By Lawrence Brown, F433270
April 2018
With more than 1,200 member families, Roadtrek International is FMCA’s largest chapter. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018, here is a look back at how the chapter got its start.
In 1986, while traveling to and from Vancouver, British Columbia, for the Expo 86 world’s fair, Roadtrek motorhome owners Fred and Florence Ritter of Ontario saw several other Roadtrek motorhomes on the road. This gave them the idea to start a club for Roadtrek owners in Ontario. In Kitchener, Ontario, the Ritters visited Roadtrek’s manufacturer, Home & Park Motorhomes (today part of Erwin Hymer Group North America). Company officials encouraged the Ritters to design a brochure the company could mail to its dealers and to Roadtrek owners they had on file. By the following May, the fledgling club had 18 members. The group’s first rally was held at Heidi’s Campground in Hawkestone, Ontario, with 32 Roadtreks present.
Within a few years, Roadtrek owners in the southeastern and southwestern United States were exploring starting similar clubs.
In Tucson, Arizona, FMCA members Jack and Belle Schneiker were at the forefront of such efforts. While on a six-week trip to Alaska, they met a number of fellow Roadtrek owners who expressed interest in forming a Roadtrek owners club and possibly becoming an FMCA chapter. In the fall of 1992, the Schneikers also found support from the owners of Sandy’s West RV Center in Tucson, who agreed to be the sponsoring dealer for such a chapter.
About the same time, Fred Ritter was working with people in Florida and nearby states on a proposed Southeastern Roadtrek Club. When interested folks gathered for a rally in February 1993, discussions centered on whether to continue with plans for a Southeastern Roadtrek club or join with the Tucson group. They decided on the latter.
In January 1993, Roadtrek owners were invited to join FMCA and become charter members in a new chapter, Roadtrek International. The club was chartered on February 26, 1993. By the end of the year, the chapter had more than 400 members.
Today, with more than triple that number of member families, the chapter’s activities include regional and chapter rallies, Alaska caravans, and more. The chapter’s online CyberRally allows members to exchange ideas and get answers to questions about their motorhomes.
Members will celebrate the chapter’s 25th anniversary at the annual chapter rally, which will take place September 11-15, 2018, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. For more information, visit www.roadtrekchapter.org.