Wed May 18, 2022 This rally has been a long time in the making. Brad Briggs, former NOVA President, has gone on to be President of the Region 4 Airstream Club. Way back when he had an idea of a “street rally” in mind for the annual Region 4 rally, and after several years of preparation, he has pulled it off! The town that is opening their streets to a line-up of Airstreams is Wooster, Ohio. It is a lovely little town with lots to see and do and much to offer our rallying Airstreamers. Here is the logo and the theme of the rally. We left at noon in a drizzle for the 2 ½ hour drive straight across US Route 30 to Wooster. One little Airdog Pippa watched excitedly as we loaded the finishing touches in the Silvermine; she planted herself by the truck so that we wouldn’t forget to pack her! At 2:00 we got a call from John and Suize that they were getting off Interstate 71 onto Route 30 for the last 25 miles into Wooster. We were coming along on route 30 and timed our arrival at the I-71/Route 30 intersection to link up with them; we caravanned those last miles together. The Wayne County Fairgrounds was our landing point for one night. At arrival we were greeted and quickly parked . . . electricity for those that wanted. We did not bother to unhook as there were a variety of food trucks on site for a convenient dinner. . . and later for a funnel cake dessert! Suzie and I had a little job to complete when we first arrived. Part of the money-raising scheme of the rally is that each Unit contributes a basket. NOVA’s basket was the popular Airstream cooler offered by Pottery Barn. I had been able to negotiate a sweet discount with the company, and NOVA members raised the money to pay for it . . . and filled it with a variety of beverages! Suzie and I had to decorate and load the cooler and prepare it to hand for the fund-raiser. We spent time walking the fairgrounds – there were a lot of Airstreams to check out and a lot of people out milling around. Sprinkles began so we pulled out our awning for a dry space to sit, eat, and visit. At 8:00 there was a meeting to explain how parking would take place on the Wooster city streets in the morning – I sent Tom to that, and I settled down in the Silvermine for the evening. Thursday May 19 Awake at 7:00 we prepared for the trek to the town at 8:00. In a large parking lot, the Airstreams gathered in orderly lines – much like loading on a ferry boat! Once in line, the whole process slowed down to a sit-and-wait for the next 2 ½ hours as we waited for our turn to head downtown. No problem as this created time for a mix-and-mingle session! At 10:30 we were town-bound as we followed the line-up onto the streets of Wooster. Our final location was smack dab in the middle of town, surrounded by restaurants and stores! Many other NOVA friends pulled in around us. Tom and I snuck off to the Mexican restaurant across the street for lunch, and then returned to putting the finishing touches on our homestead. At 3:00 we hustled down to the Best Western Hotel (rally headquarters) for check in. Suzie and I had the added task of signing up people for our pine needle coiling class, and we all had to sign up for tours and events hosted by the rally. The baskets for the money-making raffle were on display in the lobby. With a quick turn-around we walked Pippa and settled her in the camper while we headed back to the hotel for the catered dinner and evening entertainment. Dinner, with choice of beef or chicken, amazing roasted potatoes and a crisp and light green salad was marvelous. We changed room for an Opening Ceremony and Wooster officials welcoming us .It was a very warm welcome and we could tell they were enjoying this event as much as we were. Then was the moment when the unit baskets were raffled off – our Pottery Barn Airstream cooler won the bragging rights for the 1st-best basket! As organizer of the NOVA basket, I got my picture taken with the basket winner. The evening entertainment was our very own Dave Powers – from the Columbus area and recent performer at our Mark Wahlberg rally! As always, he was brilliant. Click on the link below to hear Dave doing . . . . Louis Armstrong! www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oL5usWGThA&t=19s We walked the four blocks back to the Silvermine -- and it was so nice seeing all those Airstreams lining the street. Friday, May 20, 2022 Tom is still a bit sick with a heavy cold, and last night I felt like I was coming down with it. Nyquil got me through the night, and a large cup of coffee revved me up for the morning. It was raining lightly, but nice to sit outside under the awning. At 9:00 I left for the Hotel Royal Room, where Suzie and I were to teach a class in basket coiling. Our students began arriving at 9:30, and had a few little preparatory choices to make – color of thread and flamingo or airstream wooden base. By 10:00 we had our 12 pupils sitting