Some of us in the Great Lakes area are rejoicing because of melting snow and peeping daffodils. Some of us are just arriving back up north from warm, sunny parts of Florida or Arizona. Regardless of where we spent the winter, we’re getting those beautiful American Coaches ready to hit the road again. For those of us lucky enough, we’ll be heading south to attend the ACA National Rally at Lake Conroe in Montgomery, Texas.

On the way north, Rick and I stopped at the FMCA Rally in Perry, Georgia. WOW! I understand there were close to 2,600 RVs in attendance. Lots of informative seminars, millions of vendors (well, maybe not quite that many, but it felt as though we walked miles just to see all of them), and entertainment day and night. A highlight was seeing many of our American Coach friends. The American Coach Chapter of FMCA was there and we saw a few of our REV favorites – Janeen Gerke and Randy Hendricks. Of course, another highlight for us was visiting the REV display area. This year, REV showcased a 2020 model and, once again, new features and new floor plans are available to temp the RV shopper. They had some tempting show prices, too, for those of us who suffer from chronic sticker shock.

We were home less than a week when we headed north again up to Camp Decatur (for newbies, it isn’t really a camp) for a few items we needed the professionals to handle. We were delighted with the new starting time (OK, seven o’clock is only an hour later, but that hour sure makes a huge difference in mealtimes), and we had a very pleasant experience. Our coach was finished by three o’clock and, while the bill did take until the following morning, we thought the total charge was very reasonable in light of the work performed.

Our Great Lakes Chapter summer rally schedule has now been firmed up and we’re already getting excited to spend time with our GLC family. Our first rally is in July in Chatham, Illinois just outside Springfield. Here we’ll visit all things Lincoln (as in Abe), from his early family home to his grave, where a moving patriotic ceremony is conducted. Last time we were there, we also enjoyed a Frank Lloyd Wright home which is open for touring. So many neat sights to see and there’s no better way to see them than with friends. Check out our entire summer rally schedule elsewhere in this ACA magazine.

Last, but certainly not least…a most auspicious occasion has again arrived and we want to be the first to wish ourselves a very Happy 28th Birthday. On May 18, 1991, the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Coach Association was born. Our chapter is a very special group of people and we have those founding members to thank for their hard work and tenacity in chartering our chapter and getting us on our feet. We’ll do our best to continue our heritage of friendship and sharing which they so solidly weaved into our foundation. We’ll work to continue to provide a fun-filled way of enjoying each other’s company and these beautiful American Coaches we so love. Happy Birthday GLCers.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Great Lakes Chapter, we wish all of you many miles of good health, good friendships, peace and love.

Bev DeAngelis, President