Monday, July 7, 2014

President's Message

By Butch Jones

As we head into summer the days are already hot and humid. I understand that the Solomon’s Island rally was a big success, as it was last year. Many thanks to the Bonewitz, Halls, Gilberts and Johnstons for hosting this rally.


Barbara and Max Hicks are on the mend and if all goes well we may see them at Fort Monroe. 

There are several things happening in September. First is our rally at Fort Monroe on September 5-7. Then the next Eastern Area Motorcoach Association (a chapter of FMCA of which Dogwood is a member) meeting will be at the Hershey RV Show in Hershey, Pa. in September. September 24-28 will be the 2014 GEAR Rally at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center located in Fletcher, NC, outside of Asheville. 


Summer has really hit the ground running with high temperatures and no rain, at least not in the Sahara area of Powhatan County. High temperatures can cause headaches for motorhomes. Now is the time to check cooling systems, the engine, generator and the human (air conditioning) types. Tires are also something that need a little extra attention when the temperatures rise. A little preventive maintenance can go a long way. 


Hope to see all of you at Fort Monroe.

Fort Monroe Rally

The Fort Monroe Rally, hosted by Jim & Susan Buelow and Steve & Sue Sohles, will be held at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA, September 5-7 2014. If you would like to come early or stay longer, that is fine. Most attendees thus far are coming in on Sept. 4th. We will have an informal get together on the 4th for social hour and pot luck dinner for those interested. This is a beautiful area with a lot of history and things to do. Please join us for a great time.

CAMPGROUND: All attendees are responsible for making their own campground reservations. Sites are limited and it is first come, first served for full and partial service sites. Fees are $45-FHU, 50A, $40-FHU 30A, $30-water/elect, $30-Dry camp. A 10% discount will be given to FMCA, Good Sam, and Military members. Call Colonies RV Park at 757 722-2200 to make reservations. Talk to Pat or Patricia O’Connell and tell them you are with Dogwood. Cutoff date for reservations is August 15.  Click here to link to the campground's website.

GOODY BAGS: Let’s have some fun. All interested attendees are asked to put together one goody bag to swap. Value should not be more than $10. Thought is to put together a bag of useful items you have available, or get free or at minimal cost from wherever you can. A prize will be given for the best goody bag. We will also have a raffle on Saturday night.

RALLY FEES: The cost of the rally is $20.00 per person, and includes Friday and Saturday night full dinners, Saturday morning full breakfast, and a continental breakfast on Sunday morning.

RALLY SCHEDULE:

Thursday 
5:00 pm - Informal social hour. BYOB
6:00 pm – Pot luck, bring a dish to share.

Friday 
5:00 pm – Social hour. BYOB
6:00 pm – Full dinner to include hot and cold subs along with soups and all the trimmings. 
Please bring an Appetizer or Dessert to share.
7:00 pm – Possible entertainment by a local musician.

Saturday 
8:00 am – Coffee available
9:00 am – Full breakfast
10:00 am – Business meeting
11:00 am – Possible guided tour of Fort Monroe, there may be a small fee.
5:00 pm – Social hour BYOB 
6:00 pm – Full meal to include pork BBQ, fried chicken, beans, salads, drinks, dessert. 
Please bring an Appetizer or Dessert to share.

Sunday 9:00 am – Coffee and continental breakfast. 

Please bring your own plates and utensils for all meals, except for Saturday's dinner.  

ATTENDEES: (as of 8/27) Allen, Alexander, Buchanan, Buelow, Duff, Dyke, Sharon Fisher, Greenfield, Greenwood, Gruel, Hicks, Jones, Reid, Schoolar, Sohles, Tilman, Vreeland, Warthan.

DIRECTIONS: 
  • Travel to Hampton, VA using interstate 64 east or west. 
  • Take exit 268 in Hampton, and go to top of hill.
  • At top of hill, make a left turn onto east Mallory Street.
  • Follow Mallory to Mercury blvd.
  • Turn right onto Mercury blvd.
  • Follow Mercury to Fort Monroe. Stay in right lane as you enter the fort. This will be McNair Drive
  • Follow McNair to stop sign. McNair changes to Fenwick Rd at stop sign.
  • Follow Fenwick along the water and through housing area to campground. 
  • Campground entrance will be on your left just past the Paradise Beach Club. Pull into the campground up to the registration building and check in. They will show you where to park. 
  • Address is 501 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23651



REGISTRATION FORM – FORT MONROE RALLY
September 5-7, 2014

NAMES_________________________________________________

Rally fee is $20.00 per person.

AMOUNT ENCLOSED $__________________

Friday, we will bring appetizer______or dessert_______.

Saturday, we will bring appetizer_______ or dessert________.

Number of people interested in the guided tour of Fort Monroe ______.

Please mail form and fees (check payable to Susan Sohles) to:

SUE SOHLES
77 Oyster Cove Landing
Hartfield, VA 23071


Rally Registration cutoff date is August 15, 2014

Christmas Rally

Mark your calendars for December 5 - 7, 2014, for the Christmas rally in the Selma NC area.  The rally will be held at the Raleigh Oaks RV Resort and Cottages, 497 US 701, Four Oaks, NC 27524 which is under new ownership (formerly the KOA where we had a rally several years ago).  Rally details will be available later this fall however preliminary plans include a Christmas show at the American Jubilee Theater with dinner at a restaurant beforehand.  The Dykes, Buelows and Cummings are the rally hosts.    

Highlights from the Solomons Rally

Eighteen coaches gathered at the Naval Recreation campground in scenic Solomons Maryland the weekend of June 5-8.  Click here to view rally photos.  The weather was fantastic and a good time was had by all.

