Rallies

Our President, Jim Campbell and his wife Lois, are out there on the highways enjoying their Discovery while discovery'ing the country. So we agreed to compile and edit this edition of the newsletter.

Many of our members have been working hard on your behalf to arrange rallies, three of them are featured in this newsletter and we have preliminary information on Mardi Gras 2001. The rally that needs your immediate attention is coming up very soon. The dates are March 4-7 in Titusville, Florida, at The Great Outdoors RV Resort & Golf Course. The window of time for responding is short, so please reply as soon as possible. Glenn and Candy Smith have graciously agreed to be the hosts/rally masters for this event and have arranged some wonderful activities for us. Ken and Jackie Adams are working on a rally in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta and Ron and Sarah Hyslop have a rally in Fryeburg, Maine, planned as a pre-rally to the FMCA Convention.

If you have never attended a rally, you have no idea what you are missing! We have such a good time meeting new friends and greeting old friends while eating and playing. We compare notes on our Discoverys and marvel at the modifications that some of our members have made. Then we go home and try to duplicate some of the modifications that we have seen. (Did we mention eating?) Come on and join us, you will be glad you did!

OPENING BALANCE	$0.00
RECEIPTS:
Membership Dues	$4,517.00
Rally Income	$3,106.54
Other Income	$243.00
TOTAL INCOME	$7,866.54
EXPENSES:
Rallies	$2,408.62
Newsletter	$295.21
Postage	$209.18
Name Tags	$756.75
Office Supplies	$79.21
Other	$177.61
TOTAL EXPENSES	$3,926.58
CLOSING BALANCE	$3,939.96

Glenn and Candy Smith have planned a wonderful rally for us in Titusville, March 4, 5, 6, & 7 at the Great Outdoors RV Resort & Gold Course. The reservation deadline is February 14, 2000, so it is imperative that you fill out the reservation form below and get it to Glenn and Candy as soon as possible. Check-in is after 12 noon on the 4th with a Get Acquainted Party at 5 p.m. Sunday will include a Deluxe Tour of Kennedy Space Center, including an IMAX film, Cape Canaveral Air Station and the Air Force Museum and Lighthouse. Monday's activities will be a Sterling Casino Cruise and dinner at the Dixie Crossroads. Tuesday will send us off with a full breakfast at the Rally Pavilion.

Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta is a real crowd pleaser and it is definitely time to plan for this year's extravaganza. As reported in the last newsletter, the RV parking grounds will be overflowing and all hotel rooms will be filled. The expected attendance is 1,000,000!

The Fiesta will be October 6 through October 9, 2000, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The package cost is $295.00 per coach (with 2 persons); additional persons are $45.00 each. The package includes 4 nights with electric and water hook ups; Friday evening social with wine and cheese (or BYOB); Saturday morning tickets to Balloon Mass Ascension; Saturday evening New Mexican Dinner at Rancho de Corrales; Sunday morning tickets to Balloon Mass Ascension; Sunday afternoon Social (BYOB); Sunday evening tickets to Balloon Glow; Monday morning breakfast in the tent; Monday afternoon/evening Social with covered dish; Farewell breakfast Tuesday morning. All coaches will be parked together in Balloon Fiesta RV Park with activity Tent set up on site for socials, seminars, etc., or just for hanging out and visiting.

Additional possible activities include 2 to 3 hours of seminars provided by local vendors, i.e., Cummins, Freightliner, Allison, Fleetwood, etc.

Also possible - activities after balloon Fiesta including caravanning to Santa Fe for a couple of days and staying at the El Campo RV Park then touring Santa Fe. Caravanning back to Albuquerque to attend the last weekend of the Balloon Fiesta or to just tour the area and stay at an RV park in Albuquerque. Those wishing to remain in the Balloon Fiesta RV Park for the entire 9 days of the Balloon Fiesta may do so individually, but you will need to complete a Fiesta individual application that can be provided to you at the time of this rally registration.

It is important to get our Fiesta Rally application in early to secure our spot in the Fiesta RV Park. We need to pay one half of the parking cost for the whole rally at the time of application so we all need to send in the Rally registration as soon as possible. This rally will be limited to only 40 coaches and the dead line for registration is April 1, 2000 (no foolin').

In the event that a cancellation is necessary, the Balloon Fiesta allows one half refund if canceled by July 1, 2000, and no refund on cancellations made after September 1, 200. We are working with the Balloon Fiesta people to make available to our attendees a Rally Jacket that will have embroidered on it our club name. This jacket will be of the same quality as the balloon pilots' jackets and will cost around $150.00 each. If anyone wants a jacket, please indicate your interest on the registration form.

California Discovery Chapter of FMCA has extended an invitation to all Discovery International members to join them at Parris, CA, on March 31 and April 1 and 2 following the FMCA Winter Convention in Pomona. If you would like more information please contact Marie Erickson at her e-mail: panme@wans.net or call her at 619-571-0787.

Many of our members expressed an interest in a rally for Mardi Gras. The date for Mardi Gras next year is February 27, 2001, so make a note on your calendar for 2001! Frank and Karen Natal are hard at work planning for us and would like for you to e-mail them expressing your interest in coming to Mardi Gras 2001. Then they will be able to gauge the clubs' level of interest. E-mail FKNAT73@aol.com

We are now moving into high gear with the planning for the Pre-rally at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds. Arrival day is August 12 and we will leave for the Brunswick Convention on the 16th (subject to finalizing with FMCA on a caravan).

The location is ideal for seeing a piece of New England, with many opportunities to visit sights in the nearby White Mountains. You may chose to drive the Auto Road or take the Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington. Check out www.mountwashington.com.

For those who are planning to visit other sites in New England on their way to and from the Pre-rally & Convention, we recommend that you make reservations early. August is prime tourist season in New England. If you need some help, please contact us, and we will try to steer you in the right direction.

There is plenty to see and do - if history is of interest then there is Boston and the Freedom Trail; there is the seashore and lighthouses; mountains; covered bridges, or just quaint little villages, all nearby. www.visitmaine.com is a recommended website.

We are starting to lie up some interesting seminars, if anyone has a subject of interest or is willing to put on a seminar of interest to the group, please let us know.

There will be a Welcome Social on arrival day. And, we will have a New England Lobster Dinner (optional) complete with "chowdah." Each morning we will have breakfast to get you started and there will be potluck dinners.