| March - April 2008 |
| DOGWOOD SAMS Fourteen rigs participated in our campout in March at the Farmers Opry in Chumuckla. Another RV group was camping there too so full hookup spaces quickly became scarce; but, as RV’ers, we’re flexible and we had a great time. The Opry’s owner had invited us to come a day early for a fish fry but we didn’t get the fish after all. We got grilled pork loins which were delicious. We spent the evening playing Mexican train and joker. The big news this month is our selection as the 2007 International Good Sam Chapter of the Year. It took a team effort to put together our book submitted for the competition but we obviously wowed the judges. We’ll receive a plaque and $500.00. We’ve received many e-mails and phone calls congratulating us on this achievement. Our chapter was well represented at the Dunnellon Samboree in February. We helped serve breakfast one morning. FLORIDA EAGLE SAMS Our March campout was held at Wild Frontier Campground in Ocala with 11 rigs present; hosts were Earle & Earlene and Alan and Susan. We had our usual potluck Friday, then played card bingo and other games. Saturday we were invited to a “free lunch” sponsored by “The Turning Wheel;” of course, we all went there to eat. Then they treated us to an “ice cream social.” That night our hosts provided a ham supper for a nominal $5.00 per person. Then we played “Bunko,” a first for many of us. The campground unintentionally booked two rallies for the same weekend; the other was a club from the Carolinas. We enjoyed their karaoke night Saturday; they seemed to enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed theirs. The April campout was held at Wilderness RV Park Estates. This campground was new to us and I was told that it was very nice. We had 10 rigs attending and the hosts were Joe and Debbie. Friday was the usual potluck. We played a new kind of bingo using 3 nickels, 3 dimes, 3 quarters and 3 dollars. Saturday we played old-fashioned board games and card games. That night we went out to eat at a restaurant called Rogers BBQ. We had four rigs attending the Okeechobee Samboree. They had a great time. All participated in the various outdoor games. GATEWAY SAMS We (eight rigs) went to the Jennings Outdoor Resort Campground. The cost of gas may have prevented some members from making the trip. Friday and Saturday the sun did warm us up from the cool nights. We were parked together as a group and had only a short walk to our meeting room. Saturday we had out potluck. Afterwards many women play a form of bingo and soon the men departed for a quiet place. Ole and Pat Johnson took our chapter to the Oaks and Pines Campground for the April campout. It has a large enough meeting room, a small kitchen and some Wi-Fi antennas available for a free Wi-Fi experience. The campfire rings are some distance away from the outdoor meeting areas. We had a total of eight rigs. Friday was warmer and sunny. We drove into Lake City for supper to Ole Times Country Buffet. Saturday we had a covered dish supper. GETAWAY SAMS Once again, it was time for the Winter Samboree in Dunnellon on the banks of beautiful Lake Rousseau (The Withlacoochee River). We had a good group of seven member rigs and one drive-in. The weather was on and off, with sunshine, rain, warm and cold during the week. Most of the rain was at night and we didn’t let that keep us from having a great time. Three of our members went fishing and caught eight one day and some more on another day. We did a booming business at the flea market and took in $85.00+ in about 1 ½ hours. It was not a huge sum but we were happy with it. We celebrated “Getaway Sam’s” 26th anniversary with ice cream and cake. Due to the closure of the Okeefenokee Campground in Folkston, GA, we moved our March campout up the road to the Twin Oaks Music Park outside of Hoboken, GA. Although it was a last minute change, we managed to find spaces for not only our group, but the Sunset Ramblers, who joined us for the weekend. The owners went out of their way to make us welcome; you would have thought we were bringing in thousands of dollars. Each chapter had seven rigs. We competed in holey board and beanbag baseball. It seemed like all we did was eat. What a great campout we had; it was nice to have another group with us. GOOD SAM SEAHORSES The Seahorses had the whole spectrum of weather at the 2008 Winter Samboree at Dunnellon – rain, cold, sunny and warm. Sadly, our boat trip up the Withlacoochee & Rainbow Rivers got rained out; Capt. Jon Semmes did not think we would be safe. We did have the pleasure of hearing Jon and his group Saturday night – they are great entertainers. We