Greetings Dogwood Members!!
Dogwood Christmas Rally 2025
12/04 through 12/07
Rockahock Campground
Lanexa VA
The rally fee is $25 per person. And will be collected by the Hosts, during that weekend.
Campground contact phone number is 804-966-8362, 1428 Outpost Road, Lanexa VA 23089
Campsites are being held under the DOGWOOD name.
Please start making reservations now.
Hosts for this year will be posting more info soon.
LANCASTER RALLY – JULY UPDATE
We currently have 21 attendees and 19 going to the Theatre. There is still time to join, and I have a few campsites and tickets remaining. We will be releasing the Sight & Sound tickets not used by 5 August.
Please email or call if you want tickets.
email: darrel@tenney1.com
or 240-298-5553
RALLY DETAILS
Thursday the 11th: Arrive and appetizers at 5pm
Friday the 12th: Breakfast provided by hosts; Sight & Sound show at 3 but arrive early. Dinner out at Buffet to be named.
Saturday the 13th: Breakfast by hosts, free day and dinner by hosts.
Sunday: Depart.
More details and a Rally Registration Form are coming soon!
(Original Post - 5/8/2025)
Hello Dogwood!
This is a call for all interested in the September 11-14 (Thur-Sun) rally in Lancaster. The Kuikens and Tenneys are hosting this year. Details of meals and Rally fees are forthcoming.
I have some sites reserved at the Old Mill Stream Campground under the DOGWOOD name, and if you contact me I will give you a site number and you can arrange payment directly with the campground.
On Friday the 12th, our outing is to Sight & Sound Theatre to see a live performance of NOAH. The show starts at 3:00 and lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes with an intermission break. If you haven’t been to see one of their show, I highly recommend it.
“This landmark production takes you on board one of the world’s best-known voyages as live animals fill the stage and aisles.” https://www.sight-sound.com/
I have reserved a block of tickets at ~$100 each. Please contact me for tickets and arrange payment directly to me as we are getting a group discount assuming we sell enough tickets.
My mailing address for payment is: 19645 Tower Hill Road, Leonardtown MD. 20650.
Dell & Terry Tenney
240-298-5553 or 240-925-0023
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| Tom & Carolyn Spiezio |
This is from Carolyn’s FB page (last week), so with her permission I am passing on to all Dogwood.
"Update on Tom. He has finally started Chemo & radiation treatments. So far, minimal side effects. Doctor said after this round of 6 weeks would be a good time to go home. So, we should be back to De. Shortly after Labor Day. We are planning a big party of family & friends on Sept 20, will update about time, will be daytime, not night. Save the date. He has a lot of difficulty speaking, difficulty with his phone, so best to call me. At least one of his brothers is here most of the time, sometimes both. Been a big help to us both. Have friends or family coming to visit rest of July. Both excited about that. Thank u for all the love & prayers.”
She told me that they have received cards from Dogwood members, so I’m passing on their appreciation. Keep up the good work everybody! We sure do have a great group of people in Dogwood! ❤️
Sincerely,
What views! I cannot imagine what it will look like during the fall foliage!
We all arrived on the 7th, got set up and had our social to discuss the rest of our time there. We also all had stories of the travels there! Each of the recommended routes had some twists and turns not conducive to larger units – however, we did find a route out so new it’s not even on GPS mapping – that future visitors can take without concern. Shown below.
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| Richard & Denise Davis |
All days were free for roaming and each evening we met for dinner. We dodged raindrops, sometimes a deluge but the real highlight was Richard & Denise Davis playing for us for 2 nights while there.
We thank all who ventured that far out in the hills – and for those who want to go in the future – you will want to go 460W to Vansants – take about 3 miles on 83, to the new 460 – also called Southern Gap highway – to 80 into the park – I’m told soon the bridge will be open and it will be a 4 lane divided highway the entire route to 80.
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| 2025 Breaks Interstate Park Rally |
Respectfully submitted,
Your Hosts
Lynn & Wayne
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| The Rally was Purrrfect! 😊 |
Dogwood Luncheon Rally – 23 August 2025
Hello Dogwood! Hey, we have moved the July Luncheon Rally to August and from Fredericksburg to Mechanicsville (Va). Specifically, the luncheon will be held on Saturday, 23 August, at the VFW Lodge in Mechanicsville – we have been there before and always enjoyed the setting. Plan to arrive at 12:30pm with lunch at 1:00pm. Mark your calendars! Cost of the meal will be $22 each to include dinner (lasagna), drinks (non-alcoholic), salad, bread, dessert and gratuity. We will need a head-count by 7 August. The cash bar will be open for beer.
Please fill out the registration form attached and send it with payment to Jean Herbert. Also, please follow-up with an email just to be sure.
Last year’s luncheon was quite a success with 44 folks showing up. We are hoping this year will be just as good. And we hope to see you there!