Thursday evening we gathered at the Solomons Yacht Club for happy hour.  The club provided heavy appetizers and inexpensive drinks.  Friday night David Gilbert was able to provide 2 bushels of great crabs.  The meal was supplemented with beer brats and burgers.  After a great breakfast of special casseroles prepared by Elle, Jackie and Mary and a great fruit bowl provided by Terrie, a short business meeting was held by Dennis Reid.  Members were on their own during the day then enjoyed a 2 hour cocktail cruise on the Patuxent River.  All Dogwooders attended the cruise and provided an assortment of fabulous appetizers.  The rally concluded on Sunday with a breakfast.    

A special thanks to our hosts Richard & Elle Bonewitz, Steve & Mary Hall, David & Jackie Gilbert, and Regis & Terrie Johnston. 

Nominating Committee Update

It is time to elect new officers for the various offices of the Dogwood Chapter. As part of this process and following FMCA Operating Procedures, Dogwood has nominated and elected a 3 person Nomination Committee to solicit volunteers and/or nominees from the membership to fill Dogwood Chapter Officer Positions. The committee is comprised of Michael Vreeland, Buck Buchanan, & Regis Johnson. Although we need to have a completed list of candidates for the Dogwood Offices by September 30, 2014, we would like to complete this prior to this date so there is plenty of time for voting. To that end we would request everyone please submit their nominations to the committee by August 15, 2014. 

If you would like to volunteer or nominate a person for one of the offices please provide this recommendation by email to any one of the Nominating Committee members.  Their email addresses are as follows:  Michael Vreeland – BeagleRV@gmail.com   Buck Buchanan – Buchananracing@aol.com   Regis Johnston – 2rjohnston@comcast.net

This is a great time to participate in the Dogwood Chapter.  Although everything in our chapter just seems to happen, it does so through the efforts of the Chapter Officers and our membership. Without this participation we would not have a chapter so please volunteer or nominate someone for this positions. Actually volunteering would be best since nomination someone without first consulting them may be problematic. We currently have one volunteer for the office of Vice President Rallies – Marion Cockrell. So if you would like to volunteer please let us know.  

To ensure everyone understands the responsibilities of the offices we have listed them below to include their responsibilities and the individuals who current hold that office. 

President (Butch Jones) – The President is responsible for oversight of all aspects of operating the Dogwood Chapter. The president should provide leadership and guidance for other Officers of the chapter.

Vice President Membership (Pat Allen) – The Vice President Membership is responsible for initiating all activities associated with recruiting new members including but not limited to promotion of the chapter through chapter fairs, publication of articles in FMCA magazine etc.

Vice President Rallies (Dennis Reid) – The Vice President Rallies is responsible for all activities necessary to organize rallies for the Dogwood Chapter including soliciting Rally hosts, assisting volunteer hosts with planning, finding suitable locations for rallies, arranging for necessary rally supplies being accessible by hosts, offering guidance to hosts on communications, collection of rally fees, and preparation of required rally expense forms.

Vice President Communications (Carolyn Duff) – Vice President Communications is responsible for maintenance of the chapters’ membership files, publication of the chapter’s communications through maintenance of the chapter web site and any other communications sent to the general membership. The Vice President Communications will work with and coordinate with the Secretary and the Treasurer to maintain membership records in a way that all needs are satisfied.  Carolyn has been in this position for quite some time now and has done an excellent job. However she has indicated she would like to step down. She has agreed to provide technical support as needed.

Secretary (Liz Jones) – The Secretary will prepare and publish minutes of all chapter business meetings and will fulfill all requirements of the office defined in the Member and Volunteer Handbook.

Treasurer (Pat Allen) – The Treasurer will establish bank account(s) with a reputable local bank. To the extent possible, the Treasurer should seek out banks that will minimize any banking expenses. When the treasury of the chapter is sufficiently large, both a checking account and an interest bearing account should be established. All financial records of Dogwood Chapter will be maintained using Quicken software.

National Director (Ed Fisher) – The National Director shall keep their chapter informed of items pertaining to the national organization and of the FMCA areas, as well as keeping the national organization apprised of items happening at the chapter level. Another important duty is participating in and voting during the Governing Board meetings.

Alternate National Director (Mann Duff) – The Alternate National Director shall serve whenever the National Director is unable to attend meetings of the Governing Board or is otherwise unable to serve.

To paraphrase a famous person “Ask not what your Dogwood Chapter can do for you – What can you do for your Dogwood Chapter?” If you have any questions or concerns please let one of the Nominating Committee Members know so we can respond accordingly.

Member Updates

Congratulations to Richard and Elle Bonewitz who were married on May 24.

Max and Barbara had a difficult winter and spring. Max had minor surgery on his wrist and also an ablation procedure for his heart. Barbara had a knee replacement and is recovering and going through rehab.  We hope they both are feeling better.

Butch Jones wrote back in June "The Solomon’s Island Rally is getting under way. Liz and I had to miss this one. We recently found out the Roxie has Lymphoma. After weighing the two options, we decided to go with chemotherapy. It would give her the best chance at maybe another year or two. She is ending her first week of chemo and since we were not sure how she would react to the drugs, we decided it best to stay home with her. She has done very well so far. So for now we will take one day at a time. Living with a pet is a very rewarding experience and one that we don’t want to give up just yet."

Butch Jones is looking for volunteers to man the Dogwood booth at GEAR in October and  the FMCA booth at the Hershey RV show Sept 10-14.  If you will be attending and can help out, please contact Butch.   

Donna Foore wrote on 7/9 that Ron was having surgery the next day.  Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Treasurer's Report

Click here to view June 2014 treasurer's report provided by Pat Allen.

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