President’s Message – Nov/Dec 2022

Dogwood 2022 Christmas Rally

Hello Dogwood! As I write this, I am still thinking about the great Christmas Rally we had last weekend at Americamps. We had some FMCA-mandated business items to do, and we did those with good efficiency and positive results. We now have 60 members (families/coaches/FMCA members) in our club – that is great news. I want to thank all the “old-timers” in the club for the warm welcome and fellowship offered to our latest members during this rally.  Old and new – it makes this club special.  I also want to thank the folks who stepped up to leadership in the club – Dave Meyer, Jean Herbert (my

Dave, Nanette, Nancy, Pace, Jim, Ed, Jean, Pat 

better half), Pace Mimms, Pat Allen, Butch Jones, Nanette Meyer, Ed Fisher, Nancy Greene, and Jim Buelow – without these folks a club doesn’t happen, so I am very glad they are here. And thanks to Patty and Henry Kuiken, and Rich Bonewitz for their support over the past two years. From the rally, two items of special note: 1) our finances are in good order, and 2) we have 60 members in the club.  Why are these important? Well, in the past two years, FMCA membership of motorcoach owners has actually declined while towable ownerships have increased, and nationwide, about 25 chapters have shut down due to Covid, lack of members, etc. So, we are doing pretty good, I’d say.  

 

One area that I am concerned about is Rally Planning. We have a new Rally Master, Pace Mimms, but he doesn’t do all the planning. Rather, he is the coordinator and “guy with supplies” for rally hosts. Yes, we need rally hosts for this year. I know we penciled in several rallies at our business meeting on Saturday at Americamps , but three of them were FMCA-related events. We need folks to step up for Dogwood events. Now the Christmas Rally was, and has always been, a big deal for the whole club, but you don’t have to match or copy that. Getting four or five coaches together for a weekend is a perfect rally size. Group meal preps are OK, but you can always just go out to dinner at the local restaurant and sitting around the campfire talking is a perfect way to spend the evening. Weekend get-togethers at your local campground make for a perfect rally. Pick it, plan it, and send Dave Meyer a message to get it on the club calendar – you will be amazed at who shows up! And if we have two in one month, so much the better. So, I encourage all Dogwood folks to look at their calendars and think about hosting a rally. If you have questions, please call me. I would love to come to your rally. 

Safe travels, Merry Christmas, and Happy Hannukah!  

Regards,

Ed Herbert
Dogwood President

Secretary’s Report – Nov/Dec 2022

Family Motor Coach Association 

Dogwood Chapter Business Meeting Minutes 

December 3, 2022 

Members present:  Alexander, Allen, Buelow, Brinkley, Cummings (via Zoom), Dudziak, Fisher, Greene, Greenwood (via Zoom), Herbert, Kuiken, McFarlane, Meyer, Mimm, Nelson, Robison, Schoolar, Spiezio, Tenney, Thorpe, Tilman, Tyler, and Vreeland 

Guests:  Andy and Lee Deal, FMCA EAMA VP 

1.      Call to Order:   President, Ed Herbert ("Ed") called the meeting to order at 11:45 a.m. with a welcome and thanks for the good food and fellowship.  Ed introduced rally guests, Andy Deal, FMCA EAMA VP, and his wife, Lee.  

2.      Minutes:  On a motion by Jim Buelow, seconded by Robi Robison, the minutes from the October 15, 2022 FMCA Dogwood Chapter Business Meeting were unanimously approved. 

3.      Treasurers Report: 

A.  Treasurer, Pat Allen, reported that the current balance in Dogwood treasury is $3,138.  There are still members who have not paid dues for 2022. 

B.    Pat will be taking dues payments for 2023 any time this weekend.   

4.      Communications: 

A.  Dave Meyer ("Dave"), Communications Vice President, reviewed updates he made to the Dogwood blogsite. 

B.  An updated membership directory has recently been distributed. 

5.      Membership:  Pat Allen, Membership Vice President, reported that we now have 55 member RV’s. 

6.      Financial Audit: 

A.  Jim Buelow reported on the annual financial audit meeting held December 2, 2022.  The committee consisted of Jim Buelow, Berkley Alexander, Robi Robison, and Treasurer, Pat Allen.  Jim commended Pat on doing a great job and the committee found everything to be in excellent order. 