participated in only one day of manning the Dr.Sambones booth; other chapters are learning how much fun it is to participate in this activity. The flea market worked out well; we made over $100 from our treasures. Saturday we gave out door prizes to the audience; many in our group were the recipients of the gifts too. It was good to be back at the South Bay RV Park for our March campout with 13 rigs present. It had been four long years since Hurricane Wilma went thru the park; it then became a FEMA location site. Now each site has sewer – a luxury we all enjoy having. The Seahorses usually go out to a local restaurant on Friday night. Saturday morning found several of us hiking up the “hill” to the road boarding the Lake Okeechobee levee. It is so pretty up on top there; the only sound is the birds singing. The ladies spent some time playing cards Saturday; that night the Seahorses put on their usual delicious meal. There’s no dieting allowed when we camp! GO-SEE-UM SAMS I understand from those who attended the February Rally that, in spite of a little rain and being cold (?bingo with gloves on), everyone had a great time. And, in spite of the rain, the gravy and biscuit team was in place for their usual "Stirring" performance. The big new for March is the success of the garage sale; thanks to the efforts of all, we added over $600 to the treasury. What a great time we had at the Florida Winter Samboree in Dunnellon. Sure, the parking was a little tight and it may have rained a bit more than we wanted, but everything else was perfect. The Withlacoochee Bluegrass Grounds made a spectacular spot for the winter rally. In March we again were pleased to welcome the prestigious auction firm of Slick, Slippery and Sleazy International Limited, Inc to conduct our annual Brown Bag Auction. After all of the bags were auctioned off, our treasurer Chere Ruester reported that she had an unauditored amount of $447 from the sale. Between the brown bag auction and the garage sale, we raised almost $1100 for our charities. It is always a fun evening and a great fundraiser for our chapter. JAX RAMBLIN SAMS Jax Ramblin Sams met at Dixieland RV Park in Waldo. We enjoyed a weekend of fun, food and music. The weather was a bit iffy (cold) to start with but turned out to be a beautiful weekend. Between the flea market, the antique show and the music everyone had a good time. JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE SAMS The March campout was at Encore Sunshine Travel RV Park in Sebastian with hosts Dick Barber & Marilyn Pollard and David & Shirley Nairn. Some of the earlybirds spent time at the pool while some went to the outlet mall. We had a nice cocktail hour chatting; after dinner we hit the game room for poker and a new fast-paced card game called “99.” The park hosted a resort poolside party to celebrate March birthdays with cake, ice cream, music and a raffle. It was nice of the park to include us in this very nice event. Some went to dinner at Captain Hirams’s on the water. We also enjoyed a miniature golf tournament, washer toss, “31.” Our potluck dinner was held in the clubhouse – corned beef, cabbage and parsley potatoes. Nine rigs atended the Good Sams Spring Samboree in Okeechobee. Nancy and George Wartzok carried the flag in the opening ceremonies to the enthusiastic cheering of our fellow members. We enjoyed playing both indoor and outdoor games and bingo. As always the Samboree was very well organized. The weather, the food was good, the entertainment was enjoyable. We all had a great time and look forward to the next Samboree. LAKE EOLA SAMS We had a beautiful spring weekend for our campout at Olde Mill Stream RV in Umatilla with seven rigs and one guest rig as earlybirds. For dinner we went to eat at Gator Deck Side in Eustis; after dinner we played wizards and dominoes. Friday we played bocce ball or holey board. Two more rigs plus a drive in joined us for supper at the Crazy Gator; more inside games were played after dinner. We now have 13 rigs in our chapter after voting in a new member. For dinner we had chopped pork from Oakwood Smokehouse plus many delicious side dishes. Thanks to the Howes and Fergusons for being good hosts for the weekend. OCALA CENTRAL SAMS Nineteen people camped at Blueberry Hill in April. Our usual potluck on Tuesday was just right. We even got a chance to sample some dessert leftovers from the Holiday Ramblers club who were sharing the clubhouse facilities. This is the same club that shared facilities with us last month at Wild Frontier. We enjoyed “Pass the Trash,”, horseshoes, Hillbilly Golf, bocce, and “31.” Newcomers Matt and Linda provided sumptuous