Region 1 Rally 2006- "ALUMINATION CELEBRATION"

[balrgn]

NICE, We made te front page of the Sunday News

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

[53flyingcloud]

What wonderful weekend..
The memories will last and, last..
The vintage rigs were awesome..even cute!
Earl and crew out-did themselves once again~
Many thanks to all who made it possible..~
What else can you say except..wished it wasn't over soo soon~!

[Uberlanders]

Great Weekend! We are exhausted from all of the Aluminum fun. Thank you Earl and Pam for an amazing event. Michelle and Leon, you are the best for allowing us to tent with you. Buddy was such a love. Nancy the vintage day was so wonderful and informative. Mary and Paul did an amazing job with the Tin Chef competition. Jamie and Michelle kept all of the kids creating all weekend long. What a joy to see their lanterns and bikes decorated. Jim was the firemaster, the singing, the laughing, the eating, the enjoying of great trailers and trailer stories, the petting of pets of all sizes (even a turtle). Can't say enough. Thanks everyone for making the weekend so great.

Here is the link to our photos from the weekend. http://www.flickr.com/photos/5356555...7594244622926/

[Over59]

Originally Posted by Titu & Gail

We are VERY EXCITED to see all our friends again!

Working on our lighting display...... hope we don't blow the circuits.

Raffle Items-They keep coming in, thanks to ALL!

Amazing Rally Raffle Gurus and Lighting Victor. Thanks to all 3 of you for being part the best camping experience ever... Talk about workers...

[muddy_hollow]

Originally Posted by Uberlanders

Here is the link to our photos from the weekend. http://www.flickr.com/photos/5356555...7594244622926/

Way Cool!!!!! That is the coolest picture of Gimmie yet! Sorry Kathleen, I had to pinch the picture...

Kudos to everyone for a wonder full rally. The best times are with friends and sharing good food, wine, and lazy summer days. Butter! That's what Friday afternoon was for me.... just hanging in my chair being buttered by the summer breeze.... what a wonderful time.

The best thing about coming back from a weekend like this is planning the next rally... look out folks, Paul and I are working on a big feed in 07... smoked Earl ala bbq

muddy

[nickvansant]

Back home and feeling such a loss to be away from the aluminum fun. Like summer is over. Gotta resist that feeling with 10 days to school opening.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make a fantastic event. our first ever and the first of many to come. Thanks especially to those who were so hospitable...you know who you are. Andre, I'm keepin' the dent (for now.)

[LuminumTraila]

Originally Posted by Uberlanders

Great Weekend! We are exhausted from all of the Aluminum fun. Thank you Earl and Pam for an amazing event. Michelle and Leon, you are the best for allowing us to tent with you. Buddy was such a love. Nancy the vintage day was so wonderful and informative. Mary and Paul did an amazing job with the Tin Chef competition. Jamie and Michelle kept all of the kids creating all weekend long. What a joy to see their lanterns and bikes decorated. Jim was the firemaster, the singing, the laughing, the eating, the enjoying of great trailers and trailer stories, the petting of pets of all sizes (even a turtle). Can't say enough. Thanks everyone for making the weekend so great.

Here is the link to our photos from the weekend. http://www.flickr.com/photos/5356555...7594244622926/

Kathleen, most awesome lantern-maker, thanks for the wonderful pics!, I snatched a set for us too ...typing one-handed now (nope, Michelle, it's not arthritis ) turning thr keyboard over to Doug... -Jamie

Jim, es war nett, mit Euch um Lagerfeuer ein bisschen plauderen zu koennen. Ich hoffe, dass wir uns bald wiedersehen. -Doug

[wheel interested]

Great pictures! What is that a flamingo rider? You people certainly put up some lights--cool.

[yukionna]

Great rally... $150
Gasoline to get there and back...$50
Lobster bake for two...$70
Raffle tickets...$35
VAC patch...$3
Vintage open house...$0
Meeting up with new and old friends...priceless!

[enduroryda]

What a great weekend!!....I need to give a shout out to Balgrn for sharing his expertise in bearing repacking with us....this is the one thing I wanted to walk away from the rally learning...Thank you

We had such a great time...from the sound of the bagpiper making his way around the alumination celebration to great campfires under the stars with Gus's harp, Amanda's guitar and Jim's perfect fire pit. We danced till our feet would dance no more.....awsome time guys...

Thank you NEU for putting on such a great event and leaving us with great memories!

[myboyburt]

Ok folks,

Here's the "printer friendly" version of the first Fosters Newspaper article about the R1R. I downloaded the photos and attached them to this post.

