This was our first gathering with The Airstreamer’s Club (TAC)! They are totally dedicated to gathering to have fun camping experiences with people loving Airstreams! Even though we had just joined this group, Lauren needed a buddy to help her co-host the event, so I offered my limited services. TAC is all about having fun, and nobody has to do more than just organize the event and invite Airstreamers to come; they take over from there! The rally site was in Wooster, Ohio at the Wayne County Fairgrounds – smack dab in the middle of Ohio Amishland. The nice thing about county fairgrounds is the $15 price for water and electric hook-up and heated meeting building, bathhouse and showers! We arrived at 6:30 Thursday night. The evening weather proved to be a prelude for the whole weekend – cloudless and cool, a full moon to light the fairground and plenty of sunshine during the days. Our mission was to tour the Amish hot spots, and Lauren had provided us each with a list of must-see sights and directions for touring. On Friday morning we set out for Millersburg, just 20 minutes from Wooster. The countryside was beautiful with tidy Amish farms and occasional buggies on the roadways. First Stop: 61 Surplus: Profits from the 61 Surplus are directed to humanitarian efforts in third-world countries. Most items are return items from Amazon.com and sell for 50% off or less. Yes – we bought a Kelty Hula camping shelter – just like the one we already had - -but only 1/3 the price! The store was in the middle of downtown Millersburg, calling for a quick trip through the county courthouse! Zink’s is the largest fabric and textile retailer in Ohio and a family owned textile distribution company. Their no-fill display of fabrics is in a pole barn and most items are under $3.00/yard. They also had a clothing store with some rather cute t-shirts. One T-shirt called for a picture! Top on our list was Lehamn’s, a store that has been serving the local Amish community with non-electric items since 1955. Hand tools, oil lamps, wood stoves, laundry supplies, kitchen ware – all authentic Amish items. There was a lot more touring and shopping and sight-seeing that could have been done, but we also wanted some time back at the rally headquarters to spend with our TAC friends and Silver Family, and to tour those Airstream beauties:
If you have been following my blog since the beginning, you will remember that our little 16' Airstream was originally the Little Debbie Million Smiles Mission ambassador, and traveled the USA distributing smiles and those famous snack cakes. I wrote the company and they graciously sent me boxes of their products to share at the rally. Here we all are displaying our favorite Little Debbie Cakes, which provided snacks all weekend as well as breakfast! Members of the Silver Family had to pose for a separate picture with our new Silver Family embroidered shirts. A special thanks to Loren (and Michael) for being the motivating force behind this rally. Loren is a fantastic organizer, posting all the rally information on the websites and welcoming everyone to attend. She is proof that all a good Airstreamer needs is a reason to go camping and a little bit of organization and lots of free-time to pursue their interests. Lauren did tip me off that the SAME rally is being planned for the SAME weekend next year -- the FIRST WEEKEND IN APRIL, 2013!
3 Comments
Sharon
4/9/2012 09:59:19 pm
I know it's all about the silver, but I love the vintage one painted beige and brown! Looks like you and Tom had a grand time. See you in 22 days!!!
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Ella
4/9/2012 10:18:32 pm
Sharon, that is a little Argosy trailer -- also made by Airstream! It has been in the family for 3 generations and was bought the year that the current owner (Loren) was born . . . handed down daughter to daughter!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |