Camping Today August 2024 (2024)

Interactive Table of Contents

From or About Our Members

• From The President
• A Message from the National Office
• Wildlife Refuge Inc. Annual Report 2024
• NCHA (FCRV) National Hank Nathan Scholarship Report 2024
• Welcome New Members!

Upcoming National Events

• Retiree Rally 2025 – Dothan, Alabama
• Campvention 2025 – Lebanon. Tennessee

Event Schedule& Recaps

• 2024 Campvention Recap

Camping Information & Tips

• Dear RV

Past Camping Todays

• 2022-2024 Online Archive
• 1989-2021 DeWayne Johnston Historical Archives (pdfs)

Camping Today Staff

• Editorial Proofreader: Shari Weber
• Proofreader: Beth Muschinski
• Proofreader: Patricia Wittmeyer
• Research Director: Barb Turner
• Website & Design/Layout: Carl Fromholzer

Please send articles through the ‘Camping Today’ Submission Portal Page: https://fcrv.org/camping-today-submission-forms/

National Officers

• President:Gerry Pfirsch
• VP of Operations: Linda English
• Corresponding. & Recording Officer: Teresa Walorski
• VP of Programs: Ed Shaneyfelt
• VP of Planning & Development:Amy DeCamp
• Comptroller: Sandi Wingert
• Past President:Shari Weber

[ ‘Camping Today’ is currently scheduled for release on the 15th of each month.]

[ All content must be submitted by the 1st.]

Contact [emailprotected] if you have any questions or problems submitting material.

Click on the hyperlink below for the type of ‘Camping Today’ submission you’d liked to send.

Articles – Event Recap – Birthday Shoutout – Milestone – Farewell – Dear RV – Event Submit

Let me start with a thank you to the 2024 Campvention Team! Thank you for all your hard work and for everything that you did this year. I would also like to thank those of the Executive Board for the detailed discussion in the Sunday meeting. It is this interaction and dialog that helps to make FCRV better. It is my belief that there was a large amount of very good information shared in both directions at the meeting. A special thanks also goes out to the First Timers who attended the First-Timer meetings and the information that each of you shared with the group. It is this information that is so very valuable. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to all who attended the Campvention. Each of you made Campvention a success!

The Your Chair Awaits banners were handed out and posts of them are being displayed on our social media sites showing up on social media. I look forward to seeing more of these posts. I also ask each of you who post on social media to please post in the FCRV Public Group first and then share with the other FCRV groups. This will help get us noticed and bring attention to FCRV. We continue to improve our social media presence, and your help is appreciated.

On another note, it appears many outside vendors are trying to place ads on our FB pages and groups. Most are scammers pushing phony FCRV apparel. They are not legitimate, and you are highly encouraged not to click on, follow, or re-post any suspect links. Those that are legitimate should be forwarded to Vice President of Planning & Development, Amy DeCamp. Our “approved” commercial partners pay for the organization’s support, promotion, and exposure. When you see ads that seem appealing to our members, simply share the contact information with Amy, and she will reach out to them with the proper way to partner with us.

I had the opportunity to do some traveling this year after Campvention and would like to share something that I took away from it. I was able to join our Canadian family for 3 days and 3 nights camping. I would like to encourage each of you to share your schedule so that our members who are traveling can pop in and join us as they travel through our areas. In doing this we are able to deepen existing friendships and to make new friendships. It is far more fun to camp with fellow FCRV members than to camp alone as you are traveling. The reward is well worth the experience. I also encourage each of you to check www.fcrv.org for camping schedules as you travel. Your next stop just might be with fellow FCRVers.

See you at the next Campfire!
Gerry Pfirsch
FCRV International President

Adding a Second Email Address With The National Office

Over the last few years the National Office has been slowly adapting older physical systems or outdated computer systems it used and moved them into newer tech based cloud based systems that have allowed us to work more streamlined. One of these changes is a whole new membership database system.

Along with this new membership database system is the ability to add in more variables to track much needed info about our members. Previously our old systems only allowed us to track one email address per membership account. We now have the ability to have two email addresses per account and are asking you to submit that information. Please submit this information through your state/prov or regional directors which will give our leadership experience using the new systems. This is also a good time to check with your state/prov or regional directors that your current email you have on file is up to date.

A list of state/prov or regional directors contact info can be found at: https://fcrv.org/contacts/

Discord

National and our leadership has moved on from using Zoom as our go to product for Video Communication and moved over to using Discord. Along with using Discord as our main source of video communication comes a slew of other benefits that Zoom did not allow.

