got our Airstream, but stopped short when we saw pictures of the unit's rally. I mean no offense - really - but when I see pictures of people coming together and having knitting and crocheting contests, I have to politely bow out and and say "No Thanks - never ever."

So after reading about being fined a quarter each for not wearing the badge (while unhitching no less!!!), being informed not to take any alcoholic beverages to happy hour (??) , and reading about flag bans on 4th of July, dress codes, I now have a very sour taste in my mouth.

I was reading a thread started by PeeWee entitled Airstream/WBCCI "To Have Fun" - I think all executive members of this group ought to read it.

"To Have Fun". Great concept. But it's not like that for the most part, is it? It seems to be run by power-hungry bureaucrats who thrive on making rules infinitum.

I know not all units are run like that - some are probably alot of fun. And I know that rules are required for very large rallies without standard campgrounds. But the KISS rule would apply nicely, wouldn't it? Why fine people for not wearing their badges? Why limit the amount of flags, or where to affix them? When I read a WBCCI newsletter about concerns of membership declines, I'm not surprised.

I'd be curious to find out what new Airstreamers would think of all this...

Cheers, and happily camping with no rules,

Michelle

We feel the same way Michelle. Simplicity is what camping should be all about. All that I have read just solidifies our intentions to not attend rallies. I guess some of the locals could be fun and maybe we will try one in the future.

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by altamont

We feel the same way Michelle. Simplicity is what camping should be all about. All that I have read just solidifies our intentions to not attend rallies. I guess some of the locals could be fun and maybe we will try one in the future.

Please don't confuse WBCCI Rallies with Forums Rallies. The former are stodgy, the latter are fun.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Please don't confuse WBCCI Rallies with Forums Rallies. The former are stodgy, the latter are fun.

Excuse me, but you have, apparently, never been to an El Camino Real Unit rally.

Bill

[myboyburt]

Originally Posted by wkerfoot

Excuse me, but you have, apparently, never been to an El Camino Real Unit rally.

Bill

OR a New England Unit rally. We have so much fun at our rallies that I need a vacation after returning from one.

[Shacksman]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

but folks pulling in with an UN-ESCORTED trailer, are ALWAYS escorted right back OUT...

i've seen the wb' police in action!!!

them grumpy old ex mp-z and retired sheriffs, n their gun tote'n first ladies don't mess around...

cheers
2air'

I never understood how they have people to escort you out but not in , after hours.