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Volume XXIV, Issue 4 • July-August 2019

NATIONAL RALLY WRAP-UPTECH TIPS

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Membership ServicesChairwoman - Dwayla Andersen CarrAmerican Coach Association, PO Box 2428 #24502, Pensacola, FL [email protected]

ACA National Web Site:Chairman - Doug Thompson12214 Arron Terrace, Trinity, FL [email protected]

ACA National New Member Ambassador:Chairwoman - Debbie Darby1021 Pinehurst Pl., Camarillo, CA [email protected]

ACA National By-Laws & Policy:Chairwoman - Pat Adams19255 Tenaja Road, Murrieta, CA 92562951-741-0673 [email protected]

ACA Scholarship Foundation:Chairwoman - Pat Adams19255 Tenaja Road, Murrieta, CA 92562951-741-0673 [email protected]

ACA National Rally Guidelines:Chairwoman - Pat Adams19255 Tenaja Road, Murrieta, CA 92562951-741-0673 [email protected]

ACA National Historian:Chairwoman - Ann Beadel8801 FM 45 South, Brownwood, TX 76801325-646-5104/325-998-0431 [email protected]

ACA National Legal Advisor:Chairman - Scott Rose300 South Houser Dr., Covina, CA [email protected]

ELECTED OFFICERS:President - Tony Ford5531 Kings Row Court, Las Vegas, NV 89148702-540-0319 [email protected] President - Pat Adams19255 Tenaja Road, Murrieta, CA 92562951-741-0673 [email protected] - Vicki Meek1010 Floyd St., Anahuac, TX 77514281-455-5422 [email protected] - Alberto Rivera7426 S. Staples #105, Corpus Christi, TX 78413361-960-0344 [email protected]

CHAPTER PRESIDENTS:Great Lakes - Bev DeAngelis8628 Brittany Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242513-235-7900 [email protected] Wanderers - Bill Makowski2958 N. Manistee River Rd., Grayling, MI [email protected] Pack - Trim Sawtelle1913 Saye Broo Dr., Monroe, NC 28112704-226-8179 [email protected] Valley - Barbara Weeks2165 Grassy Branch Rd., Sevierville, TN 37876865-621-3015 [email protected]/NorWest - John Carr3955 S. Stage Rd. #105, Medford, OR 97501818-903-6027 [email protected] - Claudia Rutherford1494 Birch Lane, Perkasie, PA 18944267-228-6143 [email protected] California - Jerry Scott 1225 Christina Ct., Camarillo, CA 93010Cell [email protected] Central - Kitty Nicholson5503 West 7th St., Texarkana, TX 75501903-733-6410 [email protected] - Dorothy Strunk2000 Bal Harbor Blvd. #914, Punta Gorda, FL 33590941-505-4259 [email protected] - Richard Hunter401 E. 8th Ste. 214-1293, Sioux Falls, SD 57103217-494-2067 [email protected]

ACA NATIONAL MAGAZINE:Editor - Bob Carani2843 Kensington Ave., Westchester, IL [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator - Bob Frank407-506-2801 [email protected]

Design & Production - Print Group Inc.1440 W. Skyline Ave., Ozark, MO [email protected]

ACA Magazine - ©2019Volume XXIV, Issue 4July-August

The ACA Across America Magazine (USPS 025-025) is published bi-monthly by the American Coach Association, Publication Depart-ment, ACA, 12214 Arron Terrace, New Port Richey, FL 34655 (727) 709-0218, and is funded in part by annual membership dues and paid advertisements. Membership dues are $45 per year. Mem-bership in the American Coach Association is open to owners of American Coach motor coaches only – Heritage, Eagle, Dream, Tradition, Allegiance, Limited, Revolution and Patriot.

Periodicals Postage Paid at New Port Richey, FL, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER:Send address changes to ACA Across America Magazine12214 Arron Terrace, Trinity, FL 34655.

ACA Across America contains advertisements and Articles which may be of interest to members and the general public. The appearance of any advertisement for products or services in this publication shall not be deemed an endorsement by the ACA, its Officers/Board or individual members. ACA reserves the right to reject or accept, including editing for reasons of space and clarity, letters to the editor, chapter news or articles. Statements of fact and opinion are the sole responsibility of the author(s), alone, and do not imply an opinion on the part of the Board/Officers of the ACA, its members, the Editor, or Production Staff. All items published become property of ACA and will not be returned.

ACA Across America

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5 President’s Letter

6 Vice President’s Letter

7 ACA Scholarship

9-15 Chapter News

16 REV Leadership Change

17 Tips & Tricks

18-19 Go For The Gold Rally Info/Form

21-23 National Rally Wrap-Up

24-25 Tech Tips

26 Positive Karma

In Remembrance...

28-29 Upcoming Rally Details

Rally Schedule

30 Chapter Directory

31 Membership Services

32 Chapter Registration Formwww.myamericancoach.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/600849993367224

Other links:www.acc-fmca.com

July-August 2019, Volume XXIV, Issue 4 [ Contents ]

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ACA mailing address:

American Coach Association PO Box 2428 #24502

Pensacola, FL 32513

On The Cover-

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I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I do have several items to write about, including my visit to the Coburg Technical Center and the Conroe National Rally. Prior to our journey toward Montgomery, Texas and Lake Conroe for our National Rally, Sue and I traveled to Coburg to have some warranty and “customer pay” work done on our coach. The process for making an appointment is a bit interesting. When you call (1-877-466-6226), you actually end up speaking with someone in Decatur. This person notes your information and in turn contacts a scheduler for Coburg, actually in Coburg to establish your appointment date. Coburg personnel call you and works with you to arrange for your needs. Initially, you have no direct contact. So if you’re calling from the west at 3 p.m. pst, you will only get a recording as your call is answered by Decatur. Coburg is a great facility. 15 spots with 50/30 amp service and water as well as an onsite (same lot) dump site. The waiting room is basic, sofas and a TV. You do have restroom access. The personnel at Coburg are terrific. From the Service Center manager, Matt Shyrer, and service writers Kris Burns or Try Vaughan, to the service technicians and parts folks, everyone is positive, empathetic and very, very helpful.Now I can imagine what you may be thinking; “of course they treated Tony well, he’s the National President!” I can assure you this was not the case. There were a Fleetwood, Beaver, a Blue Bird Wander lodge coach and several other brands present while we were there. Every owner either in the office area or just meeting in the parking lot, was not only treated very well, but all I encountered commented that Coburg is the site they absolutely prefer, over all others available to them.

The Coburg attitude is simple, “We believe in fixing the issue right the first time and we were trained that the coach better not return for the same reason.” Once our very few items were repaired, the repairs were tested! Something I really appreciate; validation. During our experience for a slide water leak, the test revealed the repair solved my concern. However, and much to my appreciation, the water test rain rack revealed some storage bay water leaks that must be addressed. This will be done in August, and we’re adding a couple more “cus-tomer pay” items as well.

Coburg is a very small suburb of Eugene, home of Oregon State University. So there’s lots to see, and tons of great places to eat. One cautionary note; the staff at Coburg prefers to actually see your coach and determine the exact part for ordering, rather than relying on “what is usually used or installed.” So depending on your repair, plan on a couple of extra days so that if your part isn’t on hand, a coach specific one can be ordered and installed. If you are in the west, or are planning a trip west, I highly recommend using Coburg for your needs.

[ President’s Letter ]Moving on to our just completed National Rally in Montgomery, Texas. This rally was a terrific success in my opinion. The food was great, and the entertainment was out of this world. This was not the rally to miss. Both live bands and all their performers were second to none. The room stayed packed with members, who danced the nights away.

This rally was the last for Randy Hendricks who is retiring October 31st. Randy’s 29 years with American Coach, spanning some 54 ral-lies, was appreciated by everyone. Randy received a plaque indicating our appreciation and a swinger naming him as the first “Honorary Member” of our Association. We also arranged for the 54 swingers, which brought out a hearty laugh when I presented them to him. They were nearly as tall as he is. In closing the presentation to Randy, I noted that the first time I met him and asked him if he could do something on my coach, Randy said, “Nope.” During this event, late in the game, I had another issue come up with roof air. I asked Randy again if the guys could look at it. Randy said, “Nope.” I commented that my last rally experience with Randy ends, exactly the same as it began! The room roared with laughter. Truth be told, I knew the service techs wouldn’t be able to go on our coach roof. Randy did manage to have a condensation pump delivered to me on the last day. That’s Randy!

