RVFEST 2013

Dear RV Family,

            RVFEST 2013 is scheduled for Monday 24 June to Saturday 29 June 2013 at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds, Goshen, Indiana. 

            Below is the Tentative Agenda for the rally that is open to all RVers, who drive or tow an RV!  An Application is attached to this e-mail!  Monday is arrival day.  All on-site activities will be in the air-conditioned Agricultural (AG) building. 

            At the rally we will collect and redeem pull-tabs for the KOA Care Camps for children with cancer.  We will have a Chinese Auction - bring your ‘stuff’ to sell – with the proceeds also to benefit the KOA Care Camps!  Jean Potteiger volunteered to offer a porcelain painting craft class. Please volunteer to teach a craft if you can!  Please let me know if you would like to be a presenter. Also, let me know if you want me to schedule a meeting time for your chapter/group.  RV/Truck/Car weighing will be offered for a fee by RVSEF representatives as will RV service by ESC Service and Collision

            Please encourage all of your friends to consider attending RVFEST 2013 with you.  I believe all  who attended previous RVFESTS were not disappointed!  Jean and I look forward to renewing and making new friendships and having a fantastic time!  We hope that you will join us. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

RVFEST 2013

June 24 to 29 2013

Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds

17746-D CR 34, Goshen, Indiana

 

Tentative Agenda - 5/8/2013

 

Monday:  Arrival at the Fairgrounds, Pizza & Salad Dinner, Welcome & Orientation in  the AG Hall Building (next to the ECCC building)

Tuesday:  Coffee & Donuts, Welcome Speakers, Seminars, Pot-Luck Dinner, Social & Games this evening

Wednesday:  Coffee & Donuts, free day to visit the famed Shipshewana Flea Market (18 mi.), Cash-prize Bingo this evening

Thursday:  Coffee & Donuts, Craft Classes, Chinese Auction, Pot-Luck Dinner, Entertainment TBA

Friday:  Coffee & Donuts, tour of NeXus RV Factory, Family-style Dinner at Amish Acres, Nappanee, IN followed by the play ‘Nunsense A-Men’ (To quote the NewYorkTimes: “A Change of habit, boy, oh boy!”) in the historic Round Barn Theatre.

Saturday:  Catered Farewell Breakfast in the AG Hall

NOTE: We will car pool to all off-site activities – all distances shown are from the Fairgrounds.  Six day rally, five nights camping with full hook-up, 50/30 AMP service in the heart of Amish Country and the RV industry

Two in an RV: $325.00

One in an RV: $260.00

Extra Person 12 and over: $115.00

Wednesday Optional Dinner Buffet at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, Middlebury, IN (10 mi.) - $15.50 pp

Friday Optional Tour of MH/RV Hall of Fame  $7.00 pp  (Will be included if rally attendance warrants)

RVFEST 2013 Update

Dear RV Friends,

            RVFEST 2013 is scheduled for Monday 24 June to Saturday 29 June 2013 at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds, Goshen, Indiana.  Below is the Tentative Agenda for the rally that is open to all RVers, who drive or tow an RV!  An Application is attached to this e-mail!  Monday is arrival day.  All on-site activities will be in the air-conditioned Agricultural (AG) building.  The AG building is located at the near the end of the ECCC building that we used for previous RVFESTS. 

            I must have at-least 45 RV units to make the rally a go!  We’ve continually decreased in numbers at RVFESTS, from 80 to 54 to 42 RV units and that is why the Fairgrounds asked us to move to the AG building.  If I do not have 45 commitments by 15 May, I will cancel the rally forfeiting deposits to the fairgrounds and entertainers.  I had 15 non-refundable deposits from RVFEST 2012 attendees that I used to pay the non-refundable deposits!

            At the rally we will collect and redeem pull-tabs for the KOA Care Camps for children with cancer.  We will have a Chinese Auction - bring your ‘stuff’ to sell – with the proceeds also to benefit the KOA Care Camps!  Jean Potteiger volunteered to offer a porcelain painting craft class. Please volunteer to teach a craft if you can!  Please let me know if you would like to be a presenter. Also, let me know if you want me to schedule a meeting time for your chapter/group.  RV/Truck/Car weighing will be offered for a fee.

            If you receive more than one copy of this e-mail or are no longer RVing , I apologize!  In order to reach as many people as possible, I use several contact lists! Please encourage all of your friends to consider attending RVFEST 2013 with you.  I believe all of you who attended previous RVFESTS were not disappointed!  Jean and I look forward to renewing and making new friendships and having a fantastic time!  We hope that you will join us.  I also apologize for not getting this to you sooner.  My left carotid artery was cleaned out 16 January 2013 and re-inserting the windshield in our RV took over two weeks in February because one area of the fiberglass front cap had to be rebuilt to properly seat the windshield.  Excuses, excuses!!!

