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Old 01-29-2015, 03:57 PM   #1
The Sign Lady
 
1969 23' Safari
1974 Argosy 22
1964 24' Tradewind
Victoria , British Columbia
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What makes a rally?

Hi All, I am up on the West Coast of Canada on Vancouver Island.

I have never seen a rally come to the island and have never been to one as of yet, so I am curious. What makes a rally? A certain minimum of Airstreams or other vintage trailers? Organized events? CookoffS? What happens at these and what are you favourite things and least favourite things about going to Rallys. What are your personal expectations

I am interested in organizing one here on the island but I just don't know what the expectations are. Does the Rally organizer pay for the camp area or do people attending book and pay for their own spots? How does liability work. If it is in a licensed campground and someone falls and breaks a leg do I have to worry about liability or is that covered by the camp areas insurance or waivers. Do I need to personally have waivers

Some input would be great.

Thank You Everyone

Leya
aka: TheSignLady
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Old 01-29-2015, 04:32 PM   #2
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Have a look at joining the WBCCI British Columbia Unit. You will find that they have rallies and other events. I am sure that you will find many members on "the Island" and will have a great time. We have met many great people since we joined, and have been on many great Unit rallies in Manitoba, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Join up and have fun!!
Chris
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Old 01-29-2015, 04:47 PM   #3
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Announce it and they will come. There are no rules as such. A rally can be anything that you want it to be.
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Old 01-29-2015, 04:48 PM   #4
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Woodstock , Georgia
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find a great place to camp, hopefully with a central meeting place but that is not mandatory. Pick a weekend, put it out there on the Forum Rallys page and see who is interested.
Add a link to the park reservations, and there you go. Open it up to anyone you like. I have been holding two rallys a year since 2003. They are fun, laid back times with no pressure to do anything. We share a few meals, everyone that can will bring a dish. We have had some music, discussion and tours of the "homes". Its all good.
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Old 01-29-2015, 04:53 PM   #5
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Rallies come in all shapes and sizes and can be organized in as many ways as there are people who want to organize them... They can be an informal gatherings where everyone takes care of their own accommodations, or they can be gatherings that are part of a larger organization, like a WBCCI Unit or region. (WBCCI does have blanket liability insurance for its unit functions.) Check out the information found on the rally and events calendar (scroll to the bottom of the Portal Page for easy access) and you'll see that there are widely varying modes of coming together. Even within a given Unit or group, the form a rally takes varies. The 4CU has a very active rally schedule and each one has its own personality and structure. Rallies can be great fun and a nice way to gather with folks of like mind.
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Old 01-29-2015, 09:24 PM   #6
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We have been hosting AirForum Rallys for 6-7 years now. We carried on our Northern Illinois Rally when the original host could no longer spend the time due to the demands of their business.

Since you said you've never been to a Rally I'd suggest you attend a few and see how they run. While there float the idea of one on your island.
If you want to jump in head first here are some of the thing we've leaned.

The first things to consider are location and accessibility. We have found that most people want electricity at each site. Water on site is good but not mandatory and as long as there is a dump station on the grounds that's good enough. We have used State and County Parks with good success. The nightly rates are generally reasonable. 50-60 bucks a night at a full hook-up RV park will put a lot of people off. We have used reservable and non-preservable parks. While we set the venues, we never pay for or block groups of sites.
Make it easy to get to the Rally. Towing a trailer to the Rally should be uneventful. Avoid narrow bridges, long gravel roads, low trees and inadequate signage. We have not chosen campgrounds with these characteristics.
What to do when you get there? We've found people generally want something to do during the day. We've also found they aren't looking for an overly structured event. Museums, winery’s, antique storesand walking tours and seem to popular.
You will need a location with a place the group can mingle. A loop of campsites at one end of a Park is an ideal place to gather for campfires and conversation.
It seems there is a tradition of having a communal Pot Luck dinner one night. We generally suggest you bring your own meat and drink with a dish to pass. We'll set up a couple strings of tables from the campsites. One for all the food, one for sitting and eating. A shelter or pavilion can be a plus if the weather turns bad.

You asked about liability. Laws vary widely by location. We ran this by our lawyer a while back when it came up on the Forum. In our State the Parks will have the lions share of liability. Everyone has come of their own free will and have paid the Park, not you to attend. As long as you are not providing alcohol, drugs, or, providing or promoting some function that could be considered unusually dangerous you should be alright. I'd caution you to check with your consul to be sure how the law works up in your Provence.

Hosting a gathering takes a bit of work but we have found the benefits well worth the effort. We have made lifelong friends and have met a host of interesting and varied people from all walks of life with a common interest in travel and Airstreams.