Finally, both the National Board and the Scholarship Board voted to change the scholarship program a bit. In the past, we have reviewed applications and awarded monies to 10 candidates, never publically ranking the applicants, 1 through 10. Now, going forward, the top student will receive the “American Coach Association Randall Hen-dricks Top Scholarship Award”. A plaque, with the recipient’s name will be located at the executive offices in Decatur. The plaque will have spaces so that each year, another name can be added.This not only recognizes the appreciating we owners have for Randy, but also becomes an incentive to the children and grandchildren of those who work on our coaches, to strive for excellence. Rick Horther will be taking over the duties of rally support going forward. Rick will do great.

Finally, for those that attended the National Rally, you will be receiv-ing a survey request by email. While by all accounts, Montgomery, Texas attendees had a great time, myself, National Vice President Pat Adams, and the entire board, always want feedback so we can determine how to make your rally experiences better and your associa-tion responsive to your needs.

Till next time, have a great summer!

ACA National PresidentTony Ford


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A Division of

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This is my first article as ACA Vice President. I am looking forward to serving in this capacity. As most of you know I was your National President during 2013-2015. I thoroughly enjoyed my term as President and likewise look forward to serving as VP.

Just a little something about me. My husband of 50 years (this July 2019) Gary and I love to travel in our 2014 American Eagle. We live in Murrieta, California on 5 acres. It is a home that my parents had built in the late 80’s. We have tried to add our own touches to the home but keep the spirit that my parents intended. We are fortunate to have one of our granddaughters and her son, Ayden, live on our property. Ayden is our first great-grandchild so it is extra special watching him grow. We have two (2) grown sons who also live in California. They have blessed us with nine (9) grand-children ranging from 26 – 15 years of age. We love our family time.

Our travels in our motorhome provide us with a won-derful opportunity to see this beautiful country. Also, we have made the best of friends with our ACA mem-bers. It is a pleasure to have such a wonderful asso-ciation that has given us the chance to make all these friends across the U.S.

I have served on the current Board as your National Secretary and look forward to passing that job to ca-pable hands of Vicki Meek, South Central Chapter.Recently we attended the National Rally in Texas. Un-fortunately, we could not take our motorhome this time due to Gary’s recent surgery. However, we were fortu-nate to drive to Texas and beyond in our car and join in all the fun. We rented one of the KOA cabins in Con-roe and it was very comfortable. This rally was such a fun time. The entertainment was off the charts and the food was outstanding. I would like to acknowledge the South Central Chapter once again – GREAT JOB!!! Our Scholarship Foundation gives us an opportunity to award 12 applicants with a $1000 scholarship. I was fortunate this year for the first time to review these ap-

plicants. Wow – it was impressive to see how well these students have done during their high school years, and I am sure they will each succeed in their career paths in the future. During our recent rally we raised a signifi-cant amount of money to support this foundation. Again, thank you to all who are so generous in your support of this worthy opportunity to the REV families.I will end here and hope to see all of you at our next National rally in Louisiana in 2020 to celebrate our 30th year.

ACA National Vice President,ACA PresidentScholarship Foundation

Pat Adams

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[ Vice President’s Letter ]

ACA Scholarship Foundation

A few changes to leadership of the Scholarship Foun-dation occurred at the ACA National Rally in Mont-gomery Texas. The ACA National Vice President is the President of the Scholarship Foundation. At this rally, Pat Adams, former ACA National President and ACA Secretary was installed as the new ACA National Vice President. Pat takes over as Scholarship Foundation President. Along with that change were several others to the Scholarship Executive Board and its Board of Directors. The following are the new officers for the next two years:

Executive Board:President, Pat Adams: Vice President, Bob Carani: Treasurer, John Corcoran: Secretary, Mary Ann Frank.

Board of Directors:Charlie Adcock, Bob Frank, Scott Kellett, Susan Rose and Jerry Scott.

Thank you to those members who have agreed to stay on for another two year term, and a big welcome to the new members for their participation in this valu-able program.

Through rallies in the East, rallies in the West and private donations, we’ve collected $6000 in donations for the Scholarship Program since the beginning of the year. The National Rally in May went beyond expecta-tions in donations with a whopping $16,148 collected at that rally. That’s $22,000+ in donations the first six months of 2019. Words are not enough to thank all those that support this program with their generous donations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Another change that occurred at the National Rally was the renaming of one of our scholarships as the Randall Hendricks Scholarship. This Scholarship will go to the highest scoring applicant. The Board decided that this applicant should receive a $2000.00 Scholar-ship, rather than the standard $1000.00, recognizing their overall achievements in academics, community and leadership. A plaque will be presented with the winner’s name engraved on it and this plaque will hang in the service center. Each year a new name will

be added to the plaque. This renaming is to recognize Randy for the 29 years of service to our members at our National Rallies. Randy will be retiring in October and we felt this was a fitting acknowledgement of his loyalty and friendship.

This years’ Scholarship Presentation will be held in De-catur, Indiana on June 26, 2019. By the time you get this magazine that date will have passed. We will award twelve Scholarships and those details will be in the next issue of the ACA magazine.

Pat AdamsPresident, ACA Scholarship Foundation


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Great LakesThe summer has begun and those calendar pages are turning faster and faster. It’s a beautiful time of year in the Great Lakes areas. Days are warm and nights are cool.

Our chapter summer rally schedule will begin in July with a return trip to the Springfield, Illinois area. Former GLC’ers, Bill and Mary Riggs have agreed to help us with an itinerary that will ensure that we see everything. Springfield is the state capital of Illinois and right in the heart of “Lincoln Land.” We’ll tour the only house Abraham Lincoln ever owned, the spectacu-lar Abraham Lincoln Library & Presidential Museum and his final resting place in the Oak Ridge Cemetery. There’s lots more Lincoln to do, too. We’ll tour the Dana-Thomas House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s first “blank check” commission. Route 66 buffs can enjoy Shea’s Gas Station and the Cozy Dog Drive-In, two interna-tionally renowned must-see Route 66 landmarks. This rally will be fun.

In August, we’ll rally in Rising Sun, Indiana. There are some delightful small towns in this area and a casino just down the way from our campground. We’ll take a day to visit the Museum of Creation as a group. Check out the museum’s website; there’s too much to describe adequately in the space I’m allotted.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Great Lakes Chapter, we wish all of you many miles of good health, good friendships, peace and love.

Bev DeAngelis

I am writing while attending the National Rally at Lake Conroe, Montgomery, Texas. It is such a pleasure to be here, to see our “bonus friends” again and to meet and make new ones. A real plus for belonging to a chapter. Lake Conroe KOA is a beautiful RV Park and can accommodate all our rally needs. We especially appreci-ate the concrete pads. Rally hosts, SOUTH CENTRAL CHAPTER have done a wonderful job organizing this rally. Their decorations for the chosen theme DROP YOUR ANCHOR are beautiful.

We are taking advantage while here to have a new aw-ning installed by Girard. The Aquahot has been serviced and our ’05 Eagle looks as good as our nextdoor neigh-bor’s 2018 Heritage after a great wash and wax job. I have just mentioned a few of the pluses available while attending a National rally.

While Ronnie enjoyed golf, I attended the ladies lun-cheon. There was good food and a fashion show put on by one of our vendors and a goodie bag full of makeup. I never miss this special luncheon. It’s a chance to be with just female friends.

After the rally ended, we left early the next morning for Missouri. After 400 miles, we started looking for a place to stay. Every place I called was full. Ronnie remembered Charlie Adcock told him he had some hookups at his home in Searcy, Arkansas. A few years ago we went to Charlie’s place of business to have our cloudy windows on the coach fixed, A major improve-ment! Anyway, I called Charlie and he said to come onin. A few miles farther we drove up his driveway, he met us and showed us where to go, soon after here came another American Coach. WHEW!!! Talk about Bonus Friends. Thank you again Charlie and Gloria.

Remember, you are always respon-sible for how you act no matter how you feel.Until we meet again

Barbara Weeks,President Missouri Valley.

Missouri Valley


[ Chapter News ]

Hello ACA Members, Well the 2019 National Rally is now completed and what a great Rally it was. On behalf of our chapter I would like to give a BIG THANKS to the South Central Chapter for all their hard work and the great job they did in spite of everything that hap-pened during the year and the last minute changes by the resort.