Discord is a FREE social media platform that allows users to communicate in real time using text, voice, and video through public or private servers. You can find servers for all types of hobbies, from anything like knitting, bee keeping, video games, or sports. To things that FCRV exhibits like camping, RVing, wildlife and conservation.

Your trustees, National Office and ‘Camping Today’ team have been using it for the last few months to test it out and get experience with using its features before we opened our server up to membership and the general public.

Discord, while giving us a platform for our leadership and members to communicate also comes with a MUCH needed benefit of moving FCRV into spaces used by younger generations. Discord has 3 options for using its services. Those options are a phone app, an app for pc/mac, or you can even access it right through a web browser. So it makes communication VERY easy and FAST with how accessible it is compared to Zoom.

Using Discord requires creating an account for it. Please make sure to take measures to log the name and password you create to reference logging back into it whenever needed. Also please keep in mind that the minimum age to create a Discord account is 13 years of age.

For more information, here is a great video explaining what discord is while showing off its features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRMD8ley3ZE

You can get the discord apps at: https://discord.com/

You can access the FCRV server here: https://discord.gg/KjNMve2Rhh

Wildlife Refuge Inc. Annual Report 2024

Beginning Balance 7/1/2023: $79,577.16
Ending Balance 6/30/2024: $87,217.33

The 2024 Wildlife Grants are awarded to:

• Black Pines Animal Sanctuary – www.bpsanctuary.org – $1000.00
• Dakota Zoo – www.dakotazoo.org – $500.00
• Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge – www.hobbitstee.com – $1000.00
• Limberlost Bird Sanctuary – www.limberlost.weebly.com – $1000.00
• Peace River Wildlife Center – www.prwildlife.org – $1000.00
• Sempervirens Fund – www.sempervirens.org – $500.00
• Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators – www.utopiawildlife.org – $500.00
• White Violet Center for EcoJustice – www.spsmw.org – $500.00

Photo judging was done by Crazy Acres Campground who also judged the site decorating contest.

• 1st Tom Martinez, Colorado
• 2nd Bob Kalberer, Connecticut
• 3rd Michael O’Neal, Illinois
• HM Beth Sulek-La Housse

NCHA (FCRV) National Hank Nathan
Scholarship Report 2024

NCHA (FCRV) National Hank Nathan
Scholarship Annual Report 2024
By Sandi Wingert, FCRV Comptroller

Beginning balance 7/1/2023 $284,493.41
Ending Balance 6/30/2024 $262.906.72

The scholarship committee is proud to announce the 2024 scholarship winners:

• Grace Carey Awarded $2500.00
  
• Brianna Coniglio Awarded $2500.00
  
• Lindsey Vozar Awarded $1500.00

Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients

Join in on the discussion at the 2025 Retiree Rally Facebook group.
Click the link above or scan the code below.

Join in on the discussion at the 2025 Campvention Facebook group.
Click the link above or scan the code below.

Campvention 2024

By Deb Swanson, Campvention Chair

We had over 300 people, in 144 units, attend the 75th anniversary of FCRV. The unusual weather, for this time of year, made us change many of our plans. Rain, cold and an EF1 tornado in the county made things interesting. Our host facility, Herkimer County Fairgrounds is an all-volunteer facility. Anytime we needed anything they were there, no questions asked. We had a short power outage during the storm which occurred during the day so there was a temporary halt in the activities. We had a fife and drum group entertain us before the opening ceremony. They played for the flag presentation and accompanied our vocalist for the national anthem. All the activities chairs based their programs on the past, present, and future. Monday and Wednesday evening had band entertainment and had some people dancing. Tuesday’s event, FCRV’s Got Talent, had lots of participants with Region 5 closing the night with a camp version of New York, New York.

Campvention Registration Report

By Sue Fromholzer, Registration Chair

The State of New York welcomed over 300 people to FCRV’s 64th annual Campvention. There were 144 units that housed 147 families for weeklong adventures that captured our past, present and future. Herkimer County Fairgrounds, an all-volunteer run and manned park, was decorated with 26 flags from all over the United States and Canada.

Region 5 thanked all that were there by performing their version of the song “New York, New York” to conclude the FCRV’s GOT TALENT program.

Thank you all for the wonderful week and everyone’s friendship! See you next year.

Campvention Wildlife Report

By Tom Martinez, FCRV National Wildlife Director

With our first Campvention passed as the Wildlife Director, my wife and I would like to thank all who donated items for the silent auction. A special thanks to the ones who donated the birdhouses. The auction was a success, and all items were sold and picked up. We had eight very good wildlife photos submitted. Unfortunately, we did not receive any youth photos.