Good Luck,
Tom
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Old 01-29-2015, 10:05 PM   #7
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How to build a rally:

1. Find a place you'd like to camp with other Airstreamers. If you like it, chances are other people will too.

2. Post it on the rally calendar, preferably with a link to the reservation website.

3. Start a rally thread, include the reservation link and the rally calendar link.

4. Go back to the rally calendar post to add a link to the rally thread.

5. Decide if you'd like a gathering at the rally. People tend to like to get together and eat and visit, so a Saturday potluck is pretty common. If you know there will be a potluck you can announce that in the thread so people can plan for it. Then you can let people know that you'll post the details at your trailer and give the site you've reserved. That lets you scout potluck locations when you get there and enlist the advice of the other rally residents if you so choose.

People make their own reservations, mostly. We have a Northern California rally that wants a contract for a certain number of sites more than a year in advance and they want to deal with only one person. So that wonderful, dedicated person is the funnel for our campsite fees. We pay him and he pays the RV park. Mostly it's more of a "We'll be here on this weekend. Make a reservation and join us." sort of deal.

Have a great time.
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Old 01-29-2015, 11:17 PM   #8
The Sign Lady
 
1969 23' Safari
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Wow lots of great info guys, Hey Tom your note on having the proper signage for people to find their way.... I'd have the best rally signage ever ;-) Man I love working in a sign shop.

Are there usually Awards, Contests, Magnets or stickers or that sort of thing at rally.?...I've been daydreaming of all the things I could make at work for it ☺

Do boondocking rallys ever happen. We have so many stunningly beautiful options here on the island where there is only water available from central taps, no hookups. We actually have only ever boondocked so RV siteing it would have to be something we would have to test run alone if needed I suppose...and pray I don't get parked next to a big SOB. ��
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Old 01-30-2015, 09:02 AM   #9
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I have held "favorite trailer contests, using a poll. Also given out gifts to the people who traveled the farthest...we've had folks from Arizona and Canada here in Georgia.
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Old 01-30-2015, 09:26 AM   #10
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Hey Leya! We attended our first rally ever, Canopener, at Topsail Hill State Park here in Florida. The things I like about it are:

1. The people. It was so cool meeting the people I've been chatting with for two years while I put The LoveStream (tm) together. Plus, EVERYBODY I talked to were the friendliest people. Great people, common interests.

2. It was organized, but not too busy. There were things scheduled, but it wasn't such a crazy schedule of events that it was tiring. Very relaxing is what I'm always looking for, and Canopener delivered.

3. Open house, although I wish there had been more older units there. I was looking for ideas, and some people slam it out of the park (Skatiero). It was really cool seeing the new stuff as well, seeing what Airstream has done over the years. Everything is done so much better today than in the seventies... except the lack of rivets. I like the higher rivet count on the older units.

4. FOOD!!! Lots and lots of opportunity to eat with everybody... which leads to...

5. The entertainment and socialization while we were eating was great too. Breakfast with the ranger was entertaining and educational (guess you need to know the ranger for this one). Davis and Sax was fun (I believe the local Airstream dealer provided him, not sure on that...). And the entertainment the park provided (Singer/songwriters) was really good.

Mostly it was the people though.

-Red, still high on Canopener...
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Old 01-30-2015, 09:34 AM   #11
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when things go bad

I know a group of friends who had " rallies " on their own property, farms and such. A very tight knit group of long time friends. People just payed traveling expenses, brought food and drink. sometimes chipping in for port johns, firewood and such. Never any problems….. until there is.
One event got posted on a message board, and way to many strangers came. The strangers were clueless to the normal friendly behavior, and the infrastructure was overwhelmed.

Another hosts party ended up having the same woman getting into a fight two years in a row. There were injuries. The third and last year ended up with an intoxicated woman slipping and breaking her arm. Mind you these were all long time close friends. Insurance companies and lawyers got involved. End result…No one wanted to have a party at their house.
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Old 01-30-2015, 09:34 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thesignlady View Post
Are there usually Awards, Contests, Magnets or stickers or that sort of thing at rally.?
As mentioned before - every "rally" is different - they seem to take on the pesonality of the hosts.

Some have Awards, Contests, Magents, stickers or other momentos others do not. When I host, I try not to have "best trailer" type contests because I don't ever want someone to not come just because their trailer isn't pristine. I like to keep things more social and about the people...but that's just me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thesignlady View Post
Do boondocking rallys ever happen. �
Yes, although if they are off in the wilderness somewhere - it will have a totally different feel and will attract different folks than one in held with more ammenities. Some of our favorite rallies have been boondocking - one was actually 15 miles off a forrest service road - no water, no facilities, lots of stars, campfires & fishing. For these, good directions (GPS coordinates, signage) are a must.