Discussions continued about the 3 Chapter merger and the National Board approved sending the requested bylaw changes to the entire membership for a vote. If approved by the membership the new chapter will be called “Great Western Chapter” Bob Clapper will be the President, Richard Hunter and John Carr will become Vice Presidents, Marilyn Wheeler will become the Trea-surer, Debbie Darby will be the “New” Membership Chair and Pat Adams as Secretary.

Currently the SoCal chapter is still operating as its own chapter, elections were held at the National Rally for new SoCal officers and the following were elected for 2 year terms.

Debbie Darby as President, Susan Rose as Vice presi-dent, Pat Adams as Secretary and Brianne Brissette as Treasure. Congratulations to all of our new officers.

This will be the last newsletter you receive from me and it has been my pleasure to have served as your President for the last 2 years. This time gave Loretta and me the opportunity to become more involved in the organiza-tion not only on the local level but nationally as well. Thank you for all your past and continued support as I hope to become the Rally Chairmen of our proposed chapter. An August Rally is in the works and will be hosted by Jon and Brooke Wollam. The site will be the Yank’s RV Resort in Greenfield, CA. This is just a short drive from the Monterey Peninsula which is one of the most beautiful areas of California. The dates are now set for August 15th thru 18th. www.yanksrvresort.com

September 1 – 4, 2019 will be at the Jackson Rancheria RV Resort hosted by Craig Ortet and Chris. This is a

Southern California

CALLING ALL HAPPY WANDERERSHELLO to all the HAPPY WANDERERS out there. We are writing this article while attending the 2019 ACA National Rally at Lake Conroe KOA in Mont-gomery, Texas.

HWC members Candy & Brian Diggins had a great trip to the ACA National Rally stopping at the Wind Creek Casino and a few days in the French Quarter of New Orleans where they visited the French Market, Jackson Square, the Saint-Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo Museum and restaurants before continuing on to Lake Conroe KOA in Montgomery, TX. Upon arrival at Lake Conroe KOA Brian & Candy started to prepare for the HWC sponsored Pre-Rally Breakfasts to begin the next morning. They also as-sisted the Southeast Chapter with the Pre-Rally “Happy Hours” that were fantastic. Reacquainting with old members and meeting new members from both the Southeast and Happy Wanderers chapters was a high-light of the “Happy Hours”. The Continental break-fasts and evening “Happy Hours” with all the fabulous food were a success thanks to the volunteers.

The National Rally followed the Pre-Rally with eve-ning “Happy-Hours” which allowed time to meet other members from the different chapters all over the USA & Canada. The catered food followed and the caterer did a great job serving a variety of meal items that were deli-

Happy Wanderers

very nice resort with modern amenities and an Indian Casino on the property. There is an all-you-can-eat Lobster buffet that we may be attending as well. https://www.jacksoncasino.com Jerry Scott has reserved October 11-13, 2019 for a return rally to the Tapo Canyon facility to attend the Ronald Reagan Library. There are 16 sites with full hook-ups.

Travel safely and enjoy your time on the road,Jerry Scott (Past) SoCal President

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[ Chapter News ]

The HWC Officers once again are requesting our mem-bers to volunteer to fill one of the vacant Officer posi-tions (President; Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary} being vacated at the end of 2019. As we have stated several times previously “without Volunteers it is hard for our chapter to survive”. The HWC Officers feel our prayers have been partially answered by the inquiries. We are now praying that some of the inquiries will turn into volunteers to fill to the open positions.

Communications options –Facebook - Happy Wan-derers-ACA, click on like and become a member of the page, post your updates. E-Mail address - [email protected] is a quick and easy way to get in touch with your officers. For those interested in seeing some of the old HW pictures of past years pull up an old Blog - acahappywanderers.blogspot.com.

Chapter History information - The Happy Wanderers Chapter with our diversity plan our “RENDEZVOUS” around Pre and/or Post Ral-lies at the ACA National, Regional and other Chapter Rallies, so keep checking our communication options for updates. We are the only chapter with “HAPPY” in our name and we welcome all ACA members to join us at any of our events and welcome suggestions that may increase our membership and coming together for camaraderie. The “Happy Wanderers” chapter was established for our FUN, FOOD and FELLOWSHIP. We do not compete for members and encourage our members to join other chapters. “Happy Wanderers” members enjoy sharing our RV experience as “Full Tim-ers” with other member just starting the RV experience. The “Happy Wanderers” includes members that have been on the road “Full Time” for 17 years such as Betty & Bill Makowski and Hank & Selene Montgomery who welcome questions about their experiences as Full Timers. Bill Makowski - Chapter President

cious. After the food there were several prizes awarded in the evenings and many ACA members donated their cash awards to the Non-profit organizations present in-cluding the “VA Dogs of Texas” and the “ACA Scholar-ship Fund”. Music and dancing followed several nights.

UPDATE: The Happy Wanderers officers held several discussions regarding the future of the Happy Wanderers Chapter and the lack of volunteers to fill the soon to be vacated Officer positions and continued this discussion while at the ACA National Rally. The situation looked bad as we considered whether the Happy Wanderers Chapter would need to be DISSOLVED or MERGED with another chapter. HWC officers made one more request to members, and we are now beginning to get a few re-sponses/inquiries. We can use a few more inquirers and hopefully the inquiries will turn into candidates. Once the officers have all the information it will be presented to the HW members to cast their vote. Hopefully all will be completed before the end of the 2019 year. Remember that for there to be options for the HWC member volunteers must step forward to fill the open positions. I can attest that as a new officer I was ap-prehensive about the effort that would be required, and I can honestly say it was much easier than I was expecting. The HWC officers have worked together in fulfilling the necessary tasks of our chapter, regardless of which officer had the responsibility, making all our task easier. The reward of accomplishment has been much greater than the effort.


[ Chapter News ]

Spring and summer in the NE is relatively quiet. I reached out to our members to see what’s going on, travels, tech tips, and I did receive some travel updates:The Baskins from Canada are sticking close to home before heading to Alaska with the Coventrys in June

The Anderson’s (Corinth, NY): since we have been home, we have seen the sun shine 4 days out of 18 days. The furnace has not shut off yet! We have started our summer off with the yearly health check-ups, mowed 1/2 of the lawn, spent 4 days in the garage working on projects and Brenda is busy laying out her quilt projects.

The fall rally plans are progressing well. I think there are six rigs already scheduled to show. There is still room for more, so don’t forget to make your reservations. Should be lots of fun. The Moorefield’s spent most of their winter @ Florida Grande, with a few excursions, March for ACC pre-rally in Perry then across the street for the FMCA National. We even had a rally @ our Florida Grande Resort in April where there were some NE members in attendance. Now we are in Thunder Bay RV & Golf Resort in Hillman MI. A little gem with only 22 sites. We will be leaving here next week for our annual Lighthouse duty @ 40 Mile Point in Roger’s City less than 30 miles away. Our members do get around! Anyone needing travel tips or RV resort info for our area can reach out to any of us. Our Fall rally is coming together. Brenda and James Anderson really know how to put a fun rally together. We will be at the Adirondack Balloon Festival, in Lake George, NY. They have also arranged to move directly across from the airport where all the action is for the 3 days of the festival, or you can choose to stay with the full hookups at Moose Hillock Camping Resort nearby.

More info can be found on our NE Facebook page, NE Chapter of the ACA. Have a great summer, keep your eyes open…you never know who you might run into!

Claudia Rutherford

NortheastWell the 29th Annual National Rally is now just memo-ries. We in the SCC want to thank those of you that helped make this rally a success. There were beautiful coaches to view, parts to buy, repairs that were done. Not forgetting, great food, wonderful entertainment, fabulous decorations and fun activities that were of-fered. I hope everyone had a great time. Now we can look forward to the 30th National Rally to be held in Louisiana. Get ready to “Let the Good Times Roll.”Since I’m new to this “President” title I find that you as a member of ACA are very fortunate to have a national board that works hard for you and has your best interest at heart. So, when you meet up with one of the national board members thank them for the work they do.

Summer time is ahead of us so enjoy friends, family and your American coach. Load up the grandchildren whether it will be for two hours or two weeks and let them know what “roughing it” is all about! We aren’t promised tomorrow so enjoy the day at hand. Please drive carefully and defensively during your travels. The average person doesn’t realize what it takes to stop a “big rig.” I confess first hand that I didn’t know until I ap-plied the brakes to stop.