Article published Aug 17, 2006
Owners of vintage Airstream campers gather at Rochester Fairgrounds

ROCHESTER — They traveled from all over New England, Canada and even the West Coast to pull their Airstream trailers and drive their motor homes Wednesday to the Rochester Fairgrounds.

Throughout the day a steady stream of silver-colored campers arrived and assembled at the campground of the fairgrounds to get ready for the Region One Rally 2006 event held by the New England unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International.

Organizers Earl Duesel and Pam Bleakney, who also own Airstream campers, said they expected 123 of the trailers and motor homes and more than 300 people to arrive by Thursday afternoon for the start of a four-day "Alumination Celebration."

Duesel said owners of the campers, considered American icons for their unique look and longevity on the nation's highways and byways for more than 70 years, will dine together, hold sing-alongs by the campfire and enjoy each other's company.

Bleakney said the Region One group chose the Rochester Fairgrounds for this year's rally because it was centrally located and had good facilities to accommodate all of the owners. She said the campground's layout also allowed the group to park their trailers and motor homes in a circle to maintain the tradition established by founder Wally Byam when he organized the first caravan club rallies across the country and the world during the 1950s.

According to Airstream, Inc.'s, Website, Byam founded the company in 1923 in Los Angeles and changed the way Americans traveled the country over the next several decades. Trailers his company built in the 1940s and 1950s are still on the road today. The familiar silver-colored aluminum trailers became so popular with the American public they are featured in a historic exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The company is currently based in Jackson Center, Ohio, and produces modern Airstream trailers and motor homes.

On Friday evening, Duesel said the owners will decorate their trailers and motor homes with lights and lanterns for the Alumination Celebration to create a fun-filled party atmosphere.

Bleakney said the idea evolved from the Grand Illuminations celebration held every third week in August on Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard off Cape Cod where the owners of Victorian cottages attend a sing-a-long.

Duesel said he currently owns a 30-foot Classic Airstream trailer he purchased for a little more than $60,000 in 2004. He first owned a 2000 25-foot Safari model trailer he bought for $30,000.

The Airstream's unique design, style and comfort are the things that attracted Duesel when he decided to buy his first trailer in 1999.

Like many of his fellow owners, Duesel said he became a lifelong believer in the Airstream lifestyle of traveling America's byways.

"They're different. They're made better than the others (campers). That's the main thing," said Duesel, who lives in Marlborough, Mass.

Duesel said he and his family have traveled all over New England, Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia with his trailer. They also travel with all the creature comforts one could want.

He said his trailer is equipped with a living room, couch, a flat screen television set, CD player, a full kitchen and bathroom with a full shower along with a complete bedroom.

"It could sleep six, but in our eyes anymore than two is a crowd," Duesel said.

Duesel said the event will feature many antique Airstream trailers from the 1940s and 1950s that will be open to the public on Saturday during the rally's Vintage Day.

Duesel said the Region One group's membership ranges from Airstream owners who are in their 90s to younger owners in their 20s who have recently discovered the trailers and motor homes. Thanks to the Internet, Duesel said more people are buying these campers and taking to the open road.

"We've added probably 50 new members alone this year," Duesel said.

Bleakney said she and her husband, Chuck, own a 1998 Airstream Cutter motor home and a 19-foot, 1967 Airstream Caravelle trailer. The Northboro, Mass., couple bought their first Airstream model 11 years ago and have enjoyed some memorable trips, including a five-week cross-country trek to the West Coast.

Bleakney said the only thing Airstream owners value as much as their campers is the camaraderie at rallies held across the country.

Gus and Vera Sbrogna of Worcester, Mass., say fellowship has inspired them to remain members for 34 years.

The couple owns a 35-foot 2000 Airstream Land Yacht motor home and they have traveled all over the country attending different club rallies.

"This club, these people are worth more than the trailers themselves," said Gus Sborgna, 80. "You can go anywhere in the country and meet somebody you've seen before at one of the rallies."

Verbiage under Dog Photo:
Tony the Great Dane greets guests to the Hamnquistís Airstream camper at the Rochester Fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon.
(John Huff/Staff photographer)


Verbiage under Trailer Photo:
John Huff/Staff photographer Uniquely themed decor adorns most Airsteam campers when owners add a little personality such as this boat theme at the Rochester Fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon.

[myboyburt]

Article published Aug 20, 2006
Rally goers host Vintage Day

ROCHESTER — Those feeling a little nostalgic could reminisce among rows of shiny aluminum Airstream campers from summers past on Saturday.

It was vintage day at the Airstream rally on the Rochester Fairgrounds, and participants opened their doors to the public.