Photo judging was done by the people from Crazy Acres Campground and who also judged the site decorating contest.

1st Tom Martinez, Colorado

2nd Bob Kalberer, Connecticut

3rd Michael O’Neal, Illinois

HM Beth Sulek-La Housse

We received eight applications for Wildlife Grants, all worthwhile causes.

$500 awards:

Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators, www.utopiawildlife.org

White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice – Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (spsmw.org)

Sempervirens Fund, sempervirens.org

Dakota Zoo, Dakota Zoo – Home

$1,000 awards:

Peace River Wildlife Center, Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation Education – Peace River Wildlife Center (prwildlife.org)

Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge, Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge

Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary (bpsanctuary.org/)

Friends of the Limberlost, Friends of the Limberlost – Home (weebly.com)

All applications were reviewed and stood on their own merits.

The DC refrigerator/freezer raffle was fun and successful. The Region 1 Wildlife basket live auction was also successful.

We enjoyed our trip to New York where we had not visited and enjoyed making new acquaintances, including the mechanic that replaced a heat sensor in my truck.

C.A.M.P.ing at Campvention 2024. A real moving experience!

By Mark Brayman, C.A.M.P. Chair

Being active through FCRV’s Campers Actively Moving Program (CAMP) in New York seems to have been a well-received option for many Campvention attendees. The area provided the opportunities and forecast and many took full advantage. A total of 166 participants found time in their schedule to join in the organized events. In all 837 miles of scenic Herkimer County was traversed by FCRV members. Be it on foot, from the saddle of a bicycle or on the water with a paddle in hand, we sure got some moving in! Speaking of moving, how about the 5660 minutes of aerobic activities that were logged during the week. Did you participate in Pickleball? An activity that was planned as an introduction turned into something much bigger if you didn’t notice ha-ha. Thanks to all who allowed the two indoor courts to be left setup and used throughout the week. Our very respectful players (many from our younger age groups) took to this activity like no other. It appears that the nets and gear will need to be hauled next year as some real sportsmanship and fun were unleashed in NY.

The nearby Eric Canal lent to some memorable activities. 31 paddlers in 28 kayaks enjoyed the scenic venture together. What a day and adventure! After some flat-water paddling, we all gathered and entered lock #18 together, imagine the sight and enthusiasm. Our “strong arm” volunteers held our collective clusters to the stabilizing ropes at the lock wall as the water was released and the group slowly dropped over 20’. At river level the lock attendant opened the gates to send us on our way downstream to our planned takeout meal. Wow! Thank you to all who assisted in the transportation and with the load in/out of paddlers and kayaks.

The Canal trail (parallels the waterway) was also utilized by us during the Campvention. Eighteen bicyclists combined to travel a total of 452 miles. The activity included a few stops of historic significance and scenic beauty. The pedaling totaled 29 miles for those who completed the full round trip from the fairgrounds down to lock #17 in Little Falls. There were several highlights on this adventure, some sections in and around Little Falls offered geological features that were stunning. Thanks again to those that transported cyclists and equipment as needed.

Walking was a popular activity in and around the fairgrounds including the daily morning mile walk. Thirty-Eight participants combined for a total of 90 miles during the four-day offer. The weeklong perpetual walk (followed the same route) was another option and we are pleased to report that 39 members logged 111 miles stayed active with this method. For anyone who was camped on the “walking route” it didn’t take long until you figured out that you were witnessing the FCRV C.A.M.P. program at work. Another walking (and tossing) activity was the Disc Golf tournament. Eight members participated covering a total of 1 mile each as we traversed the approximately 9-disc basket course. We were separated into two teams of four in the competition and I can only tell you that the other team beat us in a playoff. The fun and fellowship were wonderful and the tips from the “pros” were appreciated. Grab a disc (small Frisbee) and practice for the next Campvention.

In closing, while many of us had to return home to get some rest, the fun and fellowship of all these activities brought many of us together for the first time. And yes, there were a few Campvention goers that showed up at all these events and many that did several. Thank you to all that participated and made the entire schedule a delight. I attempted to distribute CAMP Certificates (CAMPbucks) throughout the week and according to my records nearly all were handed over. Contact me if you feel otherwise. Until we C.A.M.P. again.

Adult /Family Center Activities Recap

By Joe Wittmeyer, Adult/Family Center Chair

N.Y. State Trivia Contest: As an ice breaker, a trivia contest related to New York State was held in conjunction with the 2024 Campvention welcoming hospitality. Fourteen question sheets with pictures on the wall related to New York were provided. Approximately twenty answer sheets were returned. Prizes were awarded to the top three respondents. The prizes included a pint jar of NY State maple syrup, a bag of Empire State Apples, and a keychain with the Statue of Liberty on it.