B.  It was noted that Pat is currently keeping Dogwood financials manually as well as using a Quicken record keeping program.   

C.  On a motion by Jim Buelow, seconded by Patty Kuiken, the Dogwood club members unanimously voted to change the Standing Rules to discontinue the use of Quicken for financial record keeping. 

7.    Chapter Certification:  Ed Herbert, Pat Allen, and Dave Meyer were the committee members to conduct the annual Chapter Certification that compares our membership records with those that FMCA has in their files for the Dogwood Chapter.  Pat Allen reported that she has 12 members to contact about whether or not they are going to remain active.  We lost 7 members and gained 12 new members. 

8.    National Director Report:  Dogwood’s National Director, Ed Fisher, said there were 650 family units at the Lincoln, Nebraska International Rally.  He reviewed his National Director’s report from that rally.  He emphasized that Tech Connect issues are being resolved. 

9.    Nominating Committee:   Jim Buelow reported for the Nominating Committee that consists of Jim Buelow, Chairman; Buck Buchanan, and Rich Bonewitz. 

Officer elections were held, via email, from October 1, 2022 through October 10, 2022. 

23 ballots were completed and returned.  The new Board is as follows: 

President:  Ed Herbert 

VP Communications:  Dave Meyer 

Treasurer and VP Membership:  Pat Allen 

Secretary:  Jean Herbert 

VP Rallies:  Pace Mimms 

Careperson:  Nanette Meyer 

National Director:  Ed Fisher 

Alternate National Director:  Jim Buelow 

Nominating Committee:  Jim Buelow, Nancy Greene, and Buck Buchanan 

Safety Officer:  Butch Jones 

Jim thanked all the new, returning, and retiring officers.  He also asked all members to consider learning about officer duties and think about becoming an officer in the future. 

10.  Gourmands Report:  Gourmands President, Wilt Greenwood, reported that there was a smaller than usual group dinner at the Lincoln Nebraska International Rally.  A dinner is being planned for the Perry Georgia International Rally. 

11.  Careperson Report:   Patty Kuiken offered a “thank you” to everyone who has given her a “heads Up” regarding Dogwood members who are sick or grieving the loss of a loved one. 

12.   Rally Hosting Awards:  Current Rally Master, Henry Kuiken, distributed host pins, with thanks, to all who stepped up to host rallies in 2022. 

13.  2023 Rally Planning:  Newly elected Rally Master, Pace Mimms, asked for rally suggestions and rally hosts for 2023.   

A.   Current 2023 rally plans are as follows: 

February 16-19 – KOA in Virginia Beach; Host Lynn Nelson 

March 15-18 – 106th FMCA International Rally; Perry Georgia 

May 4-6 – Mr. B’s Bluegrass Festival in Woodford VA; Hosts: Ed and Jean Herbert 

June 2-4 – Lancaster PA; Hosts: Jim & Susan Buelow and Dave & Marla McFarlane 

August 23-26 – 107th FMCA International Rally; Gillette Wyoming 

October 4-8 – FMCA Greater Eastern Area Rally (“GEAR”) in Lewisburg WV,          Hosts for Dogwood gathering, Ed and Connie Tilman

November 3-5 – Urbanna Oyster Festival; Hosts:  Berkley and Karen Alexander 

December 1-3 - Dogwood Christmas Rally Host: Lynn Nelson (More hosts needed) 

B.      Lynn Nelson will call Carolina Crossroads Campground about reserving it for our 2023 Christmas Rally. 

14.   Paul Cummings told the group that the FMCA Fuel Discount Card is being discontinued on December 15, 2022.  FMCA is shifting to Open Roads TSD Logistics (diesel only) and will waive the $20 fee for those transitioning from the former fuel card. 

15.     Dave McFarlane suggested that Dogwood meetings could benefit from some kind of microphone and speaker so folks can hear information more clearly.  On a motion by Jean Herbert, seconded by Lynn Nelson, the group voted unanimously to have Wayne Dancause look into what would best suit our needs.  He will present his recommendation to the Dogwood Board for a final decision. 

16.     The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. 

 

Respectfully submitted, 
 
Jean Herbert, Secretary 
FMCA Dogwood Chapter  

Treasurer’s Report – Nov/Dec 2022

 Reminder - Dues for 2023 are being collected.  If you have NOT paid your dues  – please send your check to Pat.  Wondering if you need to?  Check with Pat – She knows! 😊

 

Pat Allen, Treasurer

FMCA Dogwood Chapter 

National Director Update – Nov/Dec 2022

Subject: National Directors report on Governing Board meeting Lincoln Nebraska August 24 , 2022


President Rhett Porter called for a quorum report, and 53 % of possible votes were present. With a requirement for 51%, a quorum was established.

In his opening statements, President Porter stated that approximately 650 family units were present, the lowest since the early days of FMCA. (your National Director has attended National Conventions with 7,000 in attendance).

The National Treasurer reported there were $308,470 in off budget spending. Funds were taken from the investment account. Most of these funds were spent on new roofing and HVAC Units at the Cincinnati offices, and for losses on last Spring’s Tucson Rally. I have all budget figures in my file. If any member desires to review them, please request via email, and I will scan and return via email.

Highlights of CEO Chris Smith’s report are as follows: For the first 7 months of the current fiscal year, there was a net loss of 257 members, compared to 1031 last year. Motorhome vs non-motorhome memberships continue to move in opposite directions. Non motorhome memberships increased 1196, while motorhome memberships declined by 1435. 

The transition of on-line and magazine advertising to the James G Elliot Company is complete with encouraging results.

The Tech Connect + program has presented some issues that have proven costly. The reason was the explosive popularity of the program. Since it’s inception, Tech Connect+ income has been reported as net, that is, revenue collected minus expenses. FMCA’s auditors determined that the IRS rules require that the unrelated income must be reported as gross. This change caused an issue with the IRS rule that a nonprofit cannot have more than 35% of its income from unrelated business. By my calculation from the figures presented, show that Tech Connect+ will be 36.9%, and indications are it will continue to grow. To align FMCA with IRS rules, Tech Connect+ must move from the nonprofit to the profit side of the ledger. This will result in a huge tax bill from IRS, unless other actions are taken. The best solution, though costly, would be a rebate to the Tech Connect+ users. Auditors estimated a cost of approximately $500,000.  I suspect this program is in process. 

The 2022 by-laws amendment number 2 was approved as amended. The effect on the chapters was to make the election of the Alternate Director optional, rather than mandatory. 

Dogwood had a presence at the Chapter Fair. Not too much interest. I made a pitch to about 20 people, but no gain. 

The Convention Committee recommends Tucson Arizona for the Spring 2024 convention, and already established are Perry Georgia for the Spring 2023 and the Summer 2023 will be held in Gillette Wyoming. 

The Long Range Planning Committee had a long wish list. It all leaned toward attracting younger upper middle class  RV owners who are looking to use their RVs for vacations and shorter travel and weekend trips. This group is perceived to be the vast majority of the RVers out there.

Ed Fisher
Dogwood National Director 

Safety Article – Nov/Dec 2022

Safely Speaking

Butch Jones

 

As we bring another year to a close, we can look back and remember things that happened, places we visited and friends we spent time with during the year. For some the travel was extensive and for others it was limited, however enjoying our recreational vehicles is a pleasure that we all enjoy. 

   

A holiday safety reminder, think safety as we continue thru this season, A few things to remember, use care when using ladders and step stools. Be aware of your surroundings, especially when using ladders. Avoid reaching or using the top steps on ladders. Check all wiring for fraying and damage, critters like to chew wiring, especially in attics or little used storage areas. Check your fire extinguishers to ensure they are ready for use.  Consider getting a fire blanket for the kitchen. These are more effective for stove fires than a fire extinguisher, in most cases. If you grandchildren or great grandchildren are coming for the holidays, ensure that you have your decorations child proofed. Resist overloading electrical circuits, if you are full timing and decorating your RV, remember that even LED bulbs get warm over time so be careful where you put them. Refrain from leaving lighted decorations and string lights on when you are not home or with your RV. Use extreme caution when using candles, ensure that they are extinguished when leaving a room for an extended period. Make this a joyous and safe holiday season.

  

This year was, from a Dogwood Chapter safety perspective, a “safe year”, as I am not aware of any issues. That is a very good thing, and we hope that 2023 will be a “safe year” as well.  I was reminded that at the age of many of our members, many of your parts have been discontinued or are hard to find as well as the healing process is exponentially longer than when we were, say 50, so, be safe during the Christmas and New Year holidays as well as during the new year.

THINK

SAFETY

EVERYDAY!

 

Wishing everyone safe travels.

Butch Jones, Safety Chairman 

Celebrating Dogwood Birthdays and Anniversaries - Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

 

2022 Christmas Rally – Summary

 

Dogwood Christmas Rally - 2022

It started Thursday evening – great food, great friendship. Hosted by the Herberts and Kiukens, the participants brought lots of great hors d’oeuvres; we caught up on all the latest info on old friends we had not seen in quite a while and made new friends with folks who had just joined the club. The weather was perfect; Americamps decorated the rally room for us making us feel very welcome.   

 

On Friday we conducted two FMCA-required business events – the annual fiscal audit and the annual chapter member reconciliation. The fiscal audit, covered by Berkley Alexander, Robi Robinson, Jim Buelow and Pat Allen, showed us that our books were straight and finances in good shape. The chapter member reconciliation with Ed Herbert, Dave Meyer, and Pat Allen aligned our membership records with those of FMCA, since everyone in Dogwood is an FMCA member. In the end, we updated the FMCA records with fourteen (14) new members, now bringing our total club membership to 60 families. Outstanding, I should say! 

 

Friday night’s dinner was a hit with Brunswick stew, biscuits, Caesar salad and cake. Again, lots of delicious hors d’oeuvres to start off the dinner. Then games! We played the old favorite, Left-Right-Center and gave away over $200 in prizes - I think everybody had a good time that night.  

 

Lee, Nancy, Donna, & Patty

Saturday morning was a brunch of eggs-cooked to order, casseroles, tomato pie, bacon, sausage gravy and (more) biscuits, followed by the club business meeting. Secretary Jean will be posting the minutes shortly, but the main thing here is that we welcomed the new officers and started the planning for rallies in 2023. That will be on the blog site soon. Note that we also had guests this weekend; Andy Deal and his wife Lee (who jumped right in and helped out with everything!) are our FMCA Eastern Area VPs and stayed with us the whole weekend. Andy and Lee – thanks for being part of our rally. Lee – thanks especially to you for helping in the kitchen. But I want to point out that a lot of folks helped out in the kitchen for this rally – we (Kuikens, Herberts, and Dudziak) could not have done this without the efforts of all the club members who jumped in with fixing dishes, heating dishes, prepping food, chopping vegetables, etc. This is what makes our club work so well – everybody pitches in and the food is always, always excellent! Dinner that night of ham, green beans, (even more) biscuits, pineapple casserole, and salad, followed by pumpkin pie with whipped cream – a perfect meal. Then there was the Yankee Swap, run by our fearless Yankee-Swap leader, Mrs. Connie Tilman. We fought over the handmade quilt and afghan; I think they changed hands three times, but in the end, everyone walked out with some great gifts.  Dave Meyer took lots of pictures, so look for photos on the blog site soon. We had a really good turnout this weekend; 28 member coaches – so I count this as a very successful Christmas Rally.

Connie managing the Yankee-Swap

 

Next year it looks like we are going to be at the American Heritage Campground in Williamsburg, and I am betting it too will be a big success. As an aside. American Heritage will not be holding sites for us, so I recommend you get your reservations in to them ASAP. Their contact information is 1-888-530-2267 and when you call, tell them you are with FMCA Dogwood.

Dogwood 2022 Christmas Rally

Dogwood Christmas Rally 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to You Party Animals!!  

 Your hosts, Mary Lou Dudziak, Jean and Ed Herbert, and Patty and Henry Kuiken, are very excited for the Christmas Rally this year!  We have a game with lots of wonderful prizes, lots of yummy food, and enthusiasm!  Don’t forget to bring your $25 wrapped gift (per rig) for the Yankee exchange on Saturday night.  The rally officially begins on Friday, but if you plan on coming Thursday, please bring a heavy hors d’oeuvre to share for dinner.  

 Please click here for all the Rally details.

Hope to see you there. 

