Tom and Roni Lehmkuhl (F20913)
Presidents
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” ~ Melody Beattie
With the New Year comes new beginnings. New plans. New adventures. We are making travel plans for 2022 as we venture north and west to Heber City, Utah for the Fulltimers Chapter Rally and Annual Business Meeting and then on to Rocks Springs, Wyoming for the International Rally. People always ask us, “How do you decide where to go and how long to be there?” We tell them we have big events, and we plan around those. We factor in serendipity and look for opportunities to have fun. June will take us to our hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio for 50th high school reunion celebrations. July will be the rallies out west. What interesting places can we visit enroute? Hey, we haven’t been to Capital Reef or Crater Lake or to see the redwoods, why don’t we add them to the plan. We need to stop in Indianapolis and Holly Springs, North Carolina to see our daughters’ new houses and hug on the grandkids. There are service appointments in Nappanee, Indiana and Gaffney, South Carolina to fit in. Travel back to Central Florida to avoid the cold and snow. And, just like that – another year is gone.
In December the Fulltimers held a holiday themed rally we called the Holly Jolly Rally at Creekside RV in Punta Gorda, Florida. We had 23 coaches in attendance. A special thank you to Hal & Lynn Fryer, VP of the chapter and co-hosts of the rally, for all their help in planning and execution. Our schedule was quite full with meals, games, activities, outings and in general FUN AND FRIENDSHIP.
The rally got underway on Sunday afternoon with check-in and registration when attendees received goodie bags and gifts donated by North Trail RV in Ft Myers, Florida. Attendees also received Santa and Elf hats, kazoos, an ornament hand made by yours truly and area information. Later we held a Meet and Greet and orientation and went over the schedule for the rally. A grilled dinner was presented by the officers in attendance. The evening was capped off with a rousing rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas.
Morning coffee and donuts were provided by Creekside Resort. The afternoon activity was a trip to the Babcock Ranch Eco Tour where we took a guided tour through four different Florida eco systems. Cracker cows, hogs, piggies, a variety of birds and gators were all sighted.
Monday’s Italian dinner was catered by Luigi’s Restaurant, a local eatery. We were serenaded by Daniel Candida, a local musician and music teacher, who then joined in with the singing of Christmas Carols. Later we all participated in an ugly T-Shirt contest. The winner of the T-Shirt contest was Deborah Spence who received an equally tacky prize. A split the pot was won by John Horner.
Tuesday’s breakfast was a buffet feast from another local restaurant – John Ski’s famous for their breakfasts. We held a drawing benefitting Charlotte County Shop with a Cop Program. Dennis Baggett of LC Solutions visited and donated two sewer saddle bag products for the raffle, North Trail donated chairs, mugs and other items and Hal & Lynn donated a super cute Holly Jolly pillow. North Trail RV brought a Kountry Star and New Aire to display.
We shared information and tips at a lively Fulltimers Roundtable. A Poker Walk proved to be fun and raised a few more dollars for the cause. The first-place winner was Terri Williamson, second-place winner was Dave Kalahar. At 5 pm we set sail for a sunset and harbor holiday lights cruise on the Kingfisher Fleet boat out of Fishermen’s Village. The weather was perfect and the sunset spectacular. Everyone enjoyed the leisurely cruise through the canals of Punta Gorda looking at the holiday lights.
Wednesday was mostly a free day with a continental breakfast provided in the morning. The Lehmkuhls, Palmers, Bishops and Kaydens played shuffleboard. That evening we gathered for dessert and the check presentation to a very grateful Sheriff’s Department represented by Chris Hall for their Shop with a Cop Program. Our generous and caring group raised $3,320 to benefit needy children in the area. Because of the contributions, 33 additional children will be able to participate in the program.
Thursday morning, we said goodbye and grabbed a breakfast goodie as we all headed out.
Special thanks go to North Trail RV, LC Solutions (Sewer Saddle Bag), Creekside RV Resort, and of course, to the tireless volunteers without whom the rally couldn’t be held.
So, what’s in store for the Fulltimers Chapter in 2022? Registration for the NKK Fulltimers Rally and Annual Business Meeting to be held in Heber City began on January 11 on the NKK website. The rally will be at the beautiful Mountain Valley RV Resort (the week before International) July 10-15. We have secured 60 FHU 50A sites for attendees. We are planning a dinner and railroad excursion through the valley and a visit to an Artisan Cheese company for a tour and tastings. Check the NKK Calendar of events for up-to-date information and availability.
The Fulltimers Chapter sponsored a Social at the Tampa RV SuperShow Special Event at the Florida State Fairground in January. It was open to chapter members in attendance and in the area to join in as well as any of the attendees interested in getting together with the chapter members.
A Newmar Owners’ Luncheon will take place at our winter hang-out in Mt. Olive Shores North in Polk City, Florida located 5 miles north of I-4 scheduled for February 17th at 1 pm. This event is open to all Newmar owners, NKK members or not, and burgers and dogs will be provided by the Fulltimers Chapter. If you are interested in attending, just drop us an email at president.nkkfulltimers@gmail.com. We ask that you bring your drinks and a dish to share. Members of the chapter will be available to answer questions about membership in the Kountry Klub and its chapters.
Of course, the Fulltimers will attend the International Rally in Rock Springs, Wyoming July 16-23. We’ll be serving up popcorn and lemonade and presenting seminars as only the Fulltimers can. A social will take place for current, former and future Fulltimers Chapter members.
Preliminary plans are in the works for a Member Hosted Rally in October 2022 in the Nashville area. More details about this as it gets closer to the time of the rally.
December 5-9, we have plans to hold the Second Annual Holly Jolly Rally in Punta Gorda, Florida at Creekside RV Resort.
As you can see, we have a busy year ahead of us. There’s likely to be other events added to our schedule, so keep checking back on the NKK Calendar of Events and try to join us in the fun.
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Join the Fulltimers Chapter by accessing the application form from the Fulltimers web page at Membership Application and Renewal Form or contact Chapter Secretary Tom & Barbara Palmer at secretary.nkkfulltimers@gmail.com.