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                Lester A. Potteiger

                                                                                                13103 Trapp Drive      

                                                                                                Spotsylvania, VA  22551-8023

                                                                                                540-220-7649 ©

RVFEST 2013

June 24 to 29 2013

Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds

17746-D CR 34, Goshen, Indiana

Tentative Agenda - 2/24/2013

Monday:  Arrival at the Fairgrounds, Pizza & Salad Dinner, Welcome & Orientation in                  the AG Hall Building (next to the ECCC building)

Tuesday:  Coffee & Donuts, Welcome Speakers, Seminars, Pot-Luck Dinner, Entertainer             Steve Jeffris

Wednesday:  Coffee & Donuts, free day to visit the famed Shipshewana Flea Market                    (18 mi.), Cash-prize Bingo this evening

Thursday:  Coffee & Donuts, Craft Classes, Pot-Luck Dinner, Entertainment TBA

Friday:  Coffee & Donuts, Chinese Auction, Family-style Dinner followed by the play                      ‘Nunsense A-Men’ (To quote the New York Times: “A Change of habit, boy,                         oh boy!”) in the historic Round Barn Theatre.

Saturday:  Catered Farewell Breakfast in the AG Hall

NOTE: We will car pool to all off-site activities – all distances shown are from the                            Fairgrounds.  Six day rally, five nights camping with full hook-up, 50/30                     AMP service in the heart of Amish Country and the RV industry

Two in an RV: $325.00 - $54.17 per day

One in an RV: $260.00 - $43.34 per day

Extra Person 12 and over: $115.00 - $19.17 per day

Wednesday Optional Dinner Buffet at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, Middlebury, IN (10        mi.) - $15.50 pp

Thursday Optional Tour of RV/MH Museum Elkhart, IN (15 mi.) - $7.00 pp, Optional  2    or 3 hour Elkhart River Cruise with Captain John Cleveland at 2:00 PM (14 mi.)   $9.00 or $10.00 per person (minimum number of people required 60 or 70)

Friday Optional Tour of Nexus RV, Elkhart, IN (17 mi.) with Wine & Ice Cream

Dear RVFEST 2012 Participants:

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for supporting RVFEST 2012!   We are deeply indebted to all of you who volunteered to make this rally a success.  We could not host RVFESTs without volunteers!  Volunteers make or break a rally! We thank Larry and Carol Parker for the inspirational Interdenominational Worship Service.  They have provided the service bulletins for the past three years at no cost to us and we greatly appreciate all that they do at our rallies.  We are deeply indebted to John Lester for setting up the coffee and hot water pots and cold water cooler each and every day!  We give John many, many thanks for his devotion to this important task and also for orchestrating the daily stretch classes.

We were blessed by co-hosts Richard and Virginia Raikes able assistance.  Virginia Raikes, my wife Jean and our daughter Neena Durham ably kept the kitchen staff and serving volunteers, as well as themselves, actively engaged to provide our scrumptious meals on time.  They also did all of the grocery shopping.  Jean prepared some of the food at our home in Spotsylvania, Virginia before leaving for Goshen!  We give kudos to all who contributed to the delicious pot-luck dinners and added inches to our waistlines!

We thank all who gave and sent us ‘Thank You’ cards and notes.  We received a ‘Thank You’ card from Becky Hochstetler, Heartland Country Cloggers contact, with a note from her and notes from fellow Cloggers expressing the pleasure they received performing for a ‘warm and friendly’, ‘great’  ‘receptive audience’ - there are some seven notes and fourteen signatures on the card! 

We thank all for participating in the collection of aluminum pull tabs and contributing to the Chinese auction.  We give kudos to Richard and Virginia Raikes, and Richard and Phyllis Gilkey for conducting the auction.  The Raikes also redeemed the pull-tabs.  The tabs weighed in at 157 pounds and sold for $0.65 per pound to net $102.05.  The auction netted $374.00.  A check for $476.05 was sent to KOA Care Camps for kids with cancer.  Congratulations to all pull tab participants especially the Plumleys who brought in ~41.6 pounds of pull tabs, Rose Mary Volpert, ~39 pounds and the ILLOWA Gulf Streamers, ~31.6 pounds.

We also thank NeXus RV for sending the bus to give us a tour of their factory.  Their Class B-plus Viper and Class C Phantom RVs are very impressive with some unique features.  I found the quality of their product greatly improved this year – the units are extremely attractive and appear to be well engineered and constructed.  The Viper was featured on the cover and favorably reviewed in the June 2012 issue of MotorHome magazine.  NeXus RV co-founders Claude Donati and Dave Middleton sell factory direct and personally deal with clients.

