Spike Kramer & Kay Warnock-Karmer (18573)
Region Two Directors
Let’s see where to start! As you know Region Two has been without Regional Directors for the past several years so Kay and I decided to step up after hearing from many people that we would make good Regional Directors. In July we submitted our application to Wanda & Ron Llewellyn requesting if approved that the appointment would not take effect until after the 2023 International Rally. We were subsequently approved by the Newmar Kountry Klub in mid-July effective October 9, 2023, so our stint as Region Two Directors has begun. We are excited, a bit overwhelmed, but are looking forward to being your Region Two Directors for the next several years. Kay and I both were born and raised in Washington State. We both are retired and enjoying traveling and camping with our American Cocker Spaniel Cassie. We bought our first Newmar product, a 3330 Ventana in 2007, and we drove the wheels off that thing. In 2020 we ordered our current 3736 Dutch Star. We joined the Kountry Klub back in 2007, and the Evergreen Aires Chapter at the same time.
One of our main focuses will be to get the Region back on its feet and hopefully flourishing again as it once did. Currently our region only has one active chapter, the Evergreen Aires chapter in Washington State. Oregon and Idaho each have inactive chapters that can be re-activated with very little effort we hope. All that is needed is YOU, does that sound like the ole pitch by Uncle Sam “We Need You” if it does, it is. For those of you reading this article who would be interested in having an active chapter in Oregon and/or Idaho, please contact us at the POC’s listed at the bottom of this article. It just takes six Kountry Klub members willing join the chapter to re-activate it. Of course, officers would have to be appointed or elected. Seem like a daunting task? Not really, there are a bunch of people out there ready, willing, and able to assist you. We will do “whatever it takes” to accomplish this. Once that is accomplished, we will focus on getting chapters established in Montana and Wyoming. We are scratching our heads about poor ole Alaska, but will come up with a solution somehow, some way, if we get the interest. How cool would it be to have an Alaska Chapter bar hanging from your name badge! Kinda figure if Hawaii can have a chapter, why can’t Alaska! Kountry Klub rallies in Alaska, now that would be bold.
There will not be a 2023 Regional Rally, but we have been doing the initial planning for the 2024 Region Two Rally. We are planning a joint Region Two/Washington State Rally which will be held at Blackwell Island RV Park in Coeur d’Alene Idaho, on the shores of beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene, on September 25-29, 2024. We are currently in the planning stages and have not currently established rally fees. There will be an optional dinner cruise offered, pricing for the cruise is yet TBD. Catered meals and additional activities are also in the planning stages. There are 21 sites available. Keep an eye out for it on the Klub Calendar for more information. Mark it in your calendars, submit your registration early to claim your spot, and we are hoping for a large turnout. We have been soliciting help, advice, and direction on planning this rally from the current Washington State Directors (Donna & Ben Barker), and past Region Two Directors Carol & Mike Lowery. We cannot thank them enough. Gotta love those team efforts!
As the weather has gotten wetter, as the leaves have changed color, and as the semi-annual migration of the elusive “Snowbird” has gotten underway, we have joined the flock and find ourselves in the Yuma Foothills for the winter. We host a monthly Newmar Owners Luncheon in Yuma on the first Tuesday of the month, November through March, at the Golden Corral. See the Klub Calendar for more information. If you are in the area, please stop by, say hello, enjoy lunch, and meet some of the other Newmar owners who are in the area. We would love to meet you.
Kay and I will be attending “The Gathering in the Desert” in January, looking forward to meeting any other Region Two members who are attending.
Hopefully, you all have seen the change of venue and timeframe for the 2024 International Rally which is now being held at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo, Colorado. The dates are now July 27 – August 3. Once the Region Two duties and responsibilities are assigned for the 2024 International Rally, we will be soliciting volunteers as Team Leaders and as Team Members to assist us in accomplishing these tasks. Since Region Two has been without Regional Directors for the past several years, the assignments that would normally have been accomplished by our Region Two members have been accomplished by the other Regions of the Kountry Klub. In 2024 we will be responsible. Those of you that took part in the 2022 Washington State Volunteer Caravan to the International Rally held in Rock Springs, Wyoming, hopefully found it to be a rewarding experience assisting with parking and registration. We sure did! Remember that volunteering is what makes the Kountry Klub work so well. If you are planning to attend the 2024 International in Pueblo, Colorado, and are interested in volunteering let us know at the below POC’s and we will get your name on the list. More to follow on this subject.
We would like to bid a fond farewell, and in the old navy jargon “fair winds and following seas,” to Ron and Wanda Llewellyn as they transition to the next part of their journey. Thank you for your leadership. We are looking forward to working with our incoming International Directors Laurie Hunt and Duane Paige over the next several years. We are here to support your efforts.
Wishing all of you and your families a safe, blessed, and happy holiday season. Safe travels and hope to see you down the road.
We can be reached via email at: NKKRegion2Directors@outlook.com, or via cell phone: Spike: 360-908-6834, Kay: 360-633-0722.
UPCOMING REGION TWO EVENTS
June, final dates TBD – Evergreen Aires Chapter Rally
Sept 25-29 – Region Two/Washington State Joint Rally, Blackwell Island RV Park, Coeur d’Alene, ID
See the Klub Calendar Online for Complete Details and Contact Information.