breakfasts, birthday cake and ice cream, grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. PASCO LOAFERS Thirty-two members were present at our January meeting. A thank you letter was received from the Metropolitan Ministries for our $250 donation. Sixteen members were present at the February campout. Nineteen members were present at our March campout. It was voted to make the Suncoast SPCA our new project this coming year. SALTY SAMS Another nice weekend meeting has gone by, and I must say it was a good one. The weather was good – cool at night, warm during the day and no rain. We were camped at Crooked Hook in Clewiston; a nice clean RV campground. The management and crew were all very hospitable and very helpful. The only thing was the parking spaces were a little small. We had seven rigs plus guests. Friday was finger food and, as usual there was plenty to eat and drink. Many members played Rumicube and Mexican train. SILVER SAMS II We had a great time in January at the Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort where we camped from Tuesday until Friday. Tom & Pat Grice were there and installed the new officers. February found us at the Winter Samboree in Dunnellon. We had 14 rigs with one guest rig. The ladies did a great job doing the bake sale, craft, and sewing on patches for fellow campers. What a beautiful place it was back in the woods. Eleven of us took a ride on the rivers; what a joy that was – very relaxing. Great entertainment all nights of the samboree. We enjoyed the samboree even through the rain. SOUTH FLORIDA SAMS We had four couples who went to The Rally at Perry, GA. Saturday night the Michael Andrew band played while we had the “Most Couples Dancing World Record” which will be in the Guiness Book of World Records; this beat the Venezuela record set awhile ago. ST. JOHNS PAL-A-TAKA GOOD SAMS The March campout was held at Lake in the Forest with 11 rigs plus a guest rig. Friday night was potluck; we had a few pots and a lot of luck because everything was great, as usual. Saturday was beef stew – yummy! We played Holey Board, Bocci Ball and cards. The park had karaoke Saturday on a nice set up, stage and all. The two brothers who ran it both sang and played guitar really good. The April campout was held at Whispering Pines with eight rigs plus guests. Friday was salad night and Saturday was sausage and peppers with all the great side dishes as usual. We sure never want for good food. The guys played shuffleboard and horseshoes and we had fun playing cards. Saturday we all sat around telling our traveling stories which was interesting and a lot of fun. SUNSET RAMBLERS The February campout was held at Williston Crossings in Williston. Six members and two guests enjoyed the weekend; Bob and Reba Ward stopped by for Saturday afternoon. After setting up camp Friday, John went to work installing cabinets he built for Roy’s camper. While the guys and their wives were in town for parts, they went to lunch and were talking to the owners who were doing a wall for the military. When finding out that Rich had a flag that had flown over Afghanistan, they asked for a picture. Sue took a picture and took it back to the sandwich shop. Most of the chapter attended the Winter Samboree in Dunnellon. We worked in Dr. Sambones booth. Several went on the riverboat tour while others went to a ham radio meeting. The dinner provided by Rainbow Catering was delicious as always. Everyone enjoyed the evening entertainment. The March campout was held at Twin Oaks in Hoboken, GA, with eight rigs plus guests. John Johnson had made a beautiful holey board so we had some competitions. We also played hand and foot – teaching it to some who had not played before. Friday we challenged the Getaways to beanbag baseball competition. The two chapters enjoyed eating together; also played bingo together. The April campout was held at the Florida Good Sam Samboree at the Okeechobee KOA with four rigs plus Bob and Reba Ward on staff. We arrived to a very windy day but beautiful skies. Wednesday was still breezy but warmer. Everyone enjoyed walking around looking at the vendors and supported the various chapter fundraisers. Four of the members went to Lake Okeechobee where they saw a pair of large sandhill cranes, a rabbit and many different types of birds. On an airboat ride they saw lots of turtles, alligators and birds. We worked at Dr. Sambones and also inside security. We all had bought tickets for the Saturday dinner. SUNSTATE SAMS The December rally was held at Sanlan Rv Resort in Lakeland with Tom & Beverly Nist as hosts. At our meeting we met Bob and Reba Ward who are running for State Directors. We had 