I apologize for not writing sooner.  I procrastinated because I received bad news at the rally and the day after the rally, and then more after that!  It seemed to take the wind out of my sails!  At the rally, you may have missed the announcement that Anna Patterson’s step-father passed away at 88.  That is the reason that she and Stephen Wismer did not attend the rally as co-hosts. 

I received two calls 25 June from Jack Newman, the last telling me that his longtime, beloved friend Martha Greenleaf Halling of Ormond Beach, Florida passed away that day at 73.  She had ALS - Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Then on the Gulf Streamers website, I learned that Patrick Charles (Pat) Conley of Norwalk, Iowa passed away the same day after suffering a stroke.  He too was 73 and is survived by his wife Cathy and children.  At the age of 80, I count my blessings every day!  

Prior to the rally (and announced at the rally with less detail) Sue Richardson informed me that Charles Henderson Shontz lost his battle with cancer 11 June.  He lived in Louisville, Kentucky and was 75.  Sue also informed me that Rhonda Camp was awaiting a liver transplant and passed away 17 June before a liver was available.  She lived in Charleston, South Carolina and was just two days shy of 51!  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families of the deceased.  All of the deceased were active RVers who will be missed by many.   I found their obituaries on the Internet using a Google search.  Isn’t it amazing how much one can find on the Internet?  – Just Google it! 

We thoroughly enjoyed RVFEST 2012 and trust that you did also.  We congratulate the big cash-bingo winners – Rose Mary Volpert and Rae Schimke.  We also congratulate the winners of the ‘How Well Do You Know Your Partner’ games – Carol and Leo Plumley, and Judie and Larry Stocker.  We pray that the games did not start any feuds or divorce proceedings for any of the non-winners!

We would like your comments/input about the rally, what you liked or did not like!  What would you like to see, do, and have at RVFEST 2013 scheduled for Monday 24 June to Saturday 29 June at the same location!  Please mark your calendars!  It will be two days shorter than usual.  Other suggestions include offering only continental breakfasts, the usual pizza dinner arrival day, a catered farewell dinner, two pot-luck dinners, five nights entertainment (two ‘professional’ entertainers with three bingo and other game nights), vendors with seminars and craft classes, and pull-tab collection/Chinese auction with proceeds going to KOA Care Camps.  Please give me your input.  I vetoed the use of the Ag Hall in place of the ECCC building – it would have been a step backward for us!

RVFEST 2013 follows a Heartland rally at Goshen just as RVFEST 2011 did, meaning that we may attract more vendors who will stay over for our rally, especially if we have good attendance.  (The Fleetwood rally that followed us this year was attended by 335 RVs and some 60 vendors!)  RVFEST 2013 also follows the annual FMCA rally Wednesday 19 June to Saturday 22 June, just 1200 miles from Goshen, Indiana at Gillette, Wyoming.  The dates for the Good Sam Rally have not been announced; rumor is that it will be held in central Illinois in June 2013. 

In the news: Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis will star on ‘Secret Millionaire’ to be aired on television 5 August.  Camping World acquired Longview RV’s Tampa, Florida location off Interstate 4 at Exit 14, east of its present location next to Lazydays RV at Exit 10.  Camping World will greatly expand the Longview site to a 14,000 square foot retail store, add a service facility with over 50 bays and, I believe, they probably will close its location next to Lazydays in the future!  The news release noted that other RV dealers may be acquired in the surrounding area!  You may have heard that there are now 100 Camping World stores throughout the U.S.!  Ms. Tanya Swihart, Rental Manager, Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds is moving to Arizona to be near her parents the end of September this year.  You may remember her welcome the first day of each RVFEST – we certainly will miss her!

New definitions:  SOS – Slower, Older and Safer!

                           ASAP – Always Say A Prayer!

                  

Again, many thanks to all of you for participating in RVFEST 2012 - see you next year?   I have 15 deposits that I received before leaving Goshen!   We wish you good health, prosperity, safe travels and always, much happiness with family and friends.  Please give thanks daily to our military, police, fire and medical personnel who insure our freedom, protect us and heal us.  Remember to include them in your prayers.  (A recent e-mail noted that during WWII, 11.2 % of the nation’s population served 4 years, during Vietnam, 4.3% served 12 years and since 2001 only 0.45% has served in the Global War on Terror!  Many thanks to all.)