 

Regards and SAFE travels, 

The Refuge on Roanoke Island Rally - Summary

The Refuge on Roanoke Island

 The Dogwood Rally at The Refuge on Roanoke Island Campground in Wanchese, NC was held October 14-16 and hosted by the Buelows, Meyers, and Mimms. The Refuge campground is very basic, but we had all we needed to have a great time, including waterfront sites and a pavilion to gather in. And the weather was beautiful for October.

 

In addition to the hosts, attendees included the Alexanders, Allens, Brinkleys, Greenes, Greenwoods, Herberts, Kuikens, Schwartzes, and Tylers, along with Daniel & Elizabeth Heflin and Randy Scott, guests of the Tylers.  Unfortunately, the Schwartzes were not feeling well and ended up having COVID, so they isolated and weren't able to participate in the rally. As of October 22nd, they were feeling much better. And the Robisons and Tenneys had also signed up for the rally, but due to family issues and illness, they were unable to attend. We hope all is going better.

 

Ed, Clint, & Henry

The official rally didn't begin until Friday, but many of the attendees arrived on Thursday, so we all gathered at the pavilion for socializing and heavy hors d'oeuvres.

 

Friday day was open, and several attendees did a little sightseeing, shopping, and having lunch at one of the many good seafood restaurants in the area.

 

Ed decided to do some fishing and took Henry Kuiken and Bubba Allen along. Not sure how many or how big the fish were that they caught but be sure to ask Ed to show you the new fishing wardrobe he has, compliments of his fishing buddies.

 

Friday evening included a social hour with snacks and a delicious meal provided by the hosts. And for dessert, we had a delicious cake and ice cream provided by the Meyers to celebrate the Buelow's and Mimms’ wedding anniversaries. Thank you, David and Nanette, for the beautiful cake and special thoughts.

 

After dinner we had a 50/25/25 raffle with $150.00 in cash going to 3 lucky winners, and numerous other prizes were also raffled off. We also had a little gas fire going until the Buelow's fireplace was throwing off a little more fire than expected. (LOL) No harm done and a fun evening.

 

Saturday morning, we had a great breakfast with meats/fruit/juice provided by hosts, and potluck provided by attendees. This worked out really well and we had a nice variety of dishes to share. After breakfast, we had a Dogwood business meeting conducted by President Ed Herbert. Minutes will be published for that meeting.

 

Saturday afternoon we took a tour of the Oregon Inlet Coast Guard Station, which was set up by co-host Pace Mimms, thank you Pace. We had the opportunity to tour the entire facility including 2 boats. The crew there welcomed us with opened arms, and were very courteous, professional, and knowledgeable. They explained the history of the station along with their mission, and freely answered our questions. We spent about 2 hours doing the tour and it was very informative and enjoyable. Plans are to send a thank you letter to Coast 
Guard headquarters.

 

Sugar Creek Seafood Restaurant

Saturday evening included a social hour at the pavilion and dinner at the Sugar Creek seafood restaurant. Food was delicious and service very good. We definitely recommend.

 

Sunday morning, we had a continental breakfast, and the rally was supposed to end. However, a good number of attendees decided to stay until Monday, so we gathered again Sunday afternoon for socializing and a dinner of leftovers, which we had an abundance of.

 

In summary, we think it is safe to say that all of the attendees had a great time, and "Fun, Food, and Friendship” were in abundance. Thank you for attending and for your help. See you next time.

Dogwood at The Refuge on Roanoke Island

 

Regards and Safe travels,

 

Your Hosts

Jim and Susan Buelow

David and Nanette Meyer

Pace and JoAnn Mimms

 

 

President’s Message – Sep/Oct 2022

Ed, Clint, and Henry

Hello Dogwood! As I write this, folks are packing up and heading home from an absolutely terrific weekend at The Refuge on Roanoke Island – just below Manteo, NC. The weatherman has been great and blessed us with four days of sunny, clear days and cool, breezy evenings.  Clint, Henry, and I spent an afternoon fishing on Jeanette’s Pier (wait until you see the T-shirt they gave me); Pace and I tried our best to catch this big old red drum that kept cruising the sea wall behind our RVs. Lots of small fish but no keepers; that’s OK – I didn’t want to clean any fish, anyway! The food and comradery were excellent. Could not have been better, and I can’t wait to see the story and pictures from our hosts! Buelows, Meyers, and Mimms – great job by all for this club.  