Nancy Platt and husband Brian, of Amesbury, Mass., own and operate a 1964 Bambi Airstream trailer. They went for an authentic look when starting their two-year restoration project, though like many people, they added personal touches to their trailer as well.

Platt, president of the New England unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International and member of the Vintage Airstream Club, said she always has been drawn to the look of Airstream trailers.

"Airstream has been a national design icon," she said.

Platt said people generally have to replace upholstery and other soft goods when updating an older model. She choose a retro circle pattern for her couches, and she sewed new curtains in the pinched style of the original ones. They also put in a linoleum floor that's a marbled navy blue.

Twenty-eight of the roughly 120 Airstream trailers at the rally this weekend were 25 years old or more, qualifying as vintage. The oldest model represented was from 1959.

Vintage Day started with seminars and demonstrations geared for vintage trailer owners. Brian Platt demonstrated polishing techniques that make aluminum exteriors shiny. Others showed how to put in the rivets when replacing a panel or how to put in new cabinets.

Leon Lupien, assistant treasurer of the New England caravan club, said Airstream has a unique look.

He and his wife, Michelle Plunkett, travel from their home in New Boston to camp in their trailer every couple of weeks when the weather allows, he said. They also bring their cat, Buddy.

The couple decorated the lawn around their trailer with plastic flamingos and alligators during the rally. Lupien said club members use the warm-weather decorations to represent the spirit of vacationing that Airstream embodies.

Nancy Platt said there's camaraderie in the pride of owning the trailers, which she described as beautiful.

She said a diverse crowd of people come together at rallies like this weekend's.

"We're bound together by our love of Airstreams," she added.


Verbiage under Photo:
Cynthia Richard, of Moodus, Conn., and her Jack Russell Terrier, Obediah, spend time together outside of Richard's 1979 Excella Airstream trailer during the Northeast Regional Rally of Airstreams at the Rochester Fairgrounds Saturday.
(Monika O'Clair/Democrat photo)

[myboyburt]

Article published Aug 20, 2006
Airstream owners find an extended 'family' on the road

ROCHESTER — Bob and Harriet Thompson couldn't imagine what their lives would have been like during the last 30 years if they never bought an Airstream trailer.

Thompson, 70, who serves as president of the New England Region One group of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International, and his wife, the first lady, said they bought a trailer in 1975 for $20,000 and later sold it for $10,000 24 years later.

Their first Airstream trailer used solar panels to provide electricity to the appliances, television set and stereo during the two weeks they stayed at a national park out West.

Today, they own a 34-foot Airstream Excella 1000 trailer, which has all the space, modern appliances and electronics a traveler would need on a cross-country trip. It has a satellite phone, Internet service and a satellite TV, which Thompson said ensures they'll always be connected no matter where they roam.

The couple has traveled all over the country and said they're proud that their grandchildren accompanied them on many trips to caravan club rallies like the one this weekend at the Rochester Fairgrounds.

The Thompsons are among the 123 Airstream owners who traveled with their trailers and motorhomes from all over New England, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Some came from as far as Texas, Florida and even Washington State, according to Pam Bleakney, event co-organizer.
For four days, they will celebrate what it means to be part of the Airstream family, Bleakney explained.

"The Airstream is a whole culture in itself," said Bleakney, who along with her husband Chuck is the proud owner of a 1998 Airstream Cutter motorhome and a 19-foot, 1967 Airstream Caravel trailer.

The Bleakneys have been members of the New England branch of the caravan club for 11 years. She said she still marvels at how the owners come together as if one big family and revel in their shared love of the campers and the roaming lifestyle they enable.

This weekend they held a celebration, decorating their trailers and motorhomes with festive lights. They also have held nightly campfires and sing-a-longs, enjoyed lobster dinners and attended lectures by longtime members like Gus Sbrogna of Worcester, Mass.

Sbrogna, 80, and his wife, Vera, have traveled all over the country and Canada in Airstream trailers for the past 34 years, he said. Sbrogna said the couple bought a Tradewinds trailer in 1966 and never looked back.

They own a 35-foot 2000 Airstream Land Yacht Motorhome today and have no intention of retiring from the Airstream rally circuit anytime soon.

"This club, these people are worth more than the trailers themselves," Gus Sbrogna said. "You can go anywhere in the country and meet somebody you've seen before at one of the rallies."

The more than 120 Airstream owners converging in Rochester represent just a handful of the people who have adopted this lifestyle, said Jini Keasling, a spokeswoman for Airstream, Inc., in Jackson Center, Ohio.