Be sure to stop and smell the roses along the way and be thankful we are blessed with our freedoms and a great nation to enjoy them. Till next time, pray for our coun-try’s leaders, armed forces, first responders and those in need.

Safe travels,Kitty Nicholson

South Central

12

[ Chapter News ]

Hello from MacPack! Hope this letter finds everyone enjoying the open road! Sarah and I are home after a great National Rally in Conroe, TX. It was fun seeing so many of our friends, and getting to meet new ones. I must say it was a somewhat challenging trip getting there and back. We left home May 13 from North Carolina and headed to Tennes-see to meet up with Marge and Dick Bender as we planned to caravan to Texas. Pulled into the campground the first night and heard a terrible sound as the steps retracted! Got under the bus and determined, yep, we were going to need a new motor! Never realized just how high these coaches were until we had to go in and out without the steps! Luckily for us the Benders had a stool that could adjust height, so with it at the highest level we were able to get in and out without too much difficulty. Unfortunately, that was not the only challenge. As the Benders leveled their coach the second night the uneven site caused the coach to twist and their driver’s side front windshield cracked! We managed to get it taped enough so that we were able to continue on, and fortunately the weather cooperated, as using the windshield wipers was not an option! The good news is that we both were able to get our issues resolved while in Texas for the ral-ly. On a positive note, while the roads we traveled were some of the roughest and toughest we’ve been over, our coach met that challenge and came through like a champ!

We are excited to welcome our newest MacPack members, Jill and Chad Jestes, and look forward to seeing them at many rallies in the future.

Following the National Rally several members of MacPack gathered in Sevierville, TN at the Riverside Campground. It was great to get together and catch up on everyone’s adven-tures since our rally at Emerald Isle last April.

We were sorry to discover that this was Randy Hendricks last National Rally as he will be retiring this year; however, we are happy for him as he begins a new chapter in his life. We certainly will miss him!

It was announced that the 2020 Na-tional Rally will be held in Louisiana at the Paragon Casino.This rally will celebrate the 30th an-niversary of ACA so watch for future updates and information!Safe travels wherever you may roam.Trim Sawtelle

Mac PackHello, let me take this opportunity to introduce my-self: I am John Carr, the newly elected president of the Nor-Cal/NorWest Chapter. The two previous chapter presidents have set the bar high, hopefully, I can fill those “shoes”. I say the last two presidents, because my wife and I only joined ACA about 4 years ago, so I have only known the last two. At the time of this writing, we have just left the National Rally in Conroe Texas. The South Central Chapter did a wonderful job putting this rally together. From a great location at the Lake Conroe KOA, the delicious meals that our caterer provided to the great entertainment and fun activities! We were thrilled to see 8 Coaches from NorCal/NorWest includ-ing new members Dennis & Cathy Dean, all the way from British Columbia, Canada!

The weather was what you might think it would be in May; hot & humid, but that didn’t stop the fun and vis-iting. One evening we were even treated to a spectacular thunder and lightening storm! I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with ACA friends, those we have known from previous rallies and the new friends we made at this one! Again, a great BIG THANK YOU to the South Central Chapter!!

Speaking of rallies, don’t forget the upcoming rally at the Jackson Rancharia Casino and RV Park in North-ern California. The dates for this rally are September 1st through the 4th. If it works into your schedule you should really think about this one! Craig Ortet & Chris-tine Carlson as well as Paul Lazetera & Myrna Doerr, have been hard at work! Putting together a rally that is sure to be a special time for all.

By the way, if you have been wondering what’s going on with the 3-chapter merger you may have heard about, that was a subject of discussion by our board of direc-tors at the rally. Following that discussion a motion was passed to proceed, with the process, in that direction. Hopefully we have your support as we move forward. As my wife & I continue our travels we look forward to the seeing places we have never seen and enjoying places we love to go back to! Travel SAFE my friends!John Carr

NorCal/NorWest


[ Chapter News ]

ing dues, they should expect a return that has a value. That return may be in new friendships found, addition-al sources of useful information, pleasure from being part of a group with shared interests, etc. Even more important is when those returns are significant enough and the bond to the organization is strong enough to turn members in to volunteers and organizational lead-ers. I personally believe a merger gives the new chapter the best chance to attain these objectives.

Accomplishing our objectives requires a change to our ACA by-laws. This will soon be presented to the national membership for a vote. While some may think the status quo is just fine, I would argue that as our membership declines, and I think it will, we will need to restructure to provide the very best for existing and new members we can attract. Please think about what you would want the future of our group to look like in 5 or 10 years and how best to address the inevitable changes that will occur.

On a final note, a big SW thank you to Glen Tilley for the suggestion and all the members at our chapter meeting for their unanimous support of our plan to do-nate $1500 of our surplus chapter funds to the Scholar-ship Program. And, we look forward to matching that amount again next year.

Enjoy every day in your American Coach and travel safe out there,Rich

Greetings from Summer Camp, a.k.a. Stoneridge Motor Coach Village, Blanchard Idaho. As of this writing Gail and I are busy cleaning up our site and getting ready to spend our first full summer in beautiful north Idaho. We are also looking forward to our second visit to the Canadian Rockies in late July.

First off, I cannot say enough about the great job the South Central Chapter delivered at this year’s National Rally. Problem after problem after problem was dealt with to the very best of everyone’s ability and the end result was a wonderful time. For those who were there (and we had a great SW Chapter turn out) you could see this event did not come easy. For those that couldn’t make it, please join us next year for the 30th Anniver-sary National.

While I have already communicated with our chapter membership, I still want to take a few minutes to talk about our merger initiative with the SoCal and NorCal/Norwest chapters. For many years these three chapters, which cover the entire western US and Canada, have been closely intertwined with many members belong-ing to two or even all three chapters. For both SW and NorCal/Norwest, rally planning has, in recent years, relied heavily of participation from SoCal members, who are often our members, too.

As we collectively struggle to get fresh volunteers and with them fresh ideas, the current presidents believe the best path is merging the three chapters into one. First, this eliminates redundant officers, second eliminates dues paid to multiple chapters, third brings rally plan-ning under one umbrella, and forth puts our resources together to provide a better product to our membership. Whether we are talking at the nation level of the chap-ter level, we need a couple of important things. First, we need to have a purpose and a product that encour-ages people to join and pay dues that is equitable to the value/benefit they receive. Second, we need volunteers that support the purpose and will provide the time necessary to improve and deliver the products/benefits the membership requires to continue their participation and pay their dues. This is not to say it’s all about the money. But if one invests in an organization and is pay-

Southwest

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[ Chapter News ]

By the time the magazine goes to print, the ACA Na-tional Rally will be a fond memory. But as this article is being written, we are still attending that Rally in Mont-gomery, Texas. The South-Central Chapter worked through some difficult challenges and managed to pull off an excellent rally. Favorite vendors were present (thank you REV Group for sending Randy Hendricks and his crew along with corporate representatives), the bad weather raged all around but avoided us directly, the entertainment added to the friendliness and com-radery of the attendees which made this rally a very successful one. Thank you, South Central Chapter members, for all your hard work. The American Coach Association took the opportunity to recognize Randy for his many years of service. Our own Ray and Pau-line Shea were also recognized for their years of dedica-tion to the organization.

Members of the Southeast Chapter and the Happy Wanderers held a pre-rally May 15 through 18 at the KOA National Rally site. Continental breakfasts, social hours and dinners, including a low country boil, were served. Many of our members ask about pre rally fees. We are fortunate that to date, we have been able to pay any pre rally expenses out of our members’ dues. The Southeast Chapter had 30 coaches attend the National Rally. Additionally, we had 7 first time National rally attendees and 4 new members.

Our next Southeast Chapter rally will be held in Punta Gorda FL October 17 through 22, 2019 at Creekside Resort. This rally replaces our Gulf Waters Resort Rally in Ft. Myers. The Gulf Waters Resort rates almost doubled which made it impossible for us to return. Punta Gorda is a great little town (our hometown so some bias might be included). There is a great Muscle Car Museum, two micro- breweries, popular Fisher-man’s Village, good restaurants and evening boat cruises available for your entertainment. Additionally, Jackie and Mark Belcher, Joanie and Jack Brier and Cathy and Tom Palmer, our rally hosts, will have many fun things planned. Hope to see you there. Please be sure to note

Southeast if you are interested in joining the group for dinner at Fiorentina’s on Friday night for Italian cuisine.The Christmas rally is set for December 5 through 9 at the award- winning Sun N Fun RV Resort in Sarasota FL. Rally host Brett & Sandy Sloan, Martin Mancuso and Bob & Sue Moore are working hard to create a Holiday-festive rally.

