By Thomas Mileski, F119669
August 2016
Wisconsin Voyagers members celebrated the chapter’s 25th anniversary when they gathered for their first rally of 2016. It was held May 23-27 at Harbour Village Campground & Water Park in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. A few charter chapter members attended.
Activities included sight-seeing in Door County, crafts for the ladies, and a cookout one evening with hamburgers and Wisconsin brats. Jerry Wanty shared some of his homemade wine, which has won many ribbons at the Wisconsin State Fair, and Mike Geisler provided evening entertainment by playing his accordion.
The Wisconsin Voyagers chapter traces its start to 1991. Fred Kaminski, who was FMCA national vice president, Midwest Area, at the time, called a meeting to discuss forming a new chapter for western and northern Wisconsin. Interest was high, officers were elected, and 30 families signed the chapter application that was sent to FMCA’s national office.
On May 31, 1991, chapter president Neil Donohue received a letter welcoming the Wisconsin Voyagers to FMCA. Our first rally was held at Craft’s Trading LLC in Marshfield, Wisconsin.
Since then, the chapter has organized almost 150 rallies. Members have traveled to many FMCA international conventions and Midwest Area Rallies. The 1993 Midwest Area rally in Manchester, Iowa, which the Wisconsin Voyagers organized with the Spinning Wheels chapter, was one of the area’s largest, with approximately 450 coaches in attendance.
The Wisconsin Voyagers hold six rallies each summer. We like to go anywhere in the Badger State to spend time doing what we enjoy most: sight-seeing, eating, and having fun together.