Endless Cavern Rally

by Buck Buchanan

Dogwood's first rally for 2015 will be held May 15-17 at Endless Caverns. Hosts for the rally are Buck & Linda Buchanan and Clint & Pat Allen.  

CAMPGROUND: Endless Cavern Recreation Destination, 1800 Endless Cavern Road, New Market VA 22844.   Attendees are responsible for making their own reservations directly with the campground by calling 540-896-2283 or 800-544-2283.  Tell them you are with the Richmond Dogwood group.  Reservations need to be made by April 15th to receive our 25% discounted rate.  We have reserved sites E31-E38; E42-46 pull thru and sites E10-13 back in.  All sites are full service, with 20,30,50 amp.  Click here to link to their website. 

Directions and a site map are on the Endless Caverns website. I would recommend those coming from the south take I-64W to I-81N and those from the north take I-66 to I-81S.  We are not too far from Luray and Harrisonburg.  Local attractions include the New Market Battlefield Military Museum, flea market (open daily 9 -5), Painted Pony, a fine consignments and galleria, wineries, restaurants and a Super Walmart in Luray. 

Tours of the Endless Caverns on site are given at 10, 12, 2 and 4. Cost will be $13 per person.  The caverns are not ADA accessible for the long tour.   Some of our campsites will be situated on top of the caverns.

SCHEDULE:

Friday
Happy Hour BYOB:  Attendees should bring an appetizer or dessert to share
Dinner:  Roast chicken, cabbage, rice, peas, roll

Saturday

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage gravy, grits, biscuits, juice and coffee
Happy Hour BYOB:  Attendees bring an appetizer or dessert to share

Dinner:  Steak, baked potato, green beans, salad, roll  

Sunday

Continental breakfast

Please bring your own plates, utensils and beverages (juice and coffee provided at breakfasts) for all meals.     

Rally Fees:  The cost of the rally is $15 per person, and includes Friday and Saturday night dinners, Saturday breakfast, and Sunday continental breakfast

Attendees (as of May 5):  Buchanan, Hudson, TiIlman, Cockrell, Greenwood (plus daughter and grandsons), Schoolar, Alexander, Buelow, Fisher

Registration Form 

Endless Cavern Rally May 15-17, 2015

NAMES______________________________________________

Rally fee is $15.00 per person.

AMOUNT ENCLOSED $__________________

Number of people interested in tour of Endless Caverns  ______

Friday, we will bring appetizer______or dessert_______.

Saturday, we will bring appetizer_______ or dessert________.

Deadline for Registration is May 5

Please mail registration form and fees (check payable to James Buchanan) to:

Buck Buchanan
349 Carltons Corner Road
King and Queen Courthouse  VA  23085

Richmond International Raceway with the Buelows

By Jim and Susan Buelow

To Our Family and Friends

Join us for

FREE - FUN, FOOD, FRIENDSHIP and EXCITEMENT

WHAT – Come join us to see Jim (SMOKE, ROWDY, HAPPY, The INTIMIDATOR, CRASH, LEWY the LIPSHITS) Buelow take the ride of his life in the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience.

WHERE – Richmond International Raceway, 600 E Laburnum Avenue Richmond, VA  23222,  804 228-7506

WHEN -  Saturday, May 09, 2015 at 11am.

WHY – I received a Christmas gift from my daughter and her family to participate in this driving experience. I will have the opportunity to ride for 3 laps with a professional driver, then take to the track on my own for 12 laps of a hopefully safe and exciting driving experience. Racing other cars is allowed. Autographs available, YEAH RIGHT!!! TAILGATE PARTY TO FOLLOW AT THE CAMPGROUND.

DETAILS – Entry to this event is totally free. You can view the excitement from the infield pit and garage area. LOOK FOR THE JIM BUELOW BANNER. Total time for my experience will be about 2 hours. 

We are taking our motor home to the track and will be parked in the campground outside of turn 4 Fri-Sun. After the event, we will host a tailgate party at our coach. This will include drinks, food, and all the trimmings. Please bring chairs, and be prepared to have FUN.

RSVP to Jim at 757 876-7399 by  April 25^th. PLEASE JOIN US

DIRECTIONS to RICHMOND RACEWAY 

• Follow I-64 to Richmond.
• Take exit 195, Laburnum Ave north and follow for approximately 5.2 miles to the track. Track will be on your right.
• Follow Laburnum along the track until you reach the corner of Laburnum Ave and Richmond Henrico Turnpike.
• Enter the track through the main gate at the corner of Laburnum and Richmond Henrico Turnpike.
• After entering the gate follow road to left. (Should be signs directing you to the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience.) Follow the road past the campground (on your right) and continue around the outside of the track to the tunnel. Take the tunnel to the inside of the track and continue to the pit and garage area. There will be a sign/banner where the Buelow group is gathering.
• After the driving experience, exit the track through the tunnel and follow the road back to the campground you passed on the way in.
• Our motor home will be parked in the campground. It is a 2009 WINNEBAGO SIGHTSEER, GREY, GOLD, and BURGUNDY IN COLOR. THEIR WILL BE AN AMERICAN FLAG FLYING FROM THE LEFT REAR CORNER. PLEASE JOIN US FOR A FUN TIME.