The Happy Wanderers and SEACA are once again getting together for a pre-rally to the Regional rally at Lazydays in January 2020. Lazydays limits the number of sites available to us and this is a very popular event, so be sure to register early, as of this letter we are at two-thirds of capacity. This event flows right into Super-show rally. This will be our fourth annual adventure at the Supershow and each year our rallies have gotten bigger and better. Registration must be made through the Florida Recreational Vehicle Trade Association. Registration becomes available in early Fall and sells out rapidly!

We will return to Fort Wilderness in February 2020 with Don & Virginia Eitner along with Tim & Pat Male hosting. We are working on our return to St. Augustine in April 2020. Information, agenda and registration for our rallies is available at www.myameri-cancoach.com and www.southeastaca.net.

Welcome to Southeast’s newest members! Eugene & Linda Barron, San Antonio, TX; Dennis & Julie Grimes, Hereford, AZ; Michael & Melinda Hickey, Mi-ramar Beach, FL and David & Demaris Lee, Petal, MS.Safe travels this Summer.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. If you are interested in volun-teering in any capacity, we would love to hear from you.Dorothy StrunkPresident


[ Chapter News ]

After a long and successful career of over 40 years in the RV industry, Pat Terveer announced his retirement effective June 1, 2019. Pat started his career with Fleetwood Enterprises in 1975 and capped it off over the past 18 months as VP/GM for REV Recreation Group (RRG) in Decatur Indiana. Pat was an essential part of the American Coach brand when it launched, and was also essential in the early stages of the American Coach Association. Pat will stay on with REV as a consultant through the end of the year to continue to implement our sales and prod-uct development plans as well as help through a transition period to new leadership. With Pat’s retirement, REV has appointed Bill Reith as VP/GM of RRG. Bill joined REV in 2016 as VP of Corporate Operations. Most re-cently Bill has been the VP of RRG Operations where he successfully led several operational and quality improvements. Over the last 18 months Bill has worked extensively with the Sales and Product Development teams at RRG on the product portfolio and business strategy. Prior to joining REV, Bill spent 18 years at Caterpillar with progressive leader-ship roles in Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, and General Management. Bill holds an MBA from Marquette University and BA in Operations Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

We wish Pat well in his retirement and look forward to working with Bill.

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See You at the next rally!



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by Debbie Darby

Many of our coaches have ceiling fans. Unlike traditional house fans, they are very close to ceiling. As result it is easy to overlook them when we are cleaning. The best way to clean your fan is to spray the inside of a pillowcase with dust-ing spray (this will help clean the blades AND help repel more dust from accumulating), then cover the fan blade with the pillowcase. Gather the top of the case together and slide it off of the blade, taking all the dirt and grime with you. Repeat on all fan blades. Then just throw the pillowcase in the wash. This chore used to take lots of time, effort, and paper towels. Not anymore. Have pillowcase, will clean! After 35 years of owning retail stores, I know the beauty of using wax paper to clean with. Stores have lots of chrome bars, racks and cases. At least once a week I had my employees wax all the chrome in the store. I finally realized it would work just as well at home. Tear off a sheet of wax paper and wipe down all of your faucets, shower frames, drawer pulls, etc. Any metal object. It not only cleans, but it puts a small amount of wax on them which helps to keep them clean. This was especially helpful on the rods that clothes hang on, so, what the heck, I thought I would try it on my wooden closet rod in the coach….and it worked there as well. It also reduces the black hangar marks on the rods and the hangars move more freely.

Many of our coaches now have dishwashers. Unlike our household dishwashers, the ones in the coach do not get used every day. Sometimes, after sitting without use, they can become smelly! First, you should always check the filter screen for anything that might be clogging the drain. Pull the rack out and examine the drain area; make sure there are no hard chunks that can plug the drain, cause damage to the pump, or scratch dishes. Second, place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with white vinegar on one of the top racks of the dishwasher. Using the hottest water possible, run the dishwasher through an entire cycle. Except for the cup of vinegar, the dishwasher needs to be completely empty. The vinegar will help wash away the loose, greasy grime, sanitize, and remove odors.Finally, after using the vinegar to sanitize the inside of your dishwasher, sprinkle a cupful of baking soda around the bottom of the tub and run it through a short but complete cycle, once again using the hottest water. The baking soda will remove any odors, and remove any stains and your dishwasher will smell fresh.

I use what I call my “Miracle Cleaner” I use the cleaning power of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide combined on almost everything in my kitchen and things in my bathroom, too. It’s perfect for things I couldn’t get clean with tradi-tional cleaners, such as cookie sheets, the stove top, the toaster, and serving utensils.Here’s how: Add 1/4 cup of baking soda to a small bowl. Add a few spoonful’s of hydrogen peroxide to make a thick paste. Then, rub the paste on anything you want to clean! If the stains are particularly stubborn (like cookie sheets), spread the mixture evenly across the stain and let it sit for several hours; then wipe away.

When we travel to rallies, we sometimes gather our chairs to visit, eat and drink. This inevitably leaves us eating in a chair. Often after you’ve dripped a little salad dressing on your favorite shirt or blouse, you have a grease stain. Take that top and rub white chalk all over the stain rub and let it soak in – then wash. It will come right out.

We all travel with our devices so that we can keep in touch with home, family and news. Whether it’s your phone, Ipad, or laptop, a coffee filter can be used to clean dust off of all of your dirty LCD screens. They’ll catch the dust and cut static on the screen, all without leaving behind any fibers like paper towels would. Just wipe, then toss.

When the screens in your motorhome become dusty, or are catching pet hair, the best way to clean them is to remove then and wash them. When traveling, this is not always possible. For us, the door screen seems to get the most dust. Just take a lint roller and use it to remove debris from your screens. Try attaching the lint roller to a pole if the screen door or window is tall or hard to reach.


JACKSON RANCHERIA

18

Free Food & Music, Motorcoaches On Display, Property Tours

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This year’s ACA National Rally held in Montgomery, TX. by all accounts was a success. Members of the host chapter (South Central) received a lot of positive feedback from guest chapters. Present at the rally was our REV team led by Randy Hendricks, providing opportunities to have work done on our coaches. We had other opportunities to improve our home on wheels (mobile lube, glass replacement, clean the exteriors) and many attendees took advantage of this. Of course, the show coaches caught the attention of many, and some mem-bers took advantage of being able to shop from the comfort of their “home.” Rallies are not all work and no play, and this rally had a wide choice of activities to find fun! If dancing was your thing line dancing instruction was available four times during the week. You could see the results of the practice as the evening entertain-ment took place. Lots of boot scooting. Mentioning evening entertainment; guests were treated to two awe-some bands that played till the last dancer walked off the floor. The Royal Dukes and The George Straight Tribute Band with Southern Country Line were a hit!

Entertainment and food. The two critical ingredients for a great time. This rally had it all. The food was great and served with little waiting in line (something hungry folks don’t like). Chicken fried steak, fajitas, smoked pork tenderloin or grilled chicken breast and barbeque were all featured on the menu. Kicking off the meals every night were drawings for free gifts from our sponsors* and gift cards from REV. Surrounding our dining room were booths for our vendors. This rally focused on the ladies when selecting vendors, so there were op-portunities to shop for clothing, American Coach logo items, make-up, jewelry, hats, purses, treats for our pets and specialty items like jams, jellies, salsa, specialty olive oils, honey, and hemp products. Our vendors were very popular and were open for business most of the day.

Events during the day kept most of us busy. The Bunker tour was interesting having an intriguing history that caught the attention of many. Golf for the ladies and gents was held at the beautiful April Sound Country Club practically across the street from our rally and the Ladies Luncheon complete with Merle Norman cosmetic gifts and a style show featuring our own ladies was well attended with 90+ guests. The lunch was good too, sandwiches, soup and peach cobbler. A well-attended activity was Painting Away with Chardonnay. We were treated to two professional artists, with step by step instruction for creating our own artwork. Sangria was served if you chose or you could bring your own beverage.

