Where It All Began
The Maine Wheels chapter of Family RV Association will host a “Where it All Began Rally” at the Good Will-Hinckley School (GWH), in Hinckley, Maine, from Thursday, May 29, to Sunday, June 1, 2025. All are welcome to join us. Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) has undergone a major transformation, and Good Will-Hinckley is the perfect location to recognize and celebrate the “new” Family RV Association (FRVA).
The Good Will-Hinckley School is where FMCA began. In July 1963, a group of “house car” owners gathered on school property to view a total solar eclipse. GWH was founded in 1889 on a plot of land just north of Fairfield, Maine, with a mission to provide a home, educational opportunities, and a supportive environment to youth, families, and the communities served that are in need of a helping hand.
Talk among those gathered for the July 1963 event, with 26 motor coaches in attendance, soon turned to forming an organization for like-minded travelers. This initial gathering rapidly grew into the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), and by the following year the organization had nearly 500 members. As they say, the rest is history. A close, supportive relationship between GWH and FMCA has continued through the years. In 1994, a black granite monument was erected to commemorate the association’s founding at the site in Maine.
At this writing, details for the May 2025 rally are still being solidified, but events will include interaction between students, GWH staff, and rally attendees. Presentations by both GWH and Maine Wheels representatives will take place, and we will tour the facilities, including the world-class L.C. Bates Museum. We will hike/walk the grounds on GWH’s beautiful trail system, and we will perform annual maintenance at the site of the FMCA monument.
We will be dry camping (boondocking), mostly in a field, just like in 1963; however, staying at a nearby full-service campground is an alternative. Festivities will commence in the afternoon of May 29 with a potluck meet and greet and will end with Sunday’s departure.
If you have interest in joining us, please send an email to MaineWheelsRV@gmail.com, and we will keep you updated.
— Dave Bennett, F471791
Augusta, Maine
Flag Day
June 14 is Flag Day, a holiday to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. The U.S. flag stands as a symbol of the freedoms we enjoy in our great country and the sacrifices made and blood shed by so many to gain and maintain those freedoms.
The stripes represent the original 13 colonies. There is one star for each of the states that make up our nation. Red is for the valor and bravery displayed by the men and women who sacrificed much and the blood shed to create and defend the United States as a free nation. White represents purity and innocence, and blue is for vigilance, perseverance, justice, and loyalty.
This flag not only is a symbol to Americans of the freedoms we enjoy and the great sacrifices of so many to defend those freedoms, but also a symbol of hope to the oppressed around the world. We should not just honor and respect our flag on Flag Day; we should honor and respect our flag every day.
The American flag — a symbol of “The Land Of The Free and The Home Of The Brave.”
— George Moore, F460576
Amarillo, Texas
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