Sincerely,

Les and Jean Potteiger

Passing of Jan Mullet

I (Lester Potteiger) was informed by Joyce Bailey that Jan Mullet, Topeka, Indiana passed away 18 May 2012.  Joyce was notified by Jan's daughter.  As far as Joyce knows Jan's husband Jim is still living in a nursing home, unable to speak due to a stroke some years ago. Our sincere condolences to the family of Jan Mullet.

RVFEST 2012 Tentative Agenda

Sunday, 17 June 2012– Breakfast & Lunch on your own

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Arrival & Parking at Fairgrounds

6:00 PM – Pizza Dinner in ECCC – Please Note: Bring your own Table Service and Drinks to Meals

                                                       (including coffee cups/bowls if needed).

7:00 PM – Orientation/Question & Answer Session

7:30 PM – Social – get acquainted – get ready for a relaxing week of FUN, Food and Fellowship!

Monday, 18 June 2012 – Lunch on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 AM – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

10:00 AM – Welcome to Goshen & the Elkhart County Agricultural and 4H Fairgrounds by Tanya

                      Swihart, Rental     Manager

10:15 AM – Welcome to Elkhart County, Indiana – the Quilt Gardens Tour by Sonya Nash, Elkhart

                     County Convention & Visitors Bureau

11:15 AM – Mike’s Custom Painting, Mike & Isaac Weldy

11:30 AM – ECS RV Service, JD Adams Operations Manager

                     RV Maintenance 101 Seminar by JD Adams

2:00 PM – Let’s Meet the RV Pioneers Seminar by Al Hesselbart, RV History Programs, RV/MH Hall of

                   Fame

3:00 PM – RV Slide Leveling and Maintenance by JD Adams

4:00 PM – RV Interior Upgrades by JD Adams

5:00 PM – Happy Hour (your choice – nothing provided)

6:00 PM – Pot-Luck Dinner (please bring a dish to share)

7:00 PM – Game Night with Cash Prize Bingo

Tuesday, 19 June 2012 – Lunch on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 AM – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

10:00 AM – Birds of Michiana by Jerry Good, Elkhart County Parks Department

2:00 PM – ‘Favorites’ – an Audience Participation Seminar

4:30 PM – Happy Hour (your choice, nothing provided)

5:30 PM – Pork Barbecue Dinner (if you signed up for a dessert, please bring it)

7:00 PM – The Steve Jeffris Show

Wednesday, 20 June 2012 – Lunch & Dinner on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 AM – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Shipshewana Flea Market is open and the Shipshewana Quilt Show runs through

                                       Saturday 23 June 2012

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

4:30 PM – Happy Hour (your choice – nothing provided)

7:00 PM – “How Well Do You Know Your Partner?”

Thursday, 21 June 2012 – Lunch on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 AM – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

Free Day to visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Elkhart, IN (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday) and/or the Four Winds Casino, New Buffalo, MI with bus transportation from the Northpoint Kmart, Elkhart, IN - $1.00 round trip ticket gets you either $5.00 slot play or $10.00 matching table game play.  Buses depart at 8:15 and 11:15 AM and leave the casino at 9:50 AM and 12:50 and 3:50 PM – reservations are recommended at 1-866-711-1997.

4:30 PM – Happy Hour (your choice - nothing provided)

5: 30 PM – Baked Pasta Dinner (if you signed up for a dessert, please bring it)

7:30 PM – Game Night with Cash Prize Bingo

Friday, 22 June 2012 – Lunch on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 AM – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

10:00 AM – Gulf Stream Chapter FMCA Meeting – Frank Bagnoli

11:00 AM – Gulf Streamers Military Chapter Meeting – John Doty

1:00 PM – Hobbyists gather to ‘Demonstrate/Play/Work’

                  Needle Tatting by Jane Beard, Blessed Tat

2:00 PM – Boxes out of Christmas Cards by Nancy Miller

3:00 PM – Porcelain Painting by Jean Potteiger

4:30 PM – Happy Hour (your choice, nothing provided)

6:00 PM – Pot-Luck Dinner (please bring a dish to share)

7:30 PM – Sentimental Journeys Dance Band

Saturday, 23 June 2012 – Lunch on your own

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water – ECCC

8:00 – 8:45 – Morning Stretch with John Lester & Friends

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Deluxe Continental Breakfast

10:00 AM – Chinese Auction benefit KOA Camp for Kids with Cancer

5:00 PM – Baked Ham Farewell Dinner

6:30 PM – Heartland Country Cloggers

7:30 PM – Wasepi Bluegrass Gospel Singers

Sunday, 24 June 2012 – Departure Day

8:00 AM – Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Ice Water - ECCC

9:00 – 10:00 AM – Farewell Deluxe Continental Breakfast

10:00 AM – Interdenominational Worship Service - Reverend Larry Parker assisted by Reverend Carol

