We hit the ground running yesterday morning, and were going at top speed all day long, and late into the night. I think at one point, I almost rear-ended myself, because I was coming and going so fast! 🙂
I had hardly finished brushing my teeth and getting dressed when Jackie, in the fairgrounds office, called to tell me that she had some folks there wanting to get parked. I got them settled in, and as I headed back to our motorhome, somebody who had arrived the day before stopped me and asked if he could move, because there was a tree blocking his rooftop satellite TV dish. So we drove around in the Explorer, while I showed him several options, and he found one he liked better.
I had a few minutes to check my e-mail, before Jackie was on the phone again, with some early arrivals in a fifth wheel. Okay, back into the Explorer, another tour of the grounds, and they found a site that worked for them. By then, there was a motorhome that needed parked.
Back at our motorhome, our friend Jean Watson had stopped in to pay their rally fee, and we chatted for a few minutes before Jackie called yet again, and I parked another RV. When I returned, Marla Mallory from Cruising America RV Service was here. We talked a little bit, but then the phone rang again, and off I went.
And so it went all day long. We had a steady flow of people coming to our motorhome to pay, to say hello, or to ask if they could help with anything. Poor Miss Terry was trying to hem some new jeans for me, and get rally paperwork organized, and still be a good hostess at the same time. We are in the process of reviewing our RV and car insurance policies, and our friend Chris Yust, from C&C Insurance, had spent hours going over our present policies for us. Between visitors, she tried to explain where we are now, and what suggestions she had to protect us better. It was a real eye opener, and we will be making some changes in our insurance coverage, but we need to wait until the rally is over to be able to concentrate on what Chris is telling us, and make an informed decision. Thanks for your patience with us, Chris.
We took a break about 5:30 to get a bite to eat, and were right back at it until well after 1 a.m., making some last minute seminar schedule changes, and getting all of the handouts ready for the rally. Greg and Jan White have been just as busy. They have been running all over town, collecting door prizes, and Greg is doing two seminars at the rally, too. But that won’t be until after he helps us get everybody parked, and Jan helps Terry with registration.
A lot of folks are taking advantage of the fairgrounds offer to come in early for the rally, and they are enjoying having the opportunity to pick and chose their parking places. Don’t worry if you can’t get here until Sunday, or even Monday, we have a lot of sites available, and everybody will have electrical power. In fact, I am pretty sure we’ll have 30 or 50 amp electric for everybody. There are only a few sites with full hookups, which are reserved for those with special needs, but the fairgrounds has a dump station, and there are water bibs all over the place to fill your tanks if needed.
About those full hookup sites – we never have enough to please everybody at any rally, and we try to accommodate those with handicaps who need them. However we are having problems with a few people, and only a few, who demand a full hookup handicapped site, and they really don’t need it. One person yesterday told me that their handicap was allergies. Another called and wanted a handicapped site, and said his wife suffers from chronic depression. I try very hard to be sensitive to those who have problems, but do those conditions really warrant a full hookup RV site, when there are those who really do need them? I think not. So, for all future rallies, handicapped parking will be available only to those who have a handicapped placard or decal, on a first arrival basis. I don’t know how else to be fair to everybody who has special needs.
Thought For The Day – War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
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Nick Russell
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Good for you Nick, stand your ground on the full hook up sites. The problem with people like this is they have no shame and feel the world owes them something. One can only assume they must have eaten a lot of paint chips in their youth. Wish I could be there for your Rally I enjoyed last years.
Good move on the handicap issue. I know that at the Yuma rally we were the first in line as non-handicapped. We didn’t get escorted into the fairgrounds until after all the handicapped which was after about 30 or so units. No kidding, there were more handicapped than regulars. I think like your post today, a lot of them are not true handicapped but only wanted a better site at the rally. Having to show a handicap placard would cut down on this although as we all know, there are a lot of people using the placards that don’t need them.
Stand your ground Nick–that’s a far way to do it. Way too much “I’m entitled” out there–go live in a stick house if you can’t go a week without sewer hookup!
I have a handicapped placard but I don’t prefer the handicapped sites at the Celina fairgrounds. I prefer the ones closest to the seminar buildings since I spend a lot more time coming and going there than I do dumping my tanks. I encourage people coming to your rallies to think about what’s really best.
Yup, stand your ground! Too many “I deserve it” and whiners anymore. Handicap sites are for people with TRUE Physical disabilities, not lazy a ……. oh, never mind.
I somewhat different view on saving full hookup sites for handicapped. My mobility is pretty restricted and I have to use a scooter if any distance is required. I do appreciate handicapped sites when I am not going to use a scooter for whatever reason. But I certainly don’t need a full hookup site
because of my disability, even though I display the blue window hanger.
After you get a chance to breathe after the rally, and have reviewed the insurance recommendations of your friends, I for one would really appreciate it if you could pass along the recommendations that you think would be useful.
As to handicapped parking, there are some medical conditions where a person does need a handicapped permit but where a full hook-up might be exceedingly useful. Perhaps, in those cases, you could request a physician letter proving this need.
Sorry we could not be at the rally and hope all have a great time!
Most states give Handicap placard for any dissability. I think Dale has the best idea. A Dr directive to justify the full hookup. Is sewer really that important provided you dump before you get there.