Region One President’s Newsletter – July 2010
Published: July 8, 2010
By Russ Melocik
The 53rd International Rally has ended. There were some 115 units represented and 713 rigs on site. Can tabs weighed in at just under 2000#. By all accounts, it was a business and social success. Measured in calories taken in at the local eateries, it was more like a huge success.
Gillette is located in Campbell County, WY, home to “Camplex,” this year’s rally venue. It sits on some 1100 acres just 3-miles east of downtown and offers more than 1000 full-service RV hookups. Based on what we were able to observe going on elsewhere within Camplex, rodeo is a high school sport, you are not fully dressed unless you are pulling a 5th wheel horse trailer and “Cowboy (girl) Up” approaches a state motto. We were treated well by the locals and those in charge of meeting our needs at Camplex.
Our Region Luncheon was held on June 29 at Gillette’s Chophouse Restaurant. Twenty-nine Caravanners enjoyed Fish & Chips or Chicken Caesar Salad and the installation of Ray Richard as 2nd Vice President. The three officers presented The Sanders (Dan Dureiko was unable to join us in Gillette) with an embroidered Pendleton blanket, something they may well need to use during their trip to Alaska immediately following the rally.
Congratulations to Cape Cod for copping a third-place award for its bulletin board’s Originality. And to White Mountains for a second-place in the Theme category. New England was awarded a third prize for its newsletter and a first for its bound directory. Charter Oak scored a first for its loose-leaf directory.
Things were done differently this year from what we can recall at Bozeman. Lots of information and educational meetings for the benefit of the Region Officers and spouses and plenty of work to do with the various committee chairmen assignments. Out of the seeming chaos of daily responsibilities came an ordered, fun International Rally. Cynthia and I are glad we came and participated.
Our warm weather rally season continues toward the Region Rally in Durham, CT, in August and Units’ Fall Business Meetings which follow. The Region Officers will be making every effort to visit with each unit in the coming months. They will be anxious to sit down with the membership to get an idea of what’s important at the unit level. Far from inviting members to a bitch session, we will hope to gather as much well-reasoned input as is available. These “Round Table” discussions will be summarized and referred to the chairman of the 20/20 Committee for presentation to the club at the next IBT meeting in January, 2011. Please consider your comments and check the Blue Book for Constitution and By-Laws/Policy procedures for compatibility. Each unit should have a current hard copy of the BB. It is also available as a download from wbcci.org.
In the spirit of Fun, Fellowship & Adventure, all our best. See you in Durham.