Accompanied by chilling temperatures, gusting winds, and a mixture of precipitation 23 chapter families mustered at the River Plantation RV Park in Sevierville (that's pronounced Sevierville), Tennessee, in early April for the chapter's 2007 Spring Rally.  The rally ran from April 10th through the 16th. This time frame was, as many of you may remember, part of the big Easter freeze which gripped much of the nation.  Nevertheless, the high spirits and determination of our fulltiming families weren't about to be daunted by some unseasonable weather. Thus, ably led by President Walt Kaiser and under the leadership of rally coordinators Buddy and Shirley Barbe and John and Alice Duhe', we brushed the inconveniences of the weather aside and proceeded to have a great time.
 

In addition to the coordinators and President Walt and Judy Kaiser, the attendees, in order of date of registration, were Gerald &
Marilyn Cherry, Ed & Laura Schuster, Jim & Marge Eckles, David & Joanne Delamater/White, Dean & Winnie Murphy, Jim & Ginnie
Hoffman, Pete & Nancy Armitage, Bob Boxell, Boyd & BJ Tuttle, George & Osa Ramberg, Paul & Angie Thrash, Glenn &
Flower MacMillen, John & Carole Burnham, Mark & Carol Kenderdine, Ernie & Judy Finch, Bill & Peg Jones, Jim & Pat Reed, Ed
& Shirley Spangler, and Ray & Karen Nellis, as well as your correspondents, Carl & Val Farley.

The events commenced with a 4 O’clock on Tuesday the 10th. The conditions were cold and miserable, so the side curtains of the Pavilion were lowered and John alleviated the situation with a nice warm fire in the barbeque.  Walt welcomed us all and turned the proceedings over to the coordinators. Shirley provided us with a planned activity schedule and sign up sheets. Introductions were made, friendships revived, and later most of us went to Ryan's for dinner.  Back at the campground, John stoked up the fire, heaters and blankets were gathered, and games and activities commenced as normal.

Wednesday, under improved weather conditions, we caravanned to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, enjoyed a film about the park and its history, and then journeyed on to Little Greenbrier School for a picnic lunch under a covered pavilion.  Following the picnic we all set out exploring on our own. Some drove to the old school, a few volunteers drove the vehicles back to the pavilion while the rest hiked back, and many went on to the Cades Cove area to take the auto tour and view the wildlife.   At the 4 O’clock firstimers Bill & Peg Jones were introduced by their angels, Ray & Karen Nellis.  Sheriff Marge Eckles made her presence known at Wednesday's gathering, assessing various fines for most any misdeed.  Cards and Games as usual followed dinner on our own.

Thursday morning was designated free time, and most of us proceeded to catch up on projects which had been put aside.  Judy Finch and a group of the ladies worked at finishing the quilt which the chapter will raffle at the International Rally.  The project is nearing completion and looking great. At a 4 O’clock Joanne announced that $250 worth of tickets was sold in just a couple of hours at the bazaar table at the Southwest Sunshine Rally in Rayne, LA.  Tickets sell for $5 each or 3 for $10. Do you have your tickets? The quilt is beautiful, the result of hard work by many of our ladies!  And the proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  The winner need not be present at the raffle to win, so get your tickets soon. (Look elsewhere in this issue to discover how you can get your tickets.)  Thursday afternoon we carpooled to Mountain Lake Ranch, a "do it yourself" Christian retreat about 10 miles from Sevierville.  Walt & Judy have work camped there for three years and the owners invited our whole group for a free meal and activities.  We arrived to find Walt slaving over a hot grill of barbequed chicken.  While Walt and the local workers finished preparing the meal we were given a tour of the on-site spring water bottling plant. Everybody was given several bottles of the spring water with especially printed labels displaying the Holiday Rambler logo as well as the chapter's emblem.  Then about half of the attendees took a short $10 helicopter ride over the dam and lake adjacent to the property.  Most were awed by the beauty of the area.  We then retired to the mess hall to sample the results Walt's efforts and we were treated to a delicious meal of chicken, beans, cole slaw and dessert.  Following a short break we gathered with the staff, heard a brief story of the Retreat, and were shown the animated film "Happy Feet".  Walt announced the next day that a donation box at the meal had garnered enough funds to cover all of the costs of the day.  Thanks to Walt and all involved for a great day.