Campground reservation form

Credit card authorization form

Incoming President's Message

As the new President of FMCA Dogwood Chapter, I would like to Thank all who had the confidence in me to lead our Chapter for 2015 & 2016. I look forward to working with our new officers (Pat Allen, Marion Cockrell, Carolyn Duff, Carol Warthan, Ed Fisher and Mann Duff) and all of the Dogwood Chapter members. Its my hope that with our members' help and suggestions we will be uncovering new adventures and holding many rallies.

Linda and I are looking forward to hosting a rally this year. Being a fairly new member and with all of the new members in Dogwood, if there is a location which the Dogwood Chapter visited in the past or a location you may have visited without the Dogwood members and would like to revisit, do not hesitate to let Marion or myself know. Let's all consider participating more in our Chapter by making suggestions and especially hosting a rally. Remember when hosting it is what you want to do and not a competition with what was served or done at past rallies.

A special Thanks to the Dykes, Cummings and Reids for hosting the Christmas Rally in Selma, a job well done.  I believe that everyone in attendance had a good time and enjoyed themselves, especially at the Ruby Theatre.  The new owners of RVacations Resort made every effort to make us welcomed, just finishing up the rec room in time for our Saturday morning gathering.  For those who were unable to be with us at RVacations Resort, this is a place to checkout when traveling I-95 through Selma.

Let's make our Chapter a very active one!

James "Buck" Buchanan
President -Dogwood Chapter FMCA

Outgoing President's Message

As 2014 comes to an end, we look forward to a bright new year. The new officers will take office and continue Dogwood on its journey toward traveling enjoyment.

Although we were not able to attend the Christmas Rally in Selma, NC, we understand that it was a success. Many thanks to our hosts.

I would like to thank all of the 2013-14 officers for their hard work and enthusiasm.

As the final membership numbers are in and though we had a net loss of three member families, we did gain three families. I hope we can grow our membership this next year.

As more snowbirds are filtering south Liz and I are anxious to see more of our Dogwood family.

I hope that our newer members will get involved, and some of our more, shall we say experienced members; will get involved in the functions and hosting of events in 2015. If anyone has an interest in hosting a rally, please let Marion Cockrell know. If you have an interest in any other function or activity, contact any of the officers.

As my last presidential message, I would just like to say that I have enjoyed serving as your president and wish the best to our new president as I pass on the Dogwood Presidential Torch.  

Happy New Year!

Butch Jones

Click here to link to Butch's presentation "2014 Dogwood Chapter in Review" which was presented at the Selma rally.  You can use the page up and page down keys to scroll between slides.  

Message from VP Rallies

Greetings everyone.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season. I am looking forward to the 2015 camping season. At this time we have 2 events on the calendar. The first one is June 5-7 with the Schoolars and Greenwoods hosting an Ingleside winery cruise.  The second one July 13-19 with the Tilmans and Dykes hosting a Galax Va. bluegrass event. More details to follow as soon as they become available.

At this time the months of May, August, September, October (with the exception of 10/15-18), November (with the exception of oyster festival weekend) and December (I have tentatively booked the RVaction RV park) for the Christmas Rally are open. So let me know  which of these times will be available for you to host your rally.

Don't let the word "HOSTING" intimidate you. It does not have to be hard or complicated to host.  I will do my best to assist you in any way I can.

Marion Cockrell, VP Rallies

Highlights from the Selma Rally

by Barbara Dyke

The Annual Christmas Rally was held at Selma/Smithfield, NC at the RVacation Campground Dec. 5-7, 2014.  We unfortunately had several members cancel for health issues. We wish them all a good recovery. We ended up with 20 coaches and 39 members. Click here for photos.

On Thursday night we had 15 members enjoy a great seafood dinner at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant.

Friday night we ate at the Robins Nest Buffet, followed by a great Christmas performance at the American Music Jubilee.

Saturday morning was men cooking pancakes and eggs. Special thanks to Dennis Reid for smelling up his coach frying bacon before hand. Thanks to Berkley for manning the coffee urns.  Mid day members shopped the outlets and toured museums.  Saturday evening was pork roast dinner with mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, salad, and rolls. Dessert was pies and cake.

