Michael Vreeland (20733)
Virginia State Director
Happy Holidays to all my fellow Newmarians. I hope everyone had a great holiday season, spent time with your families, and of course had those delicious holiday meals. After all that merriment it is time to get back to the hard work – planning your RV travels for the upcoming year.
I left Americamps in Ashland, Virginia on December 5th after attending a non-NKK Christmas Rally at Americamps. I headed to the December North Carolina/South Carolina Christmas Rally at Myrtle Beach with my fellow NKK Tarheels and Palmetto Pals. What a great rally; the hosts Ray & Kathy Dyer and Jim & Carla Jean Miller did a great job. The food was delicious, and everyone enjoyed the games and especially the Yankee Gift Swap. The weather was nice and a welcomed change from the 30’s and 40’s I had left.
After that I headed to St. Augustine for a couple days to visit with my fellow Wheeler’s Allan & Marilyn Bishop, and it was a nice surprise to see Danny & Jeannette Templeton who were also in the area. Marilyn was nice enough to host a lasagna dinner. It is always good to spend time with Newmarians and of course swap some lies. Thanks again Allan and Marilyn.
I am leaving St. Augustine on December 14th and heading for Thousand Trails Orlando where I start my Snowbird Shuffle. I have confirmed reservations till March 6 so I need to fill in those blank areas which should not be a problem. This year I am doing a lot of Thousand Trail Orlando and Southern Palms, back and forth with the Tampa Super Show Rally, the February Sea Turtle Rally, and the March Sea Turtle Rally sprinkled in for good measure. If you are a fellow Newmarian who snowbirds to Florida or some other warm weather area please take advantage of the local NKK chapters and attend those rallies. It is a great way to enjoy your snowbirding activities and who doesn’t like spending time with fellow Newmarians at a rally and just as important enjoying the food provided during these rallies.
A lot of Virginia Wheels rally planning has occurred since the last Legacy article. I have posted the 2023 the Virginia State Rally in the NKK Calendar scheduled for August 20-27 at the Candy Hill Campground in Winchester, Virginia. Candy Hill Campground is taking reservations now and I am pleased to say I have 9 registrations already, so please register at your earliest convenience. I currently have reserved 25 sites. I can add more, but the sooner folks register the better. I am still working out details, but tentative plans will be a tour of Harper’s Ferry during the day with dinner somewhere in Harper’s Ferry that evening. I am also looking at the river tubing event offered at the Watermelon RV Campground. It sounds like a lot of fun. From what I hear they take you upriver, give you a tube and vest, put you in the water and off you go. Meanwhile somewhere down river they let the piranha out – can you say “Survivor – Rally Edition”. I am also considering having one dinner as a potluck crock pot meal prepared by each coach and then voting on the top 3 crock pot dinners with prizes being awarded. I am still working on the rally fee. I hope to have a final rally fee cost by spring 2023. If you will be in the area, please add this rally to your itinerary.
Earlier in the summer there is a rally scheduled May 18-22, to be held at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. This rally is posted on the NKK website so please consider attending this rally. Finally, there will be a joint Virginia/North Carolina/South Carolina Rally in Mayberry Campground in Mt Airy, North Carolina for July 13-17. This event is posted on the NKK Calendar. There is a lot to see in “Andy from Mayberry” town so add this to your rally list as well. So, as you can see there will be a lot of rally fun in Virginia this summer so hope to see you there.
For everyone please travel and be safe – I want to see your smiling faces in my travel and hope to be able to sit and swap some lies with you. To all my fellow Newmarians I hope to see you soon. Rally On!!!!! I can be reached at beagleRV@gmail.com or 540-809-9830.