1st: Brian Fuller, Michigan

2nd: Matt Mitchell, Maryland

3rd (tie): Dave Hartwig, Michigan and Geoff Stringer, Michigan/Indiana

Movie Trivia: Approximately 25 people (adults, teens, and children participated in the trivia contest on Monday afternoon. About 60 famous quotes from various movies spanning from the 1950 through the early 2000’s were provided, everything from classics to children’s Disney films. Lines from TV shows and commercial ads were provided. I would recite the line from the movie/TV show, and the first one to yell out the name of the show would receive a fun-size candy bar. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event. A couple people came up to me after and told me how much fun they had.

Trivia seems to be popular among some people.

Card Bingo: Tuesday afternoon a card bingo game was held with 40 players across 10 tables. In addition to regular rounds, I threw in occasional fun rounds where the first king would allow all men to turn over an additional card. A queen would allow all women the same advantage. I also used a first ace for all players to turn over an additional card of their choosing, and the first jack removed all jacks from the table. The winner of each round was awarded a $1.00 coin. If there was a tie, both received a $1.00 coin. We ended up playing 16 rounds with a $3.00 pay-off for the last game. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Euchre Tournament: Wednesday afternoon was the Euchre Tournament. We had 24 players which made for an even number of tables. I had printed and explained a standard set of rules so we did not have to worry about regional variations. Everyone had an individual score sheet, and kept their own score. For each round I had everyone at the table deal twice. At the end of the round, the winners stayed at the table but split up and losers went to two separate tables. Prizes were awarded for highest score and most loners .

Regular Bingo: Friday afternoon regular bingo was played with 42 players. Carolyn Downing from Connecticut and Amy DeCamp from Ohio Stars of FFCC provided cardboard bingo cards. Craig Weber collected $1.00 per card for the entire day, and all money was distributed to winners of various games. We played ten rounds playing regular straight bingo and mixing in games where you had to complete the letters F, C, R, and V. to win that round. I had pre-printed bingo card diagrams with the letters on them, so players would know what they needed to complete for the round.

In addition to planned events, some puzzles, decks of cards and various board games were provided for people to use.

2024 Campvention Bulletin Boards Recap

By Linda Austin, Bulletin Boards Chair

Three small FCRV-owned bulletin boards and one medium-sized dry erase self-standing board were utilized in the main building plus the Commercial Sales and Marketplace building.

The large mounted one became the primary communication bulletin board. We attached a ribbon to divide it into categories such as daily schedules, schedule changes, directions to the nearest Walmart, honey wagon schedules, general information, campers’ notices, C.A.M.P. tally sheet, etc. Since this was in the main building, it was used a lot for communications. The daily schedules were updated each morning so two days were always posted. Daily general tidying was also needed.

Each morning tidying and updating needed to be done. I felt the need to re-arrange and trim some items that had been added by others. (That’s the teacher blood in me! )

The funniest thing that happened was when the small bulletin board would not stay stuck to the wall with Carl’s super never-failing tape. Finally, it balanced at the top edge of a metal unopened chair (I really wanted to find an easel)!! Also, I hope no one was watching me attempting to lift the dry erase board up to the counter to update the messages!

I enjoyed this role for Campvention since I value communication (editor of our FCRV District newsletter, also).

2024 Campvention Golf Cart and On-Grounds Transportation/Trams Recap

By Nyhl and Linda Austin, Co-chairs for on-ground transportation and golf carts

We had almost 40 different individuals volunteer at Central Registration to be Tram drivers. Each was given a unique pin to wear identifying them as a volunteer driver. Their names were also added to a prize drawing for an indoor/outdoor thermometer, which was won by Rick Walorski at Closing Ceremonies.

Tram Drivers Pin Story: Several months ago, we were telling our granddaughter, Paige, about volunteering for some responsibilities for Campvention 2024. When we showed her the design for Campvention she offered to create multiple stickers as one of her projects in her high school class, Fab Lab. These were waiting for us on our next visit to Ohio! Grandchildren are wonderful, especially when they take an interest in what we are doing!! That’s when the idea of creating pins for our Tram drivers happened.

These “Thank You” tokens were well received when our volunteers signed up to drive at Central Registration. We asked them to wear them each day, and when fellow campers asked, “Where did you get that pin?”, they were to say, “I am a Tram driver”. The teens even had this pin on their scavenger hunt list!! That’s when we lost/ gave up our last pin!