The area surrounding our rally site was filled with opportunities for touring so everyone was provided a list of self-guided destinations complete with distance from the park and estimated drive time. The George H. W. Bush Memorial Library in College Station, TX., Sam Houston Memorial, and even the Funeral Museum were just a sample of the dozen destinations with many guests taking advantage of the Blue Bonnet Wine Trail fea-turing various wineries in the area.

The rally offered ways guests could get questions answered through seminars with a variety of sessions includ-ing “Helpful Hints” from Debbie Darby, “Ask Debbie” with Debbie Merrit, Cummins/Onan by Alan Greenwell, Aqua Hot by Lloyd DeGerald and Valid Manufacturing by Mark Haga, and more.

Our nightly social hours with each chapter finding a place to socialize, snack on appetizers, and have a bever-age or two was a great way for everyone (especially our new members) to network with each other and a great way to get ready for the evening entertainment and meal.

South Central chapter values the opportunity to share time and experiences with our friends from across the nation and are grateful so many chose to “Drop Their Anchor” with us in Montgomery, TX.

*Special Thanks to these Sponsors of the rally

-Cummins / Onan (ICE CREAM SOCIAL) -Freightliner (DINNER)

-REV Group (DINNER) -ACA (BREAKFAST)

Recap of 2019 ACA National Rally, Montgomery, TX


Recap of 2019 ACA National Rally,

Montgomery, TX


Technical Tips #109© By Rob Lowe

REV Group Introduces Lithium Batteries to its Luxury Models: Some 2019 American Coach and Monaco Coach models have the option of a Lithium Battery Package to replace the conventional AGM maintenance free Coach Batteries. After extensive bench and in vehicle testing, this superb power source is now available in production. Those models offering this upgrade option are the American Coach Eagle and Dream and the Monaco Signature. There are some configuration differences, which I will address later in this TechTip. Why would I buy Lithium Ion Batteries? Lithium Ion (or more correctly Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)) Batteries offer substantially longer usage time, longer life, are much more tolerant to being almost completely discharged and are a fraction of the weight of the comparable Lead Acid batteries they replace. They can be recharged much faster and are a very safe power source. To learn more about this technology and its advantages, I recommend reading four earlier Technical Tips on our website that cover the rationale for selecting Lithium batteries, the actual battery conversion of our coach battery system to Lithium Batteries and some “in use” information. These are detailed in Technical Tips #82, #83, and #84 together with #94. Without going into much more detail, I can say that as of the date I am writing this article, our Lithium batteries, which were installed in July, 2014 are performing as if they were new, about five years later. These batteries should be considered lifetime batteries since, according to the supplier, even after 2,000 to 3,000 discharge/charge cycles, they will deliver 80% of the rated capacity. Some in the battery maker’s testing are performing well after 5,000 cycles! My experience seems to bear out the claims with a competitive brand of battery. Different Configurations Depending Upon the Model: In preparation for this article, I interviewed the REV Group’s (REV) Electrical Engineering Manager and one of his Electrical Engineers. REV installs 100 Amp-hour (Ah), 12 Volt, dragonfly brand http://dragonflyenergy.com/batteries/) Lithium batteries connected in parallel, as a direct replacement

for the original 6 Volt, AGM batteries that were series/parallel connected to give 12V on the standard equipment coach battery system. This allows the new batteries to drop right in and fit in the same compartment without modifications. On the Eagle, the system consists of eight (8) batteries (800Ah total). On the Dream and Signature, the system consists of six (6) batteries (600Ah total). Generally, the industry considers the effective Ah capacity of Lithium Batteries to be double the nominal rated capacity, since they can be discharged to about 20% without any long term damage. Thus, the configurations result in 1,600Ah or 1,200Ah which, when compared to the capacity of conventional Lead-Acid AGM Batteries is a lot of

dependable power! (Note: Our coach has performed flawlessly with a 300Ah (= 600Ah) battery.) Reno, Nevada is the home to dragonfly and their consumer version of the battery is known as Battle Born. The batteries are assembled in Reno, with components imported from many worldwide locations. The individual cells are made in China, since that is the only source for lithium iron phosphate cells at present. The batteries are UL listed.

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PhotoCourtesyoftheREVRVGroup1

In the REV Group coaches, the batteries are placed on AC powered, heat mats in the battery compartment and interconnected by Bus bars attached to all Positive terminals in each row. Similarly, all Negative Terminals in each row are connected together. This results in 3 (or 4) batteries in 2 rows and allows the coach connections to be made in the middle of the two sets (considered to be the best point for making connections). Each individual battery contains a Battery Management System (BMS) that manages the charging of each battery and equalizes the charging among the batteries. It protects each battery against overcharging, short circuits, reverse polarity connections and discharge below a safe level. The nominal voltage of each individual cell is 3.2V with four cells making up each battery, thus 12.8V is considered the battery voltage. Charging these cells brings them up to 3.6V which results in 14.4 Volts for a fully charged battery. Typical voltage readings will be in the 13.4V to 13.6V range. Each battery cell contains a fire-retardant and their construction further reduces any risk of fire. The aforementioned heat mats compensate for the fact that Lithium Batteries will function down to about -4°F (-20°C) ambient temperature, however the BMS shuts down and will not accept a charge below 25°F (-4°C). If the Coach is used in very cold conditions, starting the generator (Dry Camping/ Boondocking) or turning on the power from the campground power source to supply AC power to the mats will warm the batteries to allow full charging.

On the Eagle, the option is $11,780 for the Coach Battery system. Conventional AGM batteries are used for the Chassis batteries, since they are better suited to the engine and chassis requirements. As this technology becomes more common, the battery voltage likely will climb to 24, 36 or 48 volts. There are numerous reasons why this makes sense, not the least being that the higher voltage makes more power available for larger power demanding equipment such as air conditioners. If we look at other applications where lithium batteries are common, such as electric vehicles, we’ll find that 24, 48 or 96 volt lithium battery systems are common. Some, such as Tesla cars, use lithium battery systems producing about 400 volts. DC to DC Converters are used to run the 12V systems on each vehicle. Some smaller Class B vehicle battery systems are capable of running a single roof air conditioner for periods of time. Some of these vehicles have eliminated the traditional generator and replaced it with an engine mounted generator that uses an integrated control system to start the coach engine when power demands it. While it may be a while before we see such a system on a large Class A, it is not outside the realm of possibility. Many of the newer generators found in late model coaches use inverter generators which allow them to be much more responsive to the actual load demanded. If the battery system was to increase in voltage substantially these inverter generators could be connected directly to the battery system, then those systems would provide all the power needed in the coach. Perhaps this is a little bit of blue sky thinking however with this replacement of a lead acid system that has been the ‘go to’ power system since RV’s were invented, power systems such as lead acid maybe on the way out. Lithium batteries are well worth considering if you are buying a new luxury coach.

For past issues of Technical Tips go to the RV-Parts Plus Website at www.RV-PartsPlus.com and click on Tech Tips or follow our Blog also on our website.

Tech Tips appear online prior to being printed. ACA ACROSS AMERICA - Ju ly-Augus t 2019 25

Today, and unfortunately all too often, the art of customer relationships has seemingly taken a siesta…. So, we’re striving to promote the sharing of Positive Karma. If you have an experience you’d like to share- write it up and email it to me as the [email protected] - Make someone’s day just a little bit better. Hope you enjoy.

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We have been putting off buying new coach batteries for our 2011 Eagle for a while, as a pe-riod of dry camping became nearer, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and replace our eight 6 volt AGM Batteries.

We comparison shopped for quite a while finding there is a broad range of prices and labor expenses. A friend of ours recommended West Florida Battery so we gave them a call. Their prices for new batteries was better than we could find locally and living in central Florida we have a lot of battery suppliers. We ended up driving 70 miles to West Florida Battery, a trip well worth it!

Our new batteries were recently installed, and we are very pleased with the professionalism, workmanship and the cost was remarkable. The mechanic replaced our hold down bolts with stainless rods and hardware (we supplied) and modified our hold down brackets, all at minimal cost.

We will be using West Florida Battery for our future battery needs!

Submitted by Ray and Pauline Shea

In Remembrance... Robert Beadel - ACA # 109

Robert Beadel passed away on Friday, May 24, 2019. He was a resident of Brownwood, Texas. Robert and his wife Ann were long time members of American Coach Association. Funeral Services were held on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church. Burial was at Eastlawn Memorial Park.

