Musical comedy“Sister Act”, at the Marriott Theater Click here The food and play were great. It is theater in the round, so all seats were good. Mayos, Kraners, and Whitesells attended. Monte, Region 5 president, drove up for a festive evening.
Region 5 February Newsletter link: click here
Four NIU couples (plus Region 5 pres. Monti Barksdale) met at the Starved Rock Lodge for lunch. A mild winter, with open water on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, resulted in only one eagle to watch at the dam.
January 2016 NIU Newsletter Link: Click here
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Fifteen snowbird NIU Members (and alumni) met at Ruth Hall for a PotLuck luncheon. Weather was “Florida” good. We had a large variety of dishes to pass and lively conversation. Thanks to Jim & Roberta Matkovich for hosting.
Tarpon Springs Luncheon Feb 9th – Four NIU couples met in Tarpons Springs for lunch. We watched Panhandling Pelicans and mating Osprey (fish eagles).
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26 NIU members came together at Jameson’s Charhouse, to share a meal and friendship. The driving weather was good. We had a nice room and meal. It was good seeing and conversing with old friends.
Region 5 November Newsletter: click here
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Attendance: 8 trailer and 2 motorhome couples. One couple drove in for the big turkey feast. We elected and installed our new officers. Saturday evening, thanks to Peter’s MIFI (with unlimited data), Dave’s laptop, and the unit’s video projector, we were able to watch the Chicago Cubs playoff game via the internet . Other members chatted or played corn hole bean bags in the large heated hall. We had a fine, but brisk, fall weekend.
Peter’s pictures on Facebook: Click here
Find links to Dave Mayo’s last October 2015 Newsletter on the Newsletter page.
Six NIU couples met with the Wisconsin Unit at Elkhart Lake, WI.. Races and weather were good. Lots of car photos on the NIU facebook. Link: click here NIU activity: Dinner at Ostoff Resort.
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Five Northern Illinois couples attended the rally. Weather was good the first two days. We had 43F evenings and some rain the last two. We toured the Studebaker Museum and the RV/MH Hall of fame, among other local attractions. Lots of pictures from Peter Schwarz on the NIU facebook page. Click here Our Region 5 members put on a home grown talent show one evening. President Monte hired a professional magician for the Saturday evening. The units prepared the breakfasts and Saturday banquet. The facilities and WIFI were good. Busy train tracks (2 blocks away) provided train whistles background sound effects. NIU handed out the door prizes. A total of 46 trailers and motorhomes attended. Rally activities are on the Region 5 Website. Click here
These pictures are clickable to full screen.
10 NIUcouples attend the rally. Schwarzs brought their newly acquired Airstream Skydeck. This is not your grandmother’s Airstream. We held our happy hours atop the Skydeck overlooking the Mississippi River. The weather was clear, but a little warm. Four couples came early, to lengthen their enjoyment at this riverfront campground with fishing and boating. More pictures on the NIU facebook page. click here.
The Wendorfs hosted the rally. Six couples came for the weekend. Three more couples drove in for the Saturday activities. Friday’s hour was followed by a group dinner and campfire. Some went to the Lodge to enjoy “Music on the Veranda”. Saturday morning: Rick and Jill served French toast, sausage, and orange juice. During the day, we toured the museum in Utica and the Visitor Center at the lock. After Saturday’s happy hour, we had dinner at the Starved Rock Lodge. It was too hot that evening, so we did not stick around for the music. We got some rain during the weekend, but that did not dampen our enjoyment. Sunday morning: the group toured the Starved Rock visitor center to learn of the legend of Starved Rock.
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These photos are clickable for full screen viewing.
NIU members attending: Cristys, Stuarts, and Dixons. Norma Stuart played oboe in the band. Carol carried the unit flag. Dwight acted as our delegate. Roy worked on Cargo and Jerry worked on security. Delegates Meeting: Only one candidate per International office, Constitutional amendment to eliminate unnecessary roll call votes was approved.
Farmington is high desert oil service community with daytime temps. in the 90’s and 50’s at night. This time of year, sudden wind/rain storms were a risk to awnings. 400 rigs were parked on the gravel county fairgrounds next to a horse track and casino. Five of the seven Region 5 units had attendees. Nationally, 90 of the 120 local units attended. Lucky, we all had 30 amp (for our air conditioners) and plenty of water. Some pulled out early, while others arrived late.
The Dixon’s parked with 65 Vintage Airstream Club (VAC) trailers, which has their own large tent and many activities.
We toured three Indian ruins, including Mesa Verde. Lots of seminars, club activities and entertainment. There were the usual Illinois, Region 5, and other luncheons.
We toured oil billionaires (Bolack) private collection/museum. click here Everything from early farm and oil equipment equipment to steam locomotive, jet fighter trainer, DC 3, Elvis Presley’s gold Cadillac, plus Jr’s two giant warehouses filled with obsolete technology items. Tom senior’s collection of animal mounts (that he shot or collected from around the world) required a two story building with a messine to display his full mount giraffe.