Most volunteers remembered the 2-hour shifts they had signed up for. However, one day a couple came to us because their shift started at noon. All shifts started at the half hour! Since we had a friend driving at the time we let this couple drive. Not only did they have the wrong time, they had signed up for the next day!

We were glad to oversee the golf carts for this Campvention.

2024 FCRV Camping Is… coloring and poster contest National Winners

By Barb McHale, Youth Activities Chair

3-4 yr. olds:

1st place- Brodee Welcomer, PA

5-6 yr. olds:

1st place- Graie Long, PA

7-8 yr. olds:

1st place- Braylee Jurrell, PA

2nd place- Jordan Longberry,IN

9-10 yr. olds:

1st place- Teagan McGarrah, CT

2nd place- Kya Gordon, PA

11-12 yr. olds:

1st place- Kennedy Longberry, IN

Congratulations to our winners! We encourage everyone to participate next year! Check with your state for entry deadlines!

2024 FCRV Campvention Youth Activities

By Barb McHale, Chairperson

Many smiles were seen at the 2024 Family Campers & RVers Campvention Youth Activities. Each day 15-20 youth from 3 to 12 years of age gathered for an assortment of activities from 9am to 11am and again from 1pm till 3pm. We had a lot of fun!

Thank you to those who helped out! All those who did had a great experience! The smiles all around were proof.

Monday AM:

get to know me activities-

Survey

Self portrait

Hand flower art

Group activities:

Untie the human knot

Mother/Father May I

Simon Says

Monday PM:

Assemble Blue Bird Houses

Intro to Hoops, gymnastics mats

Connect Four

Tuesday AM:

Pendulum Art

Paint pours Art

Tuesday PM

Land ski races

Walking on stilts

Spoon and egg (plastic)

Water Balloon Toss

Wednesday AM:

Hawaiian leis (Campvention day theme)

Painting with recycled objects and nature

Wednesday PM:

Watch PET PARADE 1pm

Water activities

Bubbles

10’ Water Slide

Slip and Slide Baseball

Water Balloon Toss
Thursday AM:

Newspaper Towers Competition

Thank you cards

Sand Art

(Some played Volleyball with the Teens)

Thursday PM:

Ornament making

Forest Fire Prevention Discussion

Revisit favorite activities from week

Hoop practice

(Some played softball with the Teens)

Friday-Parade

Adult Games Results

By Kathy Collier, Adult Games Chair

The official adult games were played Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:00 am each day. Over the three days we had approximately 150 participants.

Ladder golf:

doubles 2nd place: Norm Wolfrom (PA) and Judy Drexler (PA)

doubles 1st place: Sue & Dale Johnson (NY)

singles 2nd place: John Waite (ONT)

singles 1st place: Meghan Berry (KY)

Washer toss:

doubles 2nd place: Norm Wolfrom (PA) and Judy Drexler (PA)

doubles 1st place: Rhonda O’Neil (IL) and Karen Snodgrass (OH)

singles 2nd place: Regie Price (SC)

singles 1st place: Wayne Copolillo (NC)

Corn hole:

doubles 2nd place: Karen & Robert Snodgrass (OH)

doubles 1st place: Steve Josey (CT) and Darris Douma (NJ)

singles 2 nd place: Darris Douma (NJ)

singles 1st place: Dale Johnson (NY)

Thank you to all who helped! There are too many to name.

We were able to get through the games in a timely manner. All of you who brought corn hole game boards are appreciated. We will need to continue bringing corn hole boards because the organization does not own any corn hole games. Could you imagine bringing about 15 sets in 1 trailer?! Plus, the other games! LOL. So please plan on bringing corn hole games to Lebanon TN, and we’ll see you there!

Ambassador Club Enjoys “Diamonds” in the Rough

By Pat Wittmeyer, Ambassador Club Chair

Members of FCRV who are active participants in the Ambassador Club came together at Campvention to enjoy lunch and hear a presentation regarding the Herkimer Diamond, a unique geological crystalline formation found only in central New York.

The Ambassador Club, which is FCRV’s way of thanking those members who are strongly engaged in bringing new members into our camping club, has a luncheon every year at Campvention where new participants are recognized, and the accomplishments of current members are acknowledged as they move up through the ranks of Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald and ultimately, Diamond level.

This year our speaker was Mike Whitton from the nearby Herkimer Diamond Mines. He brought an extensive collection of samples in a variety of shapes and sizes. A retired Earth Science teacher, his love of the distinctive double-ended quartz crystals showed as he passed around samples and explained the various structures of these distinctive high clarity formations which, while not actual diamonds, are still beautiful to behold.