around tables and ready for instruction. Suzie and I tag-teamed talking and demonstrating to get everyone started, and then just floated around helping as needed. Two hours got most of our students well on the way to coiling a basket, and ready to stop to finish it on their own. Suzie and I donated the supplies for the rally cause and our little endeavor brought in $190 for the rally!. While we were teaching, the rain stopped! For lunch Tom and I tried the other restaurant across the street – the Spoon. That chef knew how to do grilled sandwiches so they were buttery-crisp on the outside and melted and warm on the inside. Afternoon had some down time to sit outside, under the shade of the awning – on the street. It was breezy, but also a bit humid. At 4:00 Tom went on the distillery tour, and I remained . . . on the street. An occasional townie would stroll by and want a tour inside the airstream – which is one of the benefits for Wooster in hosting us for this street rally! A NOVA happy hour was hosted by John and Suzie, and NOVA gathered with beverages, DORA drinks, and snacks. It was a surprisingly good gathering, and Tom got a lot of small-group pictures, and we even managed to gather in front of Couger’s Globetrotter for a large-group picture. Saturday, May 21 Today was a big day for both Airstreamers . . . and Woosterites! A major commitment of the rally is to raise money for charity – in this case, the Wayne Center for the Arts. Airstreams participated in a “theme your 'stream” contest, decorating to the theme rally of “Cultivating on the MOO-ve.” If there was one thing that this rally demonstrated, it was the ability to cultivate good will and new friendships. Tom and I had a hodge-podge of decorations revolving around a “cow” theme. I made banners with Wooster/Cow sayings, and also made a paper-pieced hanging of cows! We had Tom’s boyhood wagon, and my Murray tractor from the 1950’s along with a few other little farm memorabilia! I also made a DORA milk can. The kicker was a costume that Tom donned to create the live cow character of . . . . “Wooster, the Party Cow.” Tom suffered that costume for 2 hours in high heat and humidity, and was well received as he walked down the city streets, performing capers, waylaying adults, greeting children and passing out key chains and squirty cows favors. We had invited Halie and Caleb to join us for an overnight in Wooster – in the Best Western Motel where all the inside rally events took place. They arrived in time for the 2-hour contest and to enjoy a bit of the town of Wooster. Both had to have their picture taken with Wooster! As the contest was over at 4:00, the radar was showing that a very large cell of weather would be moving in with pouring rain and high winds, and maybe hail. Everyone up and down the street hustled to put in the awnings and secure outdoor equipment. The big benefit was that it was cooling off by the minute – and we were all ready for that! Tom couldn’t wait to peel out of that costume and get a shower and I was right behind him! We walked to the hotel and picked up Caleb and Halie, and then went on beyond to Muddy’s restaurant. We were seated at 5:00, but our meal didn't arrive until over an hour later. Meanwhile, we saw other NOVA groups trickle in! We made it back to the hotel in time for the final raffle drawings, the presentation of money raised to the Wayne Center for the Arts ($2,603) and the awarding of the trophy for the "theme your 'stream" contest! Yes! Old Wooster the cow won the trophy and was proud to have been a part of the whole event. The last event of the evening was the band Aftermath – 60’s Experience! It was to have been outside in the streets with the townspeople being invited to share the fun with us. But, the weather concluded that it should take place inside, and the room capacity limited it to our rally people. This band was great at transporting all of us back to the 60’s, and I would venture to say that 95% of the people were singing along with the band on almost every song. Caleb and Halie retired to their hotel room and Tom and I walked back to our place on the street. The rally was essentially done – except for debarking in the morning. In a street rally like this it is always a wait, and each person has to wait for the person in front to leave. We were, however, able to drive up truck up by our Airstream and have everything packed in place while waiting to hook up and leave. Timing was good and we were able to catch up to Caleb and Halie on Route 30 to share some of the drive home. By now I knew that I had caught the sickness that Tom had been dealing with for the last 10 days – a pretty major old-time cold. Time will tell how much it brings me down! We have a 3-day turn-around to unpack and prepare for the Indianapolis 500.
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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 |