Ed's new fishing shirt

We have two more rallies planned – Urbanna in November and Ashland in December. Details on the December Christmas rally are forthcoming but know this – we still have three (3) spots in reserve until 1 November. After that, you get what’s available, so go ahead and make your reservations ASAP. BTW – there are three (3) groups with “Dogwood” in their name coming into Ashland, so when you register, make sure you tell them you are with the DOGWOOD FMCA, and use my name as needed.

 

Another item of note came up at our business meeting on Saturday – apparently some of these Dogwood messages going out are not going to your Inboxes; rather they are ending up in Spam or Trash. We can’t control that, but you can check at your end and make adjustments as needed. I don’t want anyone to miss out on what this club is doing.  

 

The Eastern Area Rally, GEAR, has been set for next October 2023 (4-8) and the favored themes from this club are, in no particular order because they all tied, are “Scenic Mountain Getaway”, “Get your GEARON”, and “Come where history and mountains meet”. I ’ll report that back at my next EAMA Zoom meeting later this week.  

 

Safe travels.  Stay healthy and get your Flu shot and Covid booster. 

 

Regards,

Ed Herbert

Dogwood President 

Dogwood 2022 Officer Election Results for the 2023-2024 Term

Hello Dogwood Family,

 

We hope all is well with all of you and your families. 

 

As you know, this is an election year for Dogwood, and on October 1st, 2022, a ballot was sent out to all Dogwood members with a suspense date of October 10th for returning the ballot. 

 

That date has since passed and all ballots received by David Meyer, our VP of Communications have been tabulated and detailed documentation has been sent to me, your Nominating Committee Chairman. The Ballot Summary has been reviewed and confirmed by Nominating Committee members

 

Ballots were cast by 23 member families which is only about a 37% of our membership. There were no write in candidates and all votes were unanimous. Ballot and election results will be maintained by Dogwood. Thank you to all members who cast a vote. 

 

Our new Executive Board, Nominating Committee members, and appointed Committee members are as follows:

 

Executive Board

President:                 Ed Herbert 

VP of Membership:  Pat Allen

VP of Comm:           David Meyer

VP of Rallies:           Pace Mimms

Secretary:                Jean Herbert

Treasurer:                Pat Allen

National Director:     Ed Fisher 

Alt. Nat. Director:     Jim Buelow

 

Nominating Committee

Chairman:               Jim Buelow      

Member:                  Buck Buchanan

Member:                  Nancy Greene

 

Appointed Positions

Safety Director:      Butch Jones

Care Person:         Nanette Meyer

   

Congratulations and a sincere thank you to all of you who stepped up to carry Dogwood through the 2023-2024 term and beyond. We have a great team who will no doubt take our chapter to the next level. 

 

Regards and Safe travels.

 

Jim Buelow

Nominating Committee Chairman 

VP Rallies Update – Sep/Oct 2022

We have 1 Rally remaining for 2022:

 

Cancelled - November 4-5: Hosts - Alexanders

         Urbanna Oyster Festival in Urbanna, VA

December 2-4: Hosts -  Herberts, Kuikens, and Mary Lou Dudziak

         Dogwood Christmas Rally at Americamps in Ashland, VA        

 

Please see all the Rallies and updated information planned for this year.

 

 

Safe and Happy travels,

 

Henry Kuiken, Rally Master 

Care Person Update – Sep/Oct 2022

On behalf of Dogwood cards were sent to:

 

Sept. 12, 2022

Robi & Dale Robison, her brother had passed

Robert and Nancy Green, his mom had passed

 

Sept. 19, 2022

Mary Lou Dudziak, her dad passed

 

 

Sincerely,

Patty Kuiken, Care Person 

Celebrating Dogwood Birthdays and Anniversaries - Oct/Nov 2022

 

RV Slang - Word of the Day

What Is Moochdocking?

Moochdocking is RV camping on a friend or family’s property for free. This might mean parking in their driveway, on the street, or somewhere on their land. 

Moochdocking does come with some risks—like ticking off grouchy neighbors or getting a citation for parking illegally—but with a little bit of advance planning, it also has some big rewards: free camping all over the country and getting to visit loved ones.

 

To read more, please see the article on TOGO RV…  Here is the link:

 

Moochdocking