Successful mini-rally

[Pahaska]

Our unit does not normally schedule rallies in the summer, but one couple took the trouble to put together a no-host weekend mini-rally at a local Corps of Engineers park. Everyone thought it was a great success.

The rally was scheduled for Friday through Sunday, but several of us showed up by noon on Thursday. By weekend, we had 5 trailers, 2 motorhomes, and a number of drive-in folks, including several young families of members.

It was a laid-back weekend with all group meals at local restaurants; we caravanned to breakfast at 9:30. Several of us took boats to take advantage of the lake. Most of us hit the local market days on the square, some toured a cave, and most attended a locally produced musical.

Texas weather cooperated with four days of record lows. It was actually 61 degrees when I put the kayak in at 7am Saturday morning and topped out at about 85 at the hottest..

[jcanavera]

We are going to do our first rally like this in 2006. The unit format has always been a rally in April, lunch in May, nothing in June or July, rally in August and October.

Our incoming president in 2006 wants to shake things up. At this point we will be doing "nohost" informal rallies in May and June, lunch in August (we picked this since the weather locally is usually so darn hot, and two out of the last three years the campgrounds chosen had bad power).

We are also kicking around doing an informal rally in July. That probably will upset those who will say we are taking away from the International, but the way some of us look at it, only 10 or so from the unit go up, why do the rest of us have to sit on our hands? I'm thinking about calling it the "Left Behind" rally.

Jack

[flamingo-kid1]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

We are going to do our first rally like this in 2006. The unit format has always been a rally in April, lunch in May, nothing in June or July, rally in August and October.


We are also kicking around doing an informal rally in July. That probably will upset those who will say we are taking away from the International, but the way some of us look at it, only 10 or so from the unit go up, why do the rest of us have to sit on our hands? I'm thinking about calling it the "Left Behind" rally.

Jack

That might be a LOT of fun, and I am sure I will be 'Left Behind."

Although, I HOPE not "for real...." just from the International.

We'll keep an eye on this forum!

BTW, this post should get me my highly coveted fourth rivet! Maybe it'll hold me together better???

[Tin Hut]

We've had several informal rallies this summer and have thoroughly enjoyed them. We all talk about possible sites, we try to keep it within 1 1/2 drive time, we all make our own reservations and sometimes the early comers will try to grab all the adjacent spots. With our informal ones it seems like the spots are more park like and less parking lot like, with clubhouse kind of places. I know, bad grammer

[Andrew Selking]

The North Texas unit does not normally schedule rallies in the summer,June,July,and August but one couple took the trouble to schedule weekend mini-rallys in those three months. Everyone has enjoyed it greatly and looks forward to the next month when we get together.

The rallies are scheduled for Friday through Sunday. We meet at local State parks or Army Corps Engineers parks with in an hours drive of the DFW area.

We have a laid-back weekend with all meals group pot luck. Supper at about 7:30pm. campfire afterwards .Breakfast at 9:30am. Lunch at 1:30-2:00 pm. We have tons of food at every meal and enjoy the company of all the airstreamers. We have gone boating and fishing, even fixed an electrical problem on a vintage unit lots of experts to get the job done.
We helped sell a fellow airstreamers unit the people came to the mini rally to see it, hopefully we impressed them.

This is for Jack, we call our group The Left Behind Group. We will let you have the Left Behind Rally. We have had 6 to 7units at each rally and are going this weekend to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose TX. if anyone wants to join us come on down and look for the Airstreams.

[Pahaska]

of the weather that Texas favored us with over our rally weekend.

[Stefrobrts]

How do you organize the location of an informal mini-rally? Does someone reserve a group area, or a number of spots, or do you let the members reserve their own spots if they're coming? I would like to organize some of these in our area.

[Tin Hut]

Chat with enough of the group to get some agreement on which spots everyone favors, then communicate to all the details of where it will be, the phone number they need to call to make their reservation, how the potluck works, etc. A week or so before get a head count just to know. Some campspots will put you all in the same area if they ask to be with the Airstream group, other campgrounds won't. In that case, the early arrivals try to hold adjacent spots for those coming and call them with the spot number. It all seems to work out. Seems like by doing the potlucks, the food is better, we have more of it, and it ends up being cheaper than a registration fee at a formal rally.

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

How do you organize the location of an informal mini-rally? Does someone reserve a group area, or a number of spots, or do you let the members reserve their own spots if they're coming? I would like to organize some of these in our area.