After dinner Donna Gruel emceed our yankee gift swap with her usual humor and many mask changes.

Sunday morning was continental breakfast and saying goodbye. Some members were leaving from there to Fl. to winter in.

The campground owners and staff went out of their way to make our rally successful. Thanks to them also for the Wine given for our gift give-away.

Thanks to Cummings, Reids, and Dykes for hosting the rally.

Member Updates

Paul Cummings:  It was great to visit with all our Dogwood friends at the Selma Rally.  We were on the road four months of 2014 traveling in the northwest states.  In Wyoming and Oregon mostly visiting with our daughter in Casper WY and at the Country Coach factory in Junction City OR where we saw a 2004 CC looking for a new home.  I think we got the RV fever from some of our members.  Highlights of our trip included Buffalo, the Badlands and Cody WY.  Glacier National Park, Seattle WA and the Boeing Aircraft Mfg. plant, Long Beach WA. 150 miles of the Oregon Coast, Columbia Gorge, Jackson Hole, Teton Mountains and the Cumberland Mt. of KY.  Add wineries to the list and you have the big picture.

On a technical note, I wanted to share with those who don't have a new coach.  Tv up date remains an issue when you want to record a TV program.  Seems like we can not record unless we subscribe (pay) for it.  So, those over the air free TV show cannot be recorded.  My question is where were we when Congress passed this new law, better still where was the Tea Party.  Good news, Channel Master now makes a $400 box that will record free and no fee other than the upfront cost of the box.  Hope this helps.

Donna Gruel:  We hope, that any of you that get to Florida and especially on the East Coast, will give us a call (804-435-7317) - we are just around the corner from Liz and Butch Jones and about a mile away from Sue & Steve Soles.  Since we saw ya'll at the Christmas Rally we've traveled to Aspen, Colorado for Christmas - very cold there, snowed every night.. Return trip was definitely an adventure thru Texas.  We actually got off the icy Interstate (they had done nothing to make the roads passable -- Tractor Trailers sideways, upside down, in pieces - smaller trucks and cars destroyed (many had been there for what looked like at least a 24 hour period) and drove on the State roads which were cleared, dry and less crowded?????  Go figure!  Our best wishes to all of you for a great 2015....Donna & Carl.

Barbara Dyke:  Bobby and I will be in Florida Jan 7 thru April and would love to have visitors at 16423 Citrus Parkway, Clermont,FL. We're 1/2 mi from TT Orlando. Barbara Dyke, 804 337-3530

Carolyn Duff:  Since we have been in Florida we have gotten together with the Greenfields, Hicks, Reids and Dykes.  We also spotted the Warthans driving south on 27 on their way to Arcadia.  You never know who you might run into.   We always enjoy getting together with our Dogwood friends.      

Carol Warthan:  Carson Christian (former Dogwood member) is not doing well and he and Carolyn need our prayers.  Will keep you posted on them.  

Jim Buelow:  I am mending well from my knee replacement and we are leaving Friday for a 5 week trip to FL. Hope we see you along the road.

Updates from 1/18/2015


Ken Wyatt:  We have a Florida home in RV Community in Polk City-Mount Olive Shores North. Address: 468 Meandering Way.  Would love to get together sometime. 

Bill Guttridge wrote that he is responding well to medicine following his heart attack in November.

Business Reports

A business meeting was held December 6, 2014 at the Selma rally.  Click to link to the Secretary's Minutes and the Treasurer's Report.

2015 Rally Schedule

January:
February:
March 26-29:  FMCA International in Pamona California
April
May 8-10:  Jim Buelow's driving experience at RIR
May 15-17:  Endless caverns; hosts Buchanans
June 12-14:  Ingleside winery cruise Tappahanock; hosts Schoolars and Greenwoods
July 13-19:  Galax bluegrass event: hosts Tilmans and Dykes
July 29-Aug 1:  FMCA International in Madison Wisconsin
August
September:  hosts Ed and Anke Fisher; date and place to be announced
October 15-18:  Gear in Ashville North Carolina
November 5-8:  Urbanna Oyster Festival, Ed Fisher's garage
December

2017-2018 Officers

                         President, Jim Buelow​ (Right side)

                         Vice President, Communications, Paul Cummings​ (Left Side)
                         Vice President, Treasurer, Pat Allen​ 
                        Vice President Rallies, Donna Hill​ (Center) 
                         National Director, Ed Fisher (Not Pictured)​      
                         Alternate National Director, Bonewitz (Not Pictured)  
                         Secretary, Pam Phillips​ (Right side of Jim)