Participants were treated to a Buffalo-based favorite meal, Beef on Weck. The meal features roast beef on a Kummelweck roll, which is encrusted with salt and caraway seeds. This combination of seasonings and texture makes for an enjoyable meal.

The Ambassador Club will continue to grow as more members step up by bringing in new camping families and share their success stories at future events. We look forward to seeing more, and new, Ambassador Club members in Tennessee!

Campvention 2024 Commercial Recap

By Ron Cohee, Commercial Chair

Outside vendors: Donut Diner, Dream Dippers (ice cream), and Poco Taco.

Indoor vendors: SkyMed, Adventure Caravans, RV School, Briter products (Solar Lady), Mud Road Sugar House.

The commercial area had little to no traffic going into the commercial building, although the RV school and Briter products were a hit because they were new and different. Monday saw the most traffic.

Wednesday, I made breakfast for all my vendors. We all met, and I thanked each and every one for coming.

The Donut Dinner and Ice Cream were big hits!!

And, thank you, Travlfi, for the Internet café.

Campvention Parade Results

By Lynn Tinter, Parade Chair

The FCRV Parade had only 6 units registered, but it truly seemed like more!

There were floats, trucks, walkers and golf carts.

Trustees Award – Connecticut

Best Representation of the Past – Michigan

Most Patriotic – Ontario

Best Representation of Future Camper – Rhonda and Mike O’Neal

Most Spirited – Teens/Youth

Best Promotion of the Future – Massachusetts

Thank you to the Trustees and the members of the fairgrounds who helped with judging.

Family Fun Day Thank You

By Angie Shaneyfelt, Teen Activity Chair

Family Fun Day was well attended this year with “many” hamburger and hot dog meals eaten. The teens did a wonderful job wrapping sandwiches (which was a challenge with the size of the burgers)! We did run out of relish for 2 years in a row, so maybe that will be resolved next year.

The reason for writing this article is a big “Thank You” to Judy Drexler. Judy apparently had an issue with her awning and someone fixed it for her. That handy-man wouldn’t accept any money from Judy. Judy put that money in an envelope and donated it to the teens!

So, I want to give a BIG thank you to our wonderful member who fixed Judy’s awning and to Judy for her donation.

We have wonderful members!

FCRV’s Got Talent – Great Show

By Craig Weber, Show Chair

Thank you to all the talented people who performed in the FCRV’s Got Talent. We had 12 different acts ranging from singing, instrumentals, baton twirling, Edith Ann goes Camping, a Hoop performance and, of course, the S.A.D. group from New York. Audience enjoyed every minute of the show.

Honey Wagon/Propane Service Recap

By Daniel Tinter, Honey Wagon/Propane Service Chair

Propane service was provided by Harbor Point Energy at $4.50 with seven patrons. Being located across the street from the fairgrounds, they had no minimum.

Honey wagon service was provided by Jon’s Johns septic located in Mohawk. A minimum of 10 was required each day. The truck could handle 25-30 clients before the truck is full. Once full it would not come back that day! Seventy-nine units were serviced over Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at $40 per dump. The whole process went smoothly. Thank you to my team leader Carl Fromholzer for providing excellent support.

Hospitality Recap

By Lynn Acre, Hospitality Chair

Seven hospitalities were hosted by various regions, chapters and groups during Campvention 2024. Handshakes, hugs, fist-bumps and smiles were shared along with a small treat and a drink or a practical gift. A party-like atmosphere prevailed as some hosts dressed for the occasion in Hawaiian or Canadiana garb.

Pet Parade 2024 Campvention

By Martin Enseleit, Pet Parade Chair

The 2024 Campvention Pet Parade was held on Wednesday, June 26 with fifteen pets entered: 10 dogs, 3 cats, a wooden dog and a stuffed parrot. Since the day’s theme was “Hawaiian Day”, the contestants and their owners were asked to dress in their best Hawaiian attire. There were many excellent costumes. The show went smoothly with fun had by all, no dogs or cats misbehaving. The impartial judges picked “Shatz”, a German shepherd owned by Kim Paton of Long Island as the Best in Show. All participants received ribbons, a treat for the owners and also one for their pets.

Site Decorating at Campvention

By Shari Weber, Site Decorating Chair

This year the theme for decorating was “Camping – Past, Present, and Future”. Only two entries were decorated. The First Place Site was Nyhl & Linda Austin. The Second Place Site was Mike & Carol Burns. Prizes were awarded for first $40 and second $30. Our sponsors from Crazy Acres enjoyed seeing your creativity and had a hard time selecting a winner.

