Good food, good company, and an action-packed itinerary marked the chapter’s anniversary rally, and members had a blast.
By Jeannette Idell, F281616, and Darrell Gilliland, F153488
Emerald green is the color associated with 20th anniversaries, so when the Red River Rovers gathered for our 20th anniversary rally June 10 through 13, 2021, at the Choctaw Casino KOA in Durant, Oklahoma, green was prominent. Green coverings adorned tables, and green and white flower arrangements included cards to recognize the chapter’s 20 years.
Just a few months earlier, none of us was sure we would be able to hold this special rally. Thankfully, we were able to get our COVID vaccinations and felt a little safer when coming together.
For years, we’ve been holding our anniversary rallies at the Choctaw Casino KOA, and anyone who has ever stayed there understands why — manicured parking sites, a wonderful meeting room with access to a commercial kitchen, clean and beautiful bathrooms. The only thing the rest rooms lack is an attendant handing you a towel when you’ve finished washing your hands.
Chapter membership now stands at 44, and members in 14 RVs attended the rally, with eight other members or former members staying nearby. Eight of the original 53 charter members remain members of the chapter, and six of them were in attendance at the anniversary rally. Many others, who felt they could finally escape the COVID confinement, had already loaded their RVs and headed east or west by the time of the rally.
Early arrivals gathered outside Billy and Jeannette Idell’s motorhome to enjoy social hour and s’mores around a portable campfire. As always, the food was great and each evening different group games were played before the cards came out.
The hosts donned chef hats for the anniversary dinner of lasagna, salad, and “throwed rolls.” Not everyone is a good catcher, but that added to the fun! Dessert was a 20th anniversary cake served with homemade ice cream.
Anniversaries always present an opportunity to recall the past, and we’ve had a lot of memories over the last 20 years. The Red River Rovers normally hold seven rallies a year, with one that is considered an “out of territory” rally. We have visited Guthrie, Oklahoma, which has a rich history associated with being the state’s first capital and part of the famous land run of 1889. We’ve traveled to Grove, Oklahoma, where the campground is located on the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. We try to select a cooler, northern location in July and August to escape the heat of the summer. In the last few years, we have returned each fall to Kerrville, Texas, in the middle of “Hill Country.”
We have many good memories of rallies in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Creede and Fort Collins, Colorado; Hutchinson, Kansas; and Albuquerque and Chama, New Mexico. In Hutchinson, we planned the rally to be timed with the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale, a two-day event of auctions and great food.
We all enjoy each other’s company and frequently plan “unofficial rallies,” with a group of chapter members traveling to places such as Big Bend National Park, Texas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
The Red River Rovers chapter is open to all FMCA members, and we encourage and welcome new members. Visit our chapter website, www.redriverrovers.com; or contact membership chairman Mike Moore at (214) 701-6100 or mikemoore333@gmail.com. We would like to hear from anyone interested in joining us for the fun we can create using our RVs.