The Dogwood PA rally was held June 8-11, 2023 in the beautiful Amish country surrounding Lancaster, PA. And without a doubt, the group had a very enjoyable time. Your Hosts were Jim and Susan Buelow, Paul and Nancy Cummings, and David and Marla McFarlane. As relatively new members, this was the first rally that Dave and Marla co-hosted and they did an outstanding job.
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| 2023 Lancaster PA Rally |
We had 30 members and guests in attendance. They included Sue Cipa (EAMA Secretary and Penn Coachmen President) and husband Gary, Clarissa Sherrow (EAMA Area VP) and husband Larry, and recent new members, Stephen and Judy Mahanes. And before the rally was over, the Cipas and Sherrows also joined Dogwood. Welcome, it is a pleasure to have you join us.
The weather cooperated, the campground facilities and staff were outstanding, and “Fun, Food, and Friendship” were definitely in abundance. We definitely recommend Old Mill Stream Campground and the Lancaster, PA area for future rallies.
On Thursday evening we gathered for a welcome, introductions, and a potluck. As usual for Dogwood, food was great and no one left hungry.
On Friday morning, some of the group toured the PA Railroad Museum, while others visited local attractions in the area. There are so many interesting things to see and do in the area, and we were able to hit a few of them. A good time was had.
On Friday evening, a delicious Italian dinner was provided by the hosts. Dinner was followed with raffles and games. Thanks to Paul Cummings and Jean Herbert, we collected over $200.00 for the 50/50 raffle, with half going to the lucky winner and the other half donated to a Veterans group. We also had several nice gifts donated for our drawing. They included a beautiful afghan and slippers donated by Susan Buelow, Old Mill Stream shirts and hats donated by the campground, table arrangements made and donated by Nancy Cummings, and jack pads donated by Ed Herbert. Nancy Cummings then conducted a fun card game with BIG BUCKS for the winner. (LOL). It was a fun ending to the evening.
Saturday morning, another delicious meal was provided by the hosts. That was followed by a business meeting with discussions which included FMCA Officer upcoming elections and a demonstration by Gary Cipa and vote to purchase a PA system for Dogwood. Thanks to the Cipas, Sharrows and Dogwood members who shared their thoughts on the upcoming election. Please review the Dogwood Minutes published in the May/June 2023 for additional information on the meeting. Thanks to President Ed for a very productive and informative meeting.
On Saturday evening, the entire group headed for the Bird in Hand Restaurant and Theater for dinner and a show. Dinner was a bit crowded, but the food was very good and very plentiful. We then proceeded to the theater for the show “Ryan and Friends”. Ryan is a ventriloquist, and along with his 5 little friends, put on a Fantastic show. Ryan knew that there was a group attending, and before the show, he called Jim Buelow backstage for a chat. After gathering some info from Jim about our group, he shook Jim’s hand and said that we were going to have some fun together. And FUN we had.
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| Robi & Dale |
Jim took numerous hits from Ryan’s little friends during the show, but the real fun began when Dale and Robi Robison were called up on stage. Seems that Jeffrey, one of Ryan’s little buddies took a liking to Dale but not especially Robi. You can imagine how it went from there. But it was all in fun, we laughed continuously, and Robi and Jeffrey departed as friends.
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| Del |
Next up was Del Tenney. He was called up to operate, one of Ryan’s friends, grandma. She was part of the grandma and grandpa team. Once Del got the hang of it, he did a fantastic job, but he really caught H*** from grandpa during his “Training” for the way that he was handling grandma. More laughter and clapping.
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| Sue & Friend |
And finally, Ryan asked for a spunky volunteer from the crowd. Several Dogwooders pointed at Sue Sohles, and up she went to perform several songs as a duet with her new friend. Once they got going, you would have thought that they had been performing together for years. They put on a fantastic show with lots of laughing and howling from the audience.
Two things for certain, first, we discovered some hidden talent among our members, and secondly, and without a doubt, the show was definitely the highlight of the rally.
Sunday morning was a light breakfast and farewell. The top item of discussion at breakfast was the great time that we had at the show. We bid farewell to those who were leaving, and several attendees hung around for another day or two.
On a personal note, the Buelows lost the right mirror on their coach as a result of hitting a road paver on the way to the rally. Gary Cipa ordered and replaced the mirror at the rally for the Buelows. Thank you very much Gary.
On behalf of your Hosts, we want to sincerely thank all of you for attending this rally, and special thanks to those who assisted us during the rally.
Until next time, take care and SAFE travels.
Your Hosts,
The Buelows, Cummings, and McFarlanes
~Click here to see the Rally Photo Album~
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