The VFW address is :
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
BATTLEFIELD POST 9808
7168 Flag Lane
Mechanicsville, Virginia 23111
Your Hosts for the luncheon,
Ed & Jean Herbert
Jim & Susan Buelow
Click Here for a pdf copy of the Registration Form
Registration for the 2025 Dogwood Summer Luncheon in August
Date: 23 August 2025. Plan to arrive @ 12:30p with lunch at 1:00p
Cutoff date for Rally registration is 7 August 2025.
Luncheon fee is $22 per person (includes gratuity)
Name(s) of attendees: ______________________________
Number of attendees times $22.00 = _________
Total enclosed = _________
Please make checks payable to Jean Herbert (not Dogwood)
and please mail registration forms to:
Jean Herbert
3216 Cavalry Ridge Ct
Fredericksburg VA 22408
Contact information:
Cell: 540-760-4181
Email: Jherbert125@aol.com
Lobster Fest 2025
Anyone in the mood for lobster? The Maine Rally dates are 8/29 to 9/4 and we are heading to Boothbay!
Your Rally Host, Berkley Alexander, 804-754-1308
You may have to go to the Shore Hills website to print out the reservation sheet.
Call: 207-633-4782 for Reservations and Information.
Click here for Reservation Form and mail to Shore Hills Campground
Campground Information:
Shore Hills Campground & RV Park
553 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay, ME 04537
Your Campground Hosts:
Neal and Jean Reny
207-633-4782
email: camping@shorehills.com
Depending on how long you wish to stay will determine how much your reservation fee (deposit) will be.
NOTE:
Deposits are non-refundable
Cash, checks, and travelers checks accepted
Credit Cards and Debit Cards are NOT accepted
This rally includes happy hours, potlucks, and restaurant outings to be decided on a day-to-day basis.
Cabbage Island Clambakes (207-633-7200). Last day is September 1. If you want to go on you need to make reservations now.
We may also go on to Bar Harbor for another week. We will try for reservations at Narrows Too. More to follow on that.
Please address any Rally questions to the Alexanders
Berkley @ 804-754-1308
Karen @ 804-740-3101
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| North Landing Beach in Virginia Beach |
The Dogwood Rally at North Landing Beach Campground in Virginia Beach, VA was held Thursday June 5th – Sunday June 8th, 2025. On behalf of your hosts, the Buelows, Robisons, and Meyers, we want to thank everyone who came and helped make the rally a great time. We enjoyed the weekend and hope you did too!
We had 11 coaches, and 21 members attend the rally. Mary Lou had signed up but unfortunately wasn’t able to join us – and we missed you!
The campground staff was friendly, helpful, and welcomed us with open arms. We had the free use of a very nice rally room from Wed afternoon through Sunday’s breakfast.
We did have a rough start to the rally though. Dave and Nanette’s fridge was on the fritz again, so they had a small dorm-sized fridge in their coach and hauled rally goodies in a cooler and was able to move it all into the rally room fridge upon arrival. I wish I could tell you that was the worst of it, but nope. On the way driving to the rally, Meyers and Buelows were traveling together, with Dave in the lead. On the interstate, there was what we believe, a road rage incident between 2 other cars, when they stopped short, half in the road and half on the shoulder, causing Dave to hit the brakes hard. Jim also had to brake hard. Unfortunately, Susan was up checking the AC and fell hurting her shoulder. After arriving at the campground, followed by a trip to the ER, we learned that she had fractured her shoulder in multiple places. But she was a trooper and determined to stay at the rally for the weekend, joining us for all meals and gatherings. And does it surprise anyone to know she figured out how to crochet with her left arm in a sling? Nope – didn’t think so!
The rally kicked off on Thursday afternoon with happy hour and heavy hors d’oeuvres at the rally room. It was great to socialize with everyone, and we got to meet our newest members, Don & Sandi DeLagrange. And they fit right in like they had been members for years! The weather was great, so later we enjoyed a campfire at the Meyer’s site.
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| Sandi |
Later we all met back at the rally room for happy hour followed by a delicious BBQ dinner with salads and desert provided by the hosts.
After dinner we handed out prizes to the putt-putt winners:
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| 2025 NLB Putt-Putt Winners |
Hole-in-One on the 9th hole: Clairevon received a NLB t-shirt.
2nd Place with a score of 20: Robi & Dale received a $15 DQ gift card.
1st Place with a score of 19: Jack and Mary received a campground hat and visor, plus a $15 DQ gift card.
(The campground items were generously donated by the campground)
After that, we were treated to a fun game of trivia courtesy of Jean and Ed. Forty, yes 40, grueling questions that had most of us scratching our heads, saying “Oh, we should know this!” If memory serves, the Meyers and Robisons tied for high score, but like a kid’s participation sport everyone was rewarded with $100,000 and Pay-Day candy bars. Then came round 2 – 20 more questions on old TV commercial tag lines. The Meyers won that round, but wait, more candy bars were handed out to all! It was a lot of fun – thanks to Jean and Ed.
Another campfire was enjoyed, this time at the Mahanes’ site. (Just watch out for the chairs with puddles in the seat! Dave!)