                     Parker

1:00 PM – Official Fairground Departure Time

RVFEST News

Dear Fellow RVers and Friends,

In less than three months, RVFEST 2012 begins 17 June at the Elkhart County Agricultural and 4H Fairgrounds, Goshen, Indiana.  We need to receive additional registrations to make this rally a go and a success! Thanks to you who are registered, 31 RVs as of today (6 first timers!).  Please invite your friends to join you for this inexpensive rally for a full week of fun and fellowship.  All RVers are welcome!  Although we will accept last minute reservations, we must have a minimum number of reservations, by 5 May, when final payment is due, to hold the rally!  If you have not sent in your application, please do so as soon as possible.

ESC (Elkhart Service and Collision) RV Service will present a couple seminars as well as provide RV service.  Mike Weldy of Mike’s Custom Painting, Inc. will support us again this year.  We need more vendors and we will actively seek them in the next few weeks.  If you have any suggestions, please contact Les.

Pastors Larry and Carol Parker are seeking musicians for the worship service 24 June.  If you play a musical instrument and/or sing please e-mail Larry at larryparker@juno.com or call: 330-852-0170. 

We are seeking ‘crafters’ to demonstrate and/or teach a craft class.  Jean Potteiger will teach a class in porcelain painting.  Please contact Les if you would like to participate as a ‘crafter’!

Please bring items for the Chinese auction as well as your pull-top tabs for redemption with the proceeds of both to go to KOA Care Camps for children with cancer.  Last year our donations totaled $493.80.

Steve Jeffris will entertain us Tuesday evening.  The Marlins will entertain us Wednesday evening.  Friday evening we can dance to music of Sentimental Journeys.  Saturday evening, after our farewell dinner, the Heartland Country Cloggers will entertain followed by the Wasepi Bluegrass Gospel Singers.  We will have cash prize bingo or other games Monday and Thursday evenings.  All activities will take place in the air-conditioned Elkhart County Community Center (ECCC) building, unless we elect to have some outdoor games!

We’ll serve four evening meals and schedule two pot-luck dinners.  A deluxe continental breakfast will be served each morning following the morning stretch class led by John and Margaret Lester and friends.  Lunches will be on your own.

We’ll leave Wednesday open during the day so that you can visit the Shipshewana Flea Market if you wish – it is only open on Wednesdays.  Please visit the RVFEST blog www.rvfest.blogspot.com for the latest information.  I will post this e-mail.

We also have a personal blog, www.lester-jean-travels.blogspot.com, where you can follow our travels.  We have a busy schedule between now and RVFEST 2012!  Hope to see you there!  The success of this rally depends on all of us!

Sincerely,

Les and Jean

RVFEST 2012 Flier

RVFEST 2012

WHAT:  The third annual inexpensive RV rally for all RVers.

WHEN:  Sunday June 17 to Sunday June 24, 2012 – a full week of fun and fellowship.

WHERE:  Elkhart County Agricultural and 4H Fairgrounds, Goshen, Indiana.

HOSTS:  Les & Jean Potteiger, Richard & Virginia Raikes, Stephen Wismer & Anna Patterson.

VOLUNTEERS:  Rally attendees!

COST:  $295.00 for two in an RV, $245.00 for one in an RV, $100.00 for an extra person over 12,
               free for children 12 and under.

AMENITIES:  Seven nights full hook-up camping with 30/50-amp electric

                     Morning wake-up stretch class

                     Seven deluxe continental breakfasts

                     Four evening meals including welcome and farewell dinners

                     Four evening’s entertainment: Steve Jeffris, the Marlins, Sentimental Journeys
                     dance band, Heartland Country Cloggers, and Wasepi Bluegrass Gospel Singers

                     Games and cash-prize bingo

                     Vendor displays and presentations

                     Technical/travel seminars

                     Hobbyists gathering to play, demonstrate and socialize

                     Chinese auction and pull-tab redemption to benefit KOA Care Camps for Kids with
                     Cancer

                     Interdenominational Worship Service

All activities on-site in the air-conditioned Elkhart County Community Center (ECCC) building.

CONTACT:  Lester (Les) Potteiger, 13103 Trapp Drive, Spotsylvania, VA  22551-8023

                  Telephone: 540-220-7649 – E-mail: LPotteiger@aol.com

                  Blogs:  www.rvfest.blogspot.com and www.lester-jean-travels.blogspot.com

DEPOSIT:  A $20.00 non-refundable deposit secures a reservation and site.