Many families supported our sponsor Crazy Acres Campground both before and after Campvention. Our continued support is appreciated whenever you are in the area. They can be reached by phone at 607.278.5293 or email at [emailprotected]. Find details about the campground on the web at www.crazyacrescampground.com.

Teen Softball

By Angie Shaneyfelt, Teen Activity Chair

It was a very good softball game this year. It was ‘almost’ like a professional game as we had drone footage provided by Steve Josey. The adults started with 5 runs in the first inning. I overheard Geoff Stringer comment, “The adults need to get ahead before we get tired!” The teens tried to come back, but ended up losing to the adults with a final score of 7-6. Adult, Robert Hicks, got an in the park home run and was awarded a medal. Everyone commented they all wanted a rematch next year. We will make sure there is more time in the schedule next year to play more innings (maybe a full game).

Teen Volleyball

By Angie Shaneyfelt, Teen Activity Chair

Teen volleyball was on Thursday morning. We did play a game for fun with teens and adults mixed on teams. The teens who attended our volleyball game were: Avery Simpson, Charleigh Bewley, Alexis Simpson, Gabriel Batista, Donuel Gonzalez, Carter Wood, Peyton Beery, Christina Mitchel and Colton Hicks. Adults participating in the game and practice were: Ed and Angie Shaneyfelt, Jeff Robinson, Megan Beery and Macey Stuckwisch. Pictures are included of some of the action!

Teens Enjoyed Active Week at Annual Campvention

By Pat Wittmeyer, Teen Chair

A group of old and new friends came together at the 75th “Anniversary of NCHA/FCRV as teens met for the first time in “The Diamond Mine”, the Teen Center established for them at the annual rally. After introductions and an overview of plans for the upcoming week, Teens dyed T-shirts. These shirts would be used for such field trips as Wolf Mountain Nature Center, the Root Farm Challenge Course and bowling.

Wolf Mountain is set on 70 acres of land in central New York and is home to foxes, coyotes and wolves. The FCRV Teens donated several hours of time and energy clearing ground for a new fox habitat and painting the photography stand overlooking the Wolf section of the preserve. After working, the Center Founder and head animal curator Will Pryor, along with Peggy Fuller, Head Fox Care Specialist, and Dave Connor, Head Coyote Care Specialist, taught the participants some of the more common elements of fox, coyote and wolf behaviors. During the tour Dave was able to get the wolves to howl back and forth, even getting some coyotes to join in the fun. It was downright awe inspiring to be within 12 feet of a howling wolf, and the teens were thrilled to hear the howls.

On the way home we found out where Gilligan landed when we stopped for ice cream at Gilligan’s Island Ice Cream stand.

Wednesday saw the teens and some adventurous drivers tackle the Root Farm Challenge Course, taking on high ropes courses of varying degrees of difficulty. The Teens came away very tired, but happy. Some even asked if Pizza could be delivered early that night so they could go to bed sooner!!

The Teens served burgers and dogs during Family Fun Day, played Hungry Hippos, card games and “Manhunt” in the evenings, and sold many, many raffle tickets for the annual TP Raffle. A lot of great gifts and prizes were distributed during the raffle, and the top ticket sellers from the teens were Colton Hicks, Ian Burns and Christina Mitchell. At the end of the week the Teens enjoyed bowling in nearby Utica, NY.

A lot of fun was had by the Teens, and many are looking forward to next year’s rally in Lebanon, Tennessee.

TP Insurance 2024 Recap

Kathy Howell/Jessica Hicks, TP Chairs

We had 10 teens participate in selling the raffle tickets. They sold almost 3000 tickets!! An additional 200 tickets were sold during the preview time. After cash prizes at the raffle and to the teens, expenses, and money for next year’s raffle prizes, the teens raised over $1200 to go toward next year’s activities. Each teen that sold tickets received a cash prize.

Our teens:

Top 3 sellers

Colton Hicks, Michigan sold 812 tickets

Ian Burns, New York sold 700 tickets

Christina Mitchell, Maryland sold 500 tickets

Andy Batista, Connecticut

Gabriel Batista, Connecticut

Peyton Berry, Kentucky

Charleigh Bewley, Kentucky

Alexis Simpson, Connecticut

Avery Simpson, Connecticut

Brady Pothier, Ontario

We had 89 buckets to draw for prizes, including a week at a Myrtle Beach condo, a Blackstone grill, gift cards from Walmart and Starbucks, beach chairs, and beach carts. All the remaining tickets were tumbled together and 5 cash prizes of $50 each were drawn. We gave ourselves a 60-minute window to draw and distribute all the prizes. We needed a “7th inning” stretch to get us through but finished in 65 minutes.