If you plan it, they (like-minded people) will come...it just depends on what interests you - if it's not fun for you, it's not going to be fun for anybody else.

Shari
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Old 01-30-2015, 09:47 AM   #13
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What is an Airstream rally?

There are several YouTube videos showing Airstream rallies which will give you an idea of what happens at a rally. The video for Canopener 2015, the Airstream Forums rally Panama Red references should be published tomorrow or Sunday -- look for it on the Canopener 2015 and Canopener 2016 threads.

I've provided links below to several past rally YouTube videos. If there are annoying ads at the bottom of the video you can eliminate them by clicking the "X" in the upper right corner of the ad appearing on the video. Enjoy!

Canopener 2014 Video

Alumalina Fall 2014 Video

European Airstream Gathering 2013
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Old 01-30-2015, 10:24 AM   #14
The Sign Lady
 
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Oh Hey, Great idea... I had never thought of checking for YouTube videos
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Old 01-30-2015, 12:14 PM   #15
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Leya - All the above are great inputs for you to ponder. I guess liability insurance might be something to research some, but has never been something I've known anyone to worry too much about. Some rallies tend to be structured (planned activities like thrift shopping for the ladies & golf for the men, etc. or nothing formal planned at all. The only thing that matters to me is meeting up with old friends and making new friends. Pot luck meals are fun, great variety and most folks take pride in the food they supply. Just think of activities you like to participate in and request input from those that respond to your "notice of a rally" here on the Forums. Post it and they will come. Many prefer full hookups in a RV park & many love to boondock, both for their own reasons. Don't fret too much, just plan something & see where it goes and adjust activities as it comes together. Most important - plan on having FUN.
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Old 01-30-2015, 03:00 PM   #16
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A "Rally" is a group of AS owners greater then one that gather for the purpose of socializing and having fun. It can be initiated by anyone with an AS. Atmosphere should be free spirited, diverse, informational, and with minimum rules and hierarchy
That's it!!!
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Old 01-30-2015, 03:52 PM   #17
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The essentials have been mentioned, let us underline a couple things that have enhanced the experience in the few rallies we have been a part of.

Air Forum Banter: nothing teases out the lurkers and folks who aren't sure they want to "join" than a lot of good natured banter. "Even though these people seem inordinately fond of Possum or Bacon or Fall colors they seem like a fun group... " Folks who know each other or know how much fun rallies can be will show up; keeping a lively thread going on the Airforums will attract newcomers and new friends...

Breakfast: getting EVERYONE in a bunch at the beginning of the day starts the conversations going and the day's activities become more inclusive and welcoming. I thank Frank and Ace and their "staff" at the Bash for showing us how important that can be with a full outdoor kitchen and a dining area, but the Alumalina crowd accomplishes the same result with a "potluck" approach and some inspired campfire griddling and DO cooking.

That campfire ritual of backing the chairs up to make the circle bigger and include others is at the heart of this thing we call a rally.
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Old 01-30-2015, 05:16 PM   #18
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Thanks twobikes, as a registered Scout Leader we would most definitely have to have some cooking on the campfire. Personally with my family all of our cooking occurs outdoors either on the fire or our big magic Chef stove from Costco. :-)
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Old 01-30-2015, 05:37 PM   #19
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When 2 or more,, gather together to share the same values, My friend and I have a 2 trailer rally 3 or 4 times a year..

Good luck and keep it small the first try ,, and ask for advice from other members who do this every year. Sodbust
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Old 01-30-2015, 05:48 PM   #20
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Air Forum Banter: nothing teases out the lurkers and folks who aren't sure they want to "join" than a lot of good natured banter. "Even though these people seem inordinately fond of Possum or Bacon or Fall colors they seem like a fun group... " Folks who know each other or know how much fun rallies can be will show up; keeping a lively thread going on the Airforums will attract newcomers and new friends...

Breakfast: getting EVERYONE in a bunch at the beginning of the day starts the conversations going and the day's activities become more inclusive and welcoming. I thank Frank and Ace and their "staff" at the Bash for showing us how important that can be with a full outdoor kitchen and a dining area, but the Alumalina crowd accomplishes the same result with a "potluck" approach and some inspired campfire griddling and DO cooking.

The first, the good natured banter, was what made me interested in Canopener, and kept me interested all the way until we arrived.

The second, everybody together eating, made it easy to get to know the people I had never met. From the chili potluck the first night, to breakfast with the ranger the next morning, to potluck on the loop, to a potluck breakfast the last day, we sat and talked with new people, and a few came back to join us at the next meal... It was fantastic...

-Red, loving the food and the people...
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