She said there are 80,000 to 100,000 Airstreams on the road today, and 60 percent of all the Airstreams produced from the 1930s to the present are still on the road today.

Thousands of owners attend caravan club rallies across the country, Keasling said.

In the last three years, Airstream's sales to dealers have increased 15 percent, Keasling said. Company officials believe more younger people are buying them because of the Internet and increased use by Hollywood celebrities like Johnny Depp and Martha Stewart.

She said the Airstream trailers also are being featured in more Hollywood films and prime-time television shows like "Grey's Anatomy."

More people also are choosing to vacation and travel within the United States after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Keasling added.

Bleakney said the rallies are displaying a more intergenerational quality, with members as old as the Sbrognas rubbing elbows with newer members in their 20s and 30s.

The rallies also let owners admire each other's trailers and motor homes, which span decades of history.

Andre and Susan Baillargeon of Exeter own a 25-foot Airstream Tradewinds Land Yacht trailer and a 20-foot 1977 Argosy motorhome, made by the same company.

Throughout the campground, Airstream owners choose different themes to adorn their trailers and patios beneath roll-out canopies. The Baillargeons liked the 1970s, so they stay with that theme.

Andre Baillargeon said he bought the 1975 trailer three years ago in Ohio for $9,500 from a man who traveled from Wisconsin to meet him. He decided to restore the trailer to its '70s style.

He even plays nothing but 70s rock music inside.

Andre Baillargeon is still in the process of restoring the Argosy motorhome and added that it will make the perfect in-law apartment when Susan's parents stay with them this weekend.

Like the Baillargeons, Cathy Leoffleo and her husband, Jim Pfeiffer, of Milford, are relative newcomers to the Airstream culture.

They bought a 16-foot 2004 Bambi Airstream trailer that cost a little more than $30,000.

She said they had been camping for years and wanted to buy a trailer, but never found the right one. One day she saw a small photo of an Airstream trailer in a magazine. After investigating further, Leoffleo said it was love at first sight.

Leoffleo, who directs a social service agency in Massachusetts, and her husband, who works as a teacher at Nashua High School, now take weekend trips all the time, including fall and winter camping trips.

"I find myself inspired by the older folks, too," she said. "These folks are positive; they're happy."

Jim Pfeiffer said attending a caravan club rally with fellow Airstream owners is "a retreat in the classic sense of the word."

Verbiage under Trailer with Lights Photo:
Alex Hirak, 7, and his sister, Kathryn, 11, of Braintree, Vt., dance in front of a 1993 Airstream trailer owned by Ann and Eric Gustavson, of Putnam, Conn., during a lighting event Friday night at the Northeast Regional Rally of Airstream owners at the Rochester Fairgrounds Friday night.
(Monika O'Clair/Citizen photo)



Verbiage under Trailer with Relaxing Member Photo:
Kim French, 22, of Stratham, lounges in front of a 1975 Tradewind Airstream trailer owned by her friend, Susan Baillargeon, of Exeter, on a quiet Saturday afternoon at the Northeast Regional Rally of Airstreams at the Rochester Fairgrounds.
(Monika O'Clair/Democrat photo

[firedog]

Good Time had by all, Just Great.More pics coming soon,

[balrgn]

What a let down goimg back to work!!!!

I've started a page of pics, more to come

http://www.balrgn.com/Camping/Alumin...lumination.htm

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by balrgn

What a let down goimg back to work!!!!

I agree! I'm still recovering from the rally...I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

Nice job on the photos.

[myboyburt]

Originally Posted by yukionna

I agree! I'm still recovering from the rally...I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

Nice job on the photos.

Yuki - you are so right!

We are exchausted - need to get some sleep after 5 days of partying!

Balrgn - you know the rules, you were only to show my thin side in photos!

[peegreen]

I've started a page of pics, more to come

http://www.balrgn.com/Camping/Alumin...lumination.htm[/quote]
Great job Andre, can't wait to see more.The NEU has certainly set the bar for hosting a great rally.

[J & K]

Help please if you can! A woman camping next to Earl and Elaine had her picture taken with her 2 little dogs. The dogs are brother and sister - one was all black and one was mostly brown. She would like a copy of a photo that someone took of her with the dogs. She gave me her name and address. If any of you took that picture would you please PM me? Thank you!

This was a great event and we were pleased to be able to attend. Our first rally and only our 3rd trip out in the AS. Thanks for an awesome weekend event!

Kristine

[rgesch]

Yes, incredible rally, perfect weather, got to meet lots of great people! So much activity to cram into four days.

Thanks to all for posting pictures. Didn't get many myself, as we were busy running around all week. Going back to bed, now. Zzzzzz....