1971 gathering in Wisconsin attracted more than 50 FMCA members.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
June 2018
Sharon Christensen’s family didn’t own an RV and they weren’t campers 47 years ago, so she isn’t sure why her mother cut out and saved a photo from page 8 of the June 3, 1971, issue of the Elkhorn Independent in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The clipping, now yellowed by age, shows several dozen motorhomes parked at the Walworth County Fairgrounds.
The caption says more than 50 FMCA members held a mini-convention during Memorial Day weekend 1971 “to give the facilities here a run-through in preparation for (the July 12-14) full (FMCA) convention when about 1,000 families gather here for fun and fellowship from all over the nation.” According to the caption, the expected turnout would temporarily double Elkhorn’s population.
Sharon, who grew up in Elkhorn, found the clipping when going through the belongings of her mother, who died in 2015. The reason it was deemed worth saving so many years ago remains a mystery, but this much we know: RVing did become part of Sharon’s life. She and her husband, Ed, who live in Antioch, Illinois, joined FMCA in 2005.