The RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind., had some special visitors Saturday (July 17).
About 100 RVers – 50 couples – descended on the museum and conference center as part of the “Centennial Caraventure,” a four-day RV caravan in honor of the RV industry’s 100th anniversary leading up to The Rally 2010 in Louisville, Ky. The rally is the largest RV rally in the country, and is expected to draw 12,000 RVers this year, the Goshen News reported.
“Centennial Caraventure” participants toured the Newmar factory in
Nappanee Friday before attending a lunch and tour at the Hall of Fame
Saturday. The luncheon was followed by a presentation on the industry’s
history and a technology and lifestyle seminar with Bob Livingston,
publisher of MotorHome magazine, senior vice president of parent company Affinity Group Inc. and leader of the Caraventure.
“What it is, is really an enthusiast’s rally where people become
immersed in the history all the way up to present time RVs,” Livingston
said. “We talk about the lifestyle, we talk about technical aspects of
RVs, we’ll talk about any topic at all. Basically, we’re talking about
RVs until we don’t want to talk about RVs anymore.”
Livingston said participants have been extremely receptive to the format and have been thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Among those participants were Stan and Cathy Nicholson of Santa
Barbara, Calif. The couple actually purchased an Airstream RV from
Livingston years ago when he was still working for a dealer.
“We just had a college graduate (in the family), so we took the
opportunity to drive our RV out for that and for this, then we’re
driving around the country,” Stan said.
He said the couple has been seriously RVing for about 10 years.
They make the most of each year, with a long stretch still ahead of them
this summer. “We don’t plan on going home for another three months,”
Stan said.
Ray Cupples Jr. and his wife, Bonnie, were also enjoying the
experience. The pair, who live in Clarion, Pa., started with tent
camping and folding camping trailers before moving on to the
full-fledged RV lifestyle after their children moved out.
“We’re enjoying the area. We wish we had a little time to do more,”
Ray said. He said they particularly liked the factory tour, being
interested in the technical end of things. “We’re always looking to
upgrade or add to our units,” Ray said.
According to Livingston, participation in the event was limited to
50 couples to ensure enough one-on-one time between event staff and the
RVers. He said they will probably hire more staff and increase the size
of the event next year.
On Monday, Caraventure participants headed to Louisville. The Rally 2010 will take place Thursday through July 25. By RV Business