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Great Lakes Chapter July 7-12Double J RV ParkChatham, IL www.dooublejcampground.com See everything Lincoln (as in Abe) in nearby Springfield -- the Lincoln Museum, the house where he raised his family, and the state-house where he blossomed as a politician. We’ll hear an amazing rendition of his train station speech made when he left Springfield to go to Washington, and we’ll be able to attend a poignant flag ceremony after paying our respects at his tomb. There’s a neat house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which we can tour. This will be a special rally…you won’t want to miss it.

Great Lakes ChapterAugust 11-16Little Farm on the River RV ResortRising Sun, INwww.littlefarmresort.com Out of the city, but lots to do. A highlight is the nearby state-of-the-art Creation Museum (www.creationmuseum.org) which allows you to venture through biblical history, stun-ning exhibits, botanical gardens, a plan-etarium, zoo, and more. For those who like a game of chance, visit the casino just up the street from our campground. There are quaint towns all around us for antiquing or just hunting for those small-town treasures. For those of you who just can’t sit still, there are multiple day trips available, too. Limited number of spots, so reserve yours early.

Yanks RV Resort – Greenfield, CAAugust 15-18SoCal Chapter – your hosts are John & Brooke Wollam

NorCal/NorWest ChapterSeptember 1-4Jackson Rancheria Jackson, CAGo For The Gold. Trivia Night, Casino Night and complimentary wine tasting are a few of the activities planned for this rally. Free day to cruise along the Golden Chain Highway to discover gourmet eateries, hilltop wineries and all sorts of history.

Northeast Chapter Fall RallySeptember 16 - 22Adirondak Balloon FestivalMoose Hillock RV Park

Rally will be held as Moose Hillock RV Park from September 16 – 19. On the 19th we will move over to the airport until the 22nd. It will be dry camping at the airport. Barbeque on the 17th. Lake George boat ride on the 18th. For reservations call: Moose Hillock RV Park – 518-792-4500 Last year’s rates were $66. Big Rig friendly/full hookups. Warren County Airport (Ron) – 518-744-5717 Notify James Anderson at 518-796-3896 after you have made your reservations.

Great Lakes ChapterSeptember 29 – Oct. 4Pine Ridge RV Park - Birch Run, MIwww.pineridgerv.com Just four miles from Frankenmuth, a city known for its Bavarian-style architecture and one of GLC’s historical favorites. The Fran-kenmuth Historical Museum highlights the area’s German roots and the Military & Space Museum will fascinate military history buffs. Beer lovers will surely visit the Lager Mill, home to a museum tracing the city’s brewing history and wine lovers will enjoy various wine tasting venues. Don’t forget your shop-ping list so you can cross off names at the famous Bronner’s Christmas store. Enjoy some of the most delicious fried chicken in the country. This is a beautiful area and there’s a lot to see and do. Southeast’s Fall Rally 2019October 17 – 21, 2019 Creekside RV ResortPunta Gorda, FL www.creeksidervresort.comRally includes four nights on a waterside site. Creekside RV Resort is a brand-new resort located a quarter mile east of I-75 at Exit 161 in the charming, waterside town of Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda rests on Charlotte Har-bor, a gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, and is just a short jaunt to Fort Myers, Sarasota and Naples, Florida. Register and be eligible for up to three extra days at a remarkable rate of $50 a night! Rally hosts Mark & Jackie Belcher and Jack & Joanie Brier are already at wowrk to provide us a great rally! Regis-tration available at www.southeastaca.net

SoCal Fall RallyTapo CanyonOctober 11 – 13, 2019Simi Valley, CAA tour of the Ronald Regan Library and lunch under Air Force One are planned. Limited

Spaces. Contact Jerry Scott ([email protected]) or Debbie Darby ([email protected])

October 17 – 21, 2019 Creekside RV ResortPunta Gorda, FL www.creeksidervresort.comRally includes four nights on a waterside site. Creekside RV Resort is a brand-new resort located a quarter mile east of I-75 at Exit 161 in the charming, waterside town of Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda rests on Charlotte Har-bor, a gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, and is just a short jaunt to Fort Myers, Sarasota and Naples, Florida. Register and be eligible for up to three extra days at a remarkable rate of $50 a night! Rally hosts Mark & Jackie Belcher and Jack & Joanie Brier are already at work to provide us a great rally! Registra-tion available at www.southeastaca.net .

Southeast’s Annual Christmas RallyDecember 5 – 9, 2019 Sun N Fun, Sarasota, FLhttp://www.carefreervresorts.com/rv-parks/florida/sun-n-fun/ Southeast returns to the award-winning Sun ‘N Fun RV Resort for this popular annual event. Extra days are avail-able at the rally rate of $50 a night! Rally rate available for seven days prior to and seven days after our rally! Registration will be available at www.southeastaca.net

Pre-Rally to the 9th Annual Eastern Regional Rally January 8 – 11, 2020 Lazydays, Seffner, FLHappy Wanderers and Southeast host Pre-Rally to the 9th Annual Eastern Regional Rally. A great opportunity to socialize and enjoy Lazydays and the surrounding area. Just call the resort and reserve your extra days.

9th Annual Eastern Regional RallyJanuary 11 – 14, 2020 Lazydays, Seffner, FLSoutheast hosts the 9th Annual Eastern Re-gional Rally. This rally will be held just before the Florida RV Supershow. Rally includes three nights at Lazydays RV Campground, catered meals and entertainment. Registra-tion form and agenda are available at www.myamericancoach.com and www.south-eastaca.net

[ Upcoming Rally Details ]

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[ Rally Schedule ]

Southeast attends the Florida RV Supershow January 14 – 19, 2020 www.frvta.org/show/florida-rv-supershow/Registration must be made through the Florida Recreational Vehicle Trade Association (FRVTA). Updates are available through the Florida Recreational Vehicle Trade Associa-tion website http://www.frvta.org/show/florida-rv-supershow/ or call 813 741 0488. Please note; The registration for the Supershow Rally indicates a four-day event, we go in as a group one day early (Tuesday, January 15) at no additional charge. Be sure to tell them you are with SEACA.

Southeast’s return to Disney’s Fort Wilderness 2020 February 3 – 6 or 7 or 8, 2019disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/ Our adventure starts with a social hour on February 3rd, and our sites are blocked from February 1st till the 10th. This is an ala carte gathering as meals and park admissions are not included, we will have our social hours in the morning and in the afternoon! Expect the cost to be about $120 a night for your site. Reservations can be made by calling Hilda Neal (302 598 8892), tell her you are with Southeast Chapter of the ACA. If you do not want to visit the theme parks, there is still plenty to do!

Southeast’s 2020 Spring Rally at St. Augustine April 16 – 20, 2020Compass RV Parkwww.compassrvpark.com/This is the closest campground to historic St. Augustine. This rally sold out in April 2018 and we are returning by popular demand!

DATE LOCATION CHAPTER

July 7-12 Double J RV Park – Chatham, IL Great Lakes Chapter

Aug 11-16 Little Farm RV Resort, Rising Sun, IN Great Lakes Chapter

Aug 15-18 Yank’s RV Resort, Greenfield, CA SoCal Chapter Hosts: John & Brooke Wollam

Sep 1-4 Jackson, CA - Jackson Rancheria NorCal/Norwest Chapter

Sep 16-22 Adirondack Balloon Festival – Lake George, NY

www.adirondackballoonfest.org - more details to follow – watch NE Chapter ACA FB page!

