By Bill Baumann, F431712
August 2016
August 2016
FMCA’s Tucson Drifters chapter is a fun-loving group with more than 40 member families from Tucson, Arizona, and surrounding communities. Our membership footprint extends north to the Phoenix metropolitan area and south to Sierra Vista, Arizona. We recently concluded our rally season with our first photo contest.
Contest rules specified that any topic, subject, or content was allowed, but all photos had to be taken during a Tucson Drifters rally, which included driving to or returning from the event. This helps to encourage participation in chapter rallies and adds a dimension of richness, drawing on members’ diverse backgrounds and interests.
Winners were chosen by a vote of the membership at a monthly dinner meeting. First place went to Nancy Nester; second place to Marv Bass; and third place to Rick Rolland. Each was awarded “Tucson Drifter Bucks,” which can be used at future Drifters rallies.
Our rally season features monthly events throughout Arizona and some out-of-state locations. Monthly rallies are generally three to five days. We conclude our season with a longer rally outside of Arizona.
All rallies have a central theme and include activities such as speakers or musicians, local shows, and visits to museums, presidential libraries, historical sites, national and state parks, and other venues of interest, all of which provide a variety of photo opportunities.
During this past rally season, we were “Goin’ Wild” at our Cottonwood, Arizona, rally with a visit to Out of Africa Wildlife Park in nearby Camp Verde. We relived the ’50s and ’60s in Mesa, Arizona, at our “Shake, Rattle And Roll” rally, during which we attended the Arizona Broadway Theatre production of West Side Story.
During our “Way Out West” rally in Wickenburg, Arizona, we visited the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and enjoyed a cowboy steak dinner, followed by country-western dancing to a live band.
Our “From The Ancients To The Stars” rally in Williams, Arizona, included visits to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona (where Pluto was discovered); historic Route 66; and Bearizona Wildlife Park, a drive-through experience featuring bears, wolves, bison, mountain goats, and more.
The chapter wrapped up its 2015-2016 season with a three-week rally, “Waltzing Thru Tennessee With A Two-Step To Atlanta.” It included stops in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, plus Atlanta and other Georgia sites. Visits were made to the Grand Ole Opry; Graceland; Loretta Lynn’s Ranch; the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum; Southern mansions and plantations; Civil War sites; and distilleries. A Tennessee River dinner cruise aboard the Southern Belle was also scheduled.
Our motto is, “It’s not where you go, but who you go with.” Friendships and interests develop naturally in our diverse group. The photo contest provides one more opportunity during our rallies to share our creativity and interests with other chapter members.
For additional information, visit our website, www.tucsondrifters.org. Come join us and enter the second annual Tucson Drifters photo contest.