We also had a few “insurance claims” from campers that were TP’d. Clean up took place and good fun was had by all. Looking forward to 2025. We love receiving donations to the TP Raffle. We have already received a few for 2025. As you make your plans for 2025 in Lebanon Tennessee please think about including an item for the raffle.

Conservation Poster Contest Results

By Mike and Carol Burns, Campvention Poster Chair

Age 9-11: 1st – Jaxon Gordon, PA

Age 12-14: 1st – Otto McIntosh, MI

Age 15-19: 1st – Ian Burns, NY

Age 20+: 1st – Amy McGarran, CT

2nd – Mike Burns, NY

3rd – Kelly Carey, MI

Honorable Mention – Bryan Shiro, PA

Do you have questions about your RV, accessories, best practices, etc? Submit them to Dear RV and our staff will attempt to answer them. The answers are based on years of camping experience,but we don’t guarantee that the answers will apply to your specific unit or situation. If someone submits a question and you can add to our answer OR have a better answer,please submitbelow with information about the original question. Your submission will be reviewed for possible publication in a future Dear RV Q&A. So, send us your questions and we will send you ananswer. Remember, all submissions are anonymous.

Us here at Dear RV!

Dear RV

Do tire monitors really help?

Another flat tire on the road.

Well, Dear Flat Tire.

I was not a believer until I added them to my rig. They are available from several suppliers, differ in quality, and offer various options. Many of these monitors also allow the tow (or towed) vehicle’s tires to be monitored. As soon as the monitor is turned on, you know the inflation level and the temperature of each tire before starting out on a trip. This allows you to adjust your driving habits to get the most out of your tires and helps to avoid a blowout that causes major damage to your rig. We all hear the story of blowouts on the way to Campvention and the damage that was caused to the rigs. If we can avoid the damage and the down time, it is worth the expense. The possibility of improving the camping experience is priceless. So, yes, I think they are worth having on the rig.

Thank you for asking.

Dear RV

Is a Black Stone grill really worth having?

Not sure if it is worth it!

Dear Not Sure, I have a Black Stone, and I love it. However, there are foods that I think are better when cooked on a grill. One of these would be hot dogs which taste better when cooked on a grill or open fire. Foods like bacon, hash browns, pancakes, eggs, and many other things are great cooked on the Black Stone. My Black Stone is a major part of my camp cooking now, and I would be lost without it. There are now many different brands on the market. All are very similar and are well worth having along on your camp outing.

Thank you for asking.

Click on a year to see those months past issues of “Camping Today”.

Letter From Retiring Camping Today Editor

by DeWayne Johnston

July 15, 2022.

In 1989, then President Lyndon Mayer urged me to take over the editor portion of Camping Today since Editor Dave Higbie needed to spend more time on his successful travel business. I had been doing volunteer publicity for NCHA. As editor I was hired as a contractor for service. Dave and Martha Higbie would stay on as publisher and continue to do the layout and printing and supervise mailing. Copies were printed and mailed at that time. Since then, NCHA/FCRV has had several publishers who took care of layout, printing and mailing for a fee.

I was fortunate to have several mentors who knew the organization inside out. Among them were the Higbies and Noreen Smith, I was also glad to get to know founder Hank Nathan, National Director Don Plummer, Office Manager Fran Opella, Layout Person Cathy Williams and many others including the presidents I served under. My wife June was always a great help, too.

My last few years were made a little easier by Vickie Roop who volunteered to take over layout when Camping Today alternated between print and mail and online issues. Of course, today, it’s all done on line with Carl Fromholzer and Paul Standiford doing the layout and Pat Wittmeyer taking care of the mailed subscriptions .

My overall goal was to develop sources for interesting and useful articles and to encourage the membership to share what they are doing in the way of camping activities and other community service projects. Covering Campventions, Retiree Rallies, and other special events was also important. Making FCRV look good wasn’t hard since so many chapters, states, and provinces were doing lots of public service such as Conservation Projects, fundraising for charities, and things like bringing Christmas to orphanages and nursing homes. Also, the Connecticut ’Make A Wish’ support and the Winter Texans Veterans Home gift drive were significant. Rallies have always taken up donations for the local food banks and nursing homes, etc. including Ronald McDonald House.

Although I am retiring as editor, I’ll still be around taking a few pictures and may contribute a story or two. We’ll continue to camp and enjoy the many great friends we have in FCRV.