Sep 29 – Oct 4 Pine Ridge RV Park, Birch Run, MI Great Lakes Chapter

Oct 11-13 Tapo Canyon, Simi Valley, CA SoCal Contact Jerry Scott or Deb Darby

Oct 17-21 Creekside RV Resort, Punta Gorda, FL Southeast Chapter

Dec 5-9 Southeast’s Annual Christmas Rally – SunNFun RV

Southeast Chapter

2020 Rallies:

Jan 8-11 Pre-Rally to Regional Rally – Lazy Days RV

Southeast and Happy Wanderers Chapters

Jan 11-14 Eastern Regional Rally – Lazy Days RV Southeast Chapter

Jan 14-19 Florida RV Supershow- Florida State Fairgrounds

Southeast Chapter

Feb 3-6, or 7 or 8

Southeast Returns to Disney’s Fort Wilderness

Southeast Chapter

Apr 16-20 Spring Rally #2 at Compass RV Park - St. Augustine

Southeast Chapter


• NortheastMaine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts,Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Delaware & Maryland Brenda Anderson, Membership ChairPO Box 129Corinth, NY 12822cell [email protected]$8.00 Initiation Fee

$12.00 Annual Dues-less $1.00 prorated per month after July

• Mac PackKentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina,South Carolina & TennesseeAnnette Hatfield, Membership Chair128 Mountain Laurel Rd.Rustburg, VA [email protected]$8.00 Initiation Fee

$12.00 Annual Dues, due July 1

• SoutheastMississippi, Alabama, Georgia & Floridawww.southeastaca.netYvonne Brim, Membership Chair12841 47th PlaceWellborn, FL [email protected]$8.00 Initiation Fee

$12.00 Annual Dues

• Great LakesMinnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,Michigan & Southern Ontario, CanadaDiane DeMille, Membership Chair731 N. Williams Dr.Palatine, IL [email protected]$10.00 Annual Dues, due by July 1

$5.00 after January 1

• Missouri ValleyNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa & MissouriBarbara Weeks, Membership Chair2165 Grassy Branch Rd.Sevierville, TN [email protected]$15.00 Annual Dues due by July 1

• South Central Chapter:Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma & Texaswww.aca-scc.comRobin Fagala, Membership Chair103 S. 68th StreetBroken Arrow, OK 74014cell [email protected]$12.00 Initiation Fee

$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated per month after January

• SouthwestColorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Nevada and Utahwww.acasw.comSue Ford, Membership Chair5531 Kings Row CourtLas Vegas, NV [email protected]$8.00 Initiation Fee

$12.00 Annual Dues less $1.00 prorated per month after July

• Southern CaliforniaSouthern Californiawww.socalaca.comBrianne Brissette, Membership Chair29668 Nicholson CourtHighland, CA [email protected]$5.00 Initiation Fee • $15.00 Annual Dues, due June

• NorCal/NorWestNorthern California, Northern Nevada andOregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska,British Columbia, Alberta & Saskatchewanwww.norcalaca.comRhonda Dieter, Membership ChairPO Box 592Clio, CA [email protected]$5.00 Initiation Fee

$15.00 Annual Dues less $1.25 prorated per month after July

• Happy WanderersAll 50 States Plus CanadaCandy Diggins, Membership Chair5212 Theys RoadRaleigh, NC [email protected] NONE Initiation Fee

$15.00 Annual Dues

Annual dues renewal date: January 1

[ Chapter Membership Chairs ]

30

Dwayla Andersen Carr ACA Membership [email protected]

Having trouble signing-on? Save yourself some frustration! CALL Membership @ 501-858-9564! These calls go to my cell phone, wherever I am! I may not always be able to answer right away:

SO: LEAVE A MESSAGE! The messages will forward to my cell phone also, so I can reply as soon as possible! If you DO NOT leave a message, I may NOT know you called! I can refresh your password within a few quick minutes and that seems to work every time!If I do not return your call, with-in 24 hours, I’m sorry, PLEASE call again!

REMEMBER, joining a chapter increases your friendships and fun!

Below are the new Member Families since our last magazine!Ed & Kathy Crock, A B & Lulu Campbell, Norm & Corky Rodgers, John & Wilma Green, Ron & Sheila Williams, Douglas & Kim Hindman, David & Stacy Lucchese, Bill & Cathy Fulton, Diane DeFore & Ron-ald Brothers, Michael & Irene Koerner, Larry Dula, Duane & Karen Lindsey, Jeffrey & Julie White, Neil & Terese Moore, Don & Susan Blocker, John Sparkman, Mike & Glenni Collins, William Beckett, Joanie & Dean McCoy, Steven Lindahl, Paul & Patti Hawkins, Brian Feeney, Terry & Doris Johnson, Kevin & Lori Cook, Larry & Elizabeth HarNess, Steve Greenwood, Rob Atwood, Chris & Laurie Hoaglund, Mary Beth Stearns & Linette Davis, Charles & Linda Osborn, Alan & Linda Strand and Dan & Shelia Stewart!

Thirty-two new families, please help me welcome them!Respectfully,Dwayla Andersen Carr

[ Membership Services ]

• Credit Card Services •You can join or pay your annual

dues with a Master Card or Visa on the ACA Web site*. We’ve taken pre-cautions to ensure it’s safe and no one will have access to your credit

card information.

• Membership Roster/By-Laws •Membership Roster & By-Laws can be viewed and downloaded from the

ACA Web site*. Please note we no longer mail out either unless one is

requested by mail or e-mail.

• Free Web Site Advertising •Members can place a classified “coach for sale” advertisement

on the ACA Web site. Best of all, it’s FREE!

• Membership Badges •New members receive their

Membership Badge(s) - they are FREE - with their New Member

Welcome Letter. Existing members who wish replacement badges must order them directly from McBee’s -

see below.

• Change Phone or Address •Change and/or view your personal

membership information on the ACA Web site*

All ACA mailings, including the ACA Across America Magazine, are mailed to the address listed in the

ACA Roster data base.

If you don’t have a computer (or hate to use one) just call or mail us and we’ll make any necessary changes or corrections for you.

Need Swingers, Badges or Ovals?It’s easy: Mail your order along with an enclosed check (US $), including your correct ACA Membership Number, to the following:

McBee’s • 909-336-2325 • PO Box 660, Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352• Swingers @ $3.00 each • Badges @ 10.00 each • Ovals @ $20.00 each - Prices include shipping and sales tax.

Questions? send e-mail to [email protected]

* Type in www.myamericancoach.com - on the home page, click on Membership Login and follow prompts.


[ Membership Form ]New Membership Enrollment & Dues Renewal Form

Please complete this form and mail (with check in US dollars) to the ACA Membership Services address listed below

USE For Local Chapter Membership Enrollment ONLY *I understand that I may join as many local chapters as I please but that I must be a member in good standing in

the National American Coach Association in order to join a local chapter - my membership number is: #____________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Co-Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing info: address & street name city state zip U.S. or Canada

(_______)_______-__________________(_______)_______-________________________________________________________ Phone: home cell E-mail address

See Directory & Dues page for a listing of chapters, states they cover, dues & initiation fees and key contacts.Indicate the chapter(s) that you wish to join by checking the appropriate box(es)

o Great Lakes o Happy Wanderers o MacPack o Missouri Valley o NorCal/NorWest o Northeast o Southern California o South Central o Southeast o Southwest

Total of the enclosed check (see chapter requirements): $_____ Check number _____ Date mailed _____

* Send this completed form, along with a check in the correct amount for initiation fees and first year’s dues(US dollar please) and mail it to the appropriate chapter contact as listed on Directory & Dues page of this Magazine.

c u t & m a i l s e p a r a t e l y

• • • American Coach Association • • •PO Box 2428 #24502 • Pensacola, FL 32513

If you need to correspond with the Membership Services office directly, you can reach them at 501-858-9564 or send Email to [email protected]

When enclosing a check with this form, please fill in the following information: Select one: o Current ACA member # _______ o Reactivating membership/previous ACA # _______ o Enrolling as a new member o New membership - $55 first year only ($45 annual dues plus $10 initiation fee) o Annual renewal or reactivation dues - $45 yearly o Number or years renewal (select one): o One o Two o Total of your enclosed check $ _______ (US dollars please) Check number _______ Date mailed _______

Please type or print clearly. NOTE: If you are a New Member, the National Directory & your ACA badge will be exactly as listed. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Co-Owner’s name: first (if you prefer a nickname, use that) last

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing info: address & street name city state zip U.S. or Canada

(_______)_______-__________________(_______)_______-________________________________________________________ Phone: home cell E-mail address I/we own: o Heritage/year _____ o Eagle/year _____ o Dream/year _____ o Tradition/year _____ o Allegiance/year _____ o Limited/year _____ o Revolution/year _____ o Patriot/year _____ I/we belong to the following local chapter(s): o Great Lakes o Happy Wanderers o MacPack o Missouri Valley o NorCal/NorWest o Northeast o Southern California o South Central o Southeast o Southwest

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c u t & m a i l s e p a r a t e l y

ACA Across AmericaThe Official Magazine of American Coach Association12214 Arron TerraceNew Port Richey, FL 34655

ACA 19july-aug soft proof-3 - American Coach Association · [email protected] Secretary -...

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