[jcanavera]

I've not tried this in the confines of our WBCCI unit but up to this point the unit has always paid a deposit for a campground upfront. Obviously the Midwest Forums rallies are a good example of informal, in that each attendee is responsible for their own reservation at the park we chose.

In the case of Moraine View I called and told them what we wanted to do. They said they would keep us together, although they would honor any SOB reservation that requested a specific site number if it was unassigned at that point (even if it was in the middle of our group). In Mackinaw City they grouped us under my name and made site assignments upon arrival. We all made our own reservations and the private campground kept us "in the area". At one time late in the week we were all in a row next to each other, but earlier in the week we had SOB's appear between us.

Some campgrounds will hold a specific area and request one night's advance deposit for the entire group, with each site paying for their subsequent nights upon check in.

It's just a matter of negotiation with each campground as to what their policies are.

Informal also means a minimum of planned activities. The one I'm planning for 2006 for our unit will be most likely have a prepaid reservation to the campgrounds and probably a pot luck. No formal breakfasts, no formal social hours, no formal presentations, no business meetings.

Jack

[flamingo-kid1]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

1) Obviously the Midwest Forums rallies are a good example of informal, in that each attendee is responsible for their own reservation at the park we chose.


2) Informal also means a minimum of planned activities. The one I'm planning for 2006 for our unit will be most likely have a prepaid reservation to the campgrounds and probably a pot luck. No formal breakfasts, no formal social hours, no formal presentations, no business meetings.
Jack

*****************************

1)GOOD, no GREAT IDEA

2)But, may I suggest a planned meeting for meals, or at least ONE meal, at an area restaurant. preferably a buffet, so people can meet and network? New people come in all the time, and, for instance, at Moraine, I met toooooo many people and didn't learn names.Of course it didn't help we came with no trailer and couldn't stay for very long!
Jack[/QUOTE]

[Pahaska]

In our case, the mini-rally was at a Corps of Engineers campground and there was no way to reserve sites. What we did was pick a weekend when the campground was expected to be fairly quiet. As it was, we were scattered more because some sites were not suitable for long rigs than because we couldn't reserve spaces.

In view of the expected Texas heat, we didn't schedule any pot-lucks. As it was, we never had over 85 degrees and we dould have done so in hindsight. Since we were on the edge of a fair-sized city, there were plenty of restaurants to pick from. One night we went to a VFW spaghetti dinner. All you could eat for $5. It helps to have someone local whoo knows the good places.

[Pahaska]

For Texas state parks, we all have to make our own reservations. Sites can not be reserved in advance. We then pass on all of the reservation numbers to one of the party who gets there a day early. When the office opens on the first day of the rally, he/she is standing first in line at the office door. He/she then gets all the sites in close proximity.

For Corps of Engineers campgrounds, we have to make our own reservations (seniors get half price). We then have to take pot luck on the sites.

For private campgrounds, we request spaces together and it usually works out well.

[Marsha B. Sm]

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[RivetED]

We've been to a few 'forum rallies'. Absolutely, had a great time at all. Will go to more!! NO SILLY HATS!! Well, then there was this one guy ...never mind !

There is a post here about Katy, TX. Isn't there some kind of chinese hidden city there ???

[Tarheel]

We have a dinner rally in December, January and February. In March we do our maintenance rally, a chance to de-winterize our rigs and make certain everything is running like it should. April is our Region 3 rally and May is the Virginia Commonwealt with all 4 Virginia units participating. June through November we schedule a rally for the 3rd weekend in each month. We also try to have a joint rally with Eastern North Carolina as well as Take Pride In America in October. We keep pretty busy. Our rallys are in the mountains and by the sea shore and all of Virginia in between. Love to have you visit the Tidewater Unit when you come this way.

[Marsha B. Sm]

Yes, we have the Forbidden Gardens in Katy, but what we are really known for is the Katy Mills Mall. Guys like the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. . .also, have the Holiday World RV close by. Our new RV Park is about 30 miles through the country from Katy. We are located in an accessible location to many festivals: scarecrows, bluebonnets, antiques!!! Please check us out and bring your rally group! www.redoakranchrv.com

Originally Posted by RivetED

We've been to a few 'forum rallies'. Absolutely, had a great time at all. Will go to more!! NO SILLY HATS!! Well, then there was this one guy ...never mind !

There is a post here about Katy, TX. Isn't there some kind of chinese hidden city there ???