Saturday morning started off with a full breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy, and fruit, all provided by the hosts in the rally room. After breakfast we took a couple group pictures and then a chapter meeting led by our President, Ed Herbert. Minutes from the meeting will be posted to the Blog at a later date. Everyone enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with friends and I heard that some visited the ice cream shop again!
We had happy hour again with pictures from the weekend playing on the big screen TV and a table full of crocheted slippers up for grabs. The hosts served up a wonderful ham dinner along with a salad, au gratin potatoes, a corn casserole and, if you still had room, desert.
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| Clairevon |
After dinner was our 50/25/25 raffle and a special donation. The big winner on the raffle was Steve Mahanes. Judy actually won the 2nd drawing, but graciously donated it back. Draws 2 and 3 ended with winners - the Buelows and Alexanders. The donation I mentioned was won by Clairevon and turned out to be a beautiful afghan made by Susan Buelow. And can you believe it? A third campfire in as many nights, this one too at the Mahanes’ site.
Sunday concluded the rally with a continental breakfast in the rally room with leftovers, fruit, juice and a delicious coffee cake made by Nanette.
By The Way - Does anyone have a picture of George hooking up his towed in the pouring rain? LOL!
We sincerely hope you all had a wonderful time at the rally! And again, thank you all for coming.
Your Hosts, the Buelows, Robisons, and Meyers
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| 2025 NLB Rally |
Click here to see the Rally Photo Album
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| Rally at Mr B's 2025 |
Eastern Area is still looking for a volunteer to be the Central Region VP; this job covers six chapters in Virginia (including ours) and West Virginia. The Eastern Area web site is: www.frva-ea.com The position description is under the Documents Tab, Standing Rules Tab. This position requires travel to these six chapters and there is some reimbursement for that travel. If you are interested in how the other chapters operate and want to get more involved with the Eastern Area planning and events, this would be the job for you.
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| Dave & Ed |
I have heard from some of our folks regarding who Dogwood should vote for in the FRVA National Elections at Gillette this summer – thank you for sending me your preferences and I will post the finals in our next newsletter. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a representative going out there, so our preferences may not matter. If anyone in the club is going, please let me know ASAP, so I can get you registered for the Business/Voting meeting.
In the meantime, check out the latest stories on the blog; Dogwood has been doing some really fun rallies lately and I’ll see you down the road!
That’s it for now – safe travels and we’ll see you down the road.
Ed and Jean Herbert
Ed Herbert, President
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| Dave Meyer |
Dave Meyer, our FRVA Dogwood VP of Communications won the 2025 FRVA Robert L. Richter Award! He has served in this position since Jan 2021 and is currently in his third term. Below is a description of the award and the letter received from FRVA announcing his selection.
Congratulations Dave!!
The FRVA Robert L. Richter Award
Robert L. Richter, L1, was FMCA’s founder and first editor of Family Motor Coaching (now Family RVing) magazine. Mr. Richter began publishing the association’s cherished periodical out of his home in February 1964. The first edition was “dedicated to those far-sighted people who can realize that here we begin a new era in American travel.” His vision was for FMCA and its magazine to become a national information center for those interested.
The Robert L. Richter Award is to recognize an individual who is responsible for chapter newsletters, chapter publications, or communications to the chapter and/or to the public regarding the chapter, its members, and events.
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May 29, 2025
David Meyer, F477215
Dear David,
Congratulations! I would like to inform you that you were chosen by FRVA’s Executive Board for the Robert L. Richter Award. The Executive Board met in Executive Session on Friday, May 23, 2025, and have chosen you for the award. The policy guideline allows for only one winner per year.
The Robert L. Richter Award recognizes an FRVA member for his or her exceptional work communicating with chapter members via chapter newsletters and/or communications. Your communications were reviewed by a designated committee.
We would like to honor you at FRVA’s International Convention in Gillette, Wyoming. Your registration for this event is complimentary. Please contact Doug Uhlenbrock Director of Events, to register if you plan to attend. We would like to recognize you at the Annual Membership meeting which takes place on Saturday, July 19. Please contact Doug at your earliest convenience for additional information. Also, an FRVA brick with your name will be displayed at the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.
I look forward to seeing you in Gillette.
Should you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me directly at 513-474-3622, ext. 238 or 800-543-3622.
Sincerely,
FAMILY RV ASSOCIATION
Penny Gortemiller, Director of Chapter Services
cc: Ed Herbert, Chapter President, Dogwood Chapter
Gary Lyons, Eastern Area President
Family Recreational Vehicle Association
Dogwood Chapter Business Meeting Minutes
June 7, 2025
Members present: Alexander, Allen, Buelow, DeLagrange, Cummings, Herbert, Mahanes, Meyer, Nixon, Robison, and Warren
1. Call to Order:
A. President, Ed Herbert ("Ed") called the meeting to order at 10:45 a.m. with a welcome and thanks to the rally hosts, the Buelows, Meyers, and Robisons, for the good food and fellowship.
B. Ed let everyone know…
Respectfully submitted,
Jean Herbert
for