Friday was reserved for the women's luncheon, held at the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. Our ladies enjoyed a nice meal and then, of course, went shopping - what else!  Not to be outdone, the men went to a lunch of their own at the Bass Pro Shop. After lunch and tour of Bass we moved back to Sevierville and the Smoky Mountain Knife Works where some purchases were made and some of us had knives sharpened.  Back at the campground a 4 O’clock was held and the nominating committee made a plea for more member participation. This resulted in a productive roundtable discussion which we all hope will evolve into a more active and involved membership.  As often happens, John & Alice provided liquid refreshments and at night it was games as usual.

Saturday was Dollywood day. We began with a "breakfast in a bag" meal prepared by Joanne & David with the able assistance of Ray & Karen, George & Osa, and Buddy. It was very good!  Then we motored over to Dollywood at our leisure where we were treated to numerous musical presentations from all over the world. Some of us had a meal there or rode some of the rides (David & Joanne, Buddy & Shirley, Ed & Laura, and maybe others, braved the roller coaster). A good time was had by all, but about 4 o'clock the rains came and we all went our own way, many of us to catch some much needed sleep.

We awoke Sunday to a cold, very wet day, the remnants of the big storm which pummeled most all of the Eastern part of the country in mid-April.  It was a good time for catching up on chores, and the ladies got together to work on crafts or plan and/or cook for the pot luck meal scheduled for Monday.  At 3 o'clock some of us met in the pavilion for a brief gathering before heading out to the Dixie Stampede. Paul Thrash of the nominating committee announced the slate of nominees to be the officers next year.  Abruptly, many in the audience arose in unison and staged a political pep rally, complete with signs and candy, in support of their candidates. This election just might turn into a real horse race!  Later we journeyed to Pigeon Forge to be fed and entertained at the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede. The show was different and entertaining and the food good and plentiful.

Monday morning we awoke to improving weather conditions and four members who had other commitments (Boxell, Nellises, Reeds, and Spanglers) moved on.  The rest of us got back to our chores and many of the ladies set out to finish the quilt while others worked on their pot luck dishes. Most of the men took a more serious tack and met in small groups to work at solving the world's problems or something similar.  We're not sure just what, but it must have been something worthwhile.  The ladies were working hard to finish the quilt project, and the final stages required considerable sewing by hand.  Rumors we heard indicated that a whole box of band aids was needed to stop the bleeding!  By late afternoon temps had reached the mid-sixties under sunny skies, so the 4 O’clock was moved outside. Once again John and Alice provided their special refreshments and a few announcements were made.  To the joy and happiness of all who worked on the quilt, Judy affirmed that it was at last finished and would be displayed at the pot luck, and tickets could be purchased at that time.  Then, the candidates who had been nominated for office staged another pep rally. This time, however, the "silent majority", not to be outdone, stepped up and announced a tongue-in-cheek slate of its own. This slate included Osa for 'de Bossa', Ernie for VP (to give Judy some competition), Val as Pen Pal, and Ben as Treasurer (we had to have somebody).  The second pep rally of the day followed, this one more austere (we're the party of the poor, remember). Thus, the race for office is on!  Later, we gathered again for our farewell pot luck dinner, in the pavilion, under our newly finished quilt. And John had another warm fire blazing.  What a site it was!  The food table looked like a banquet table for royalty!  Our ladies (and some of the guys) surely did a great job. There was a great buzz about both the quilt and the food.  Another $170 of raffle tickets were sold and much food was consumed.  It surely appeared the evening was very much appreciated by all, and the activities turned to socializing and games until late into the night.

Chapter 400 of HRRVC is a fantastic group of folks with similar agendas, and any time we meet we have a great time. This rally was plagued by cold, windy, and wet weather, but with good leadership and positive thoughts we proved the validity of the old adage that '....if life serves you lemons, make lemonade'.  We surely did!  Thanks to all who participated. We'll look for ya' down the road.

Submitted by Carl & Val Farley