15 rigs plus a visitor and our ASDs Tom and Pat Grice who installed our new officers. The afternoon was filled with games and oysters roasting on the grill. The January rally (10 rigs) was held at the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Dade City. It was a rainy, yucky weekend but hosts Esther and Melvin did a great job with a Friday feast of soup. Crockpots lined the stage and we gorged on the warm yummy creations. Saturday some went golfing, some went to the Kumquat Festival with others just hibernated in our RV’s. The February rally (seven rigs plus several driveins) was held at Camp Endeavor in Dundee. It was a beautiful weekend and started with a trip to Cherry Pocket for dinner Friday. Saturday we got busy. The guys formed the space for our memorial bricks and laid the ones we have; we need more bricks donated to complete the memorial. Thanks to Lonnie the camp has seven 30- amp hookups for RV’s. Some washed windows and cleaned flower beds; next week we hope to put in a sewer line so we’ll have a dump station when we camp. The March rally (10 rigs) was held at Sun Lake RV Resort in Ruskin. It was a perfect weekend. This is a great place for our group to meet; the clubhouse is large with great facilities. Some of us were lucky and parked overlooking the lake and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise each morning. There was fishing and paddleboats. In the clubhouse we played cards and worked on puzzles or just chatted with friends old and new. I think our main event was eating. Billie Sue and Jimmy are excellent hosts. Besides eating, we exchanged books, went shopping and sightseeing or just sat around being lazy and taking naps. SUWANNEE RIVER GOOD SAMS Well, Guess what? Those of you who missed our March campout at Otter Springs should be glad! We arrived Thursday with pretty good weather. After supper we had a couple of showers. About 3 a.m. Friday it started raining and rained all day. We had five families camping and we were stuck in our rigs all day long. Luckily it slacked off around supper time so we gathered in the canteen – a screened in porch with an enclosed kitchen which was nice. After supper we played cards in the kitchen as it was too cold on the porch. Saturday we woke up to cold weather that had moved in during the night. A tree fell on the park’s power lines which caused a power outage all day and we had no water. We were all so miserable we decided to just leave and go home. I know we cannot control nature but we don’t have to stay and endure it either. From all the rain the dirt road into Otter Springs was very bad going out. I don’t think we will want to go back soon. Our campsites were fine til we lost power and water. Our April campout was held at North Ocala RV Resort with four rigs. We had fun and fellowship in spite of a few rain showers. Hosts Prices provided great potato soup Thursday and sausage gravy and biscuits Saturday. We had good weather, great food and terrific competition. Saturday we went to San’s Seafood in Ocala. Quite a few of our families have been ill or have had surgery. We are not planning any official campouts this summer but hope to stay in touch. TALLAHASSEE GOOD SAMS Tallahassee Good Sams started our year on a very sad note as we lost Guy Fountain to his heroic battle with cancer on January 1st. In February, we attended the Winter Samboree near Dunnellon and had a grand time. We were so happy to see Rosemary Bates at the Samboree and our Boom Bah players enjoyed playing with her, in spite of the sadness of not having Ira with us. We went to The Place to Be in Bainbridge, Ga. for our March campout. It is an older park but the young couple who own it are working hard to improve the park amenities and have recently affiliated with KOA. We discovered a hidden jewel of a restaurant out in the country called The Pond House Restaurant. The food and ambience are great and we will certainly be repeat visitors to the campground and restaurant. In April, we joined our Alabama friends for their Samboree at the Peanut Festival Grounds in Dothan, Alabama. They always make you feel so welcome and special. Two of our little dogs took honors in the Pet Contest. Maggie (and handler Ruthie Freeman) placed third in Best Dressed category and Cappuccino (and handler Marie Norris) took first place in Best Trick and second place in Best Behaved categories. We also welcomed Ed and Barbara Baseheart as new members. We met them at the Dunnellon Samboree and were so lucky to find them!! TRAIL BLAZING SAMS We had a good turnout at the Okeechobee Samboree with 13 rigs not including our ASDs. I am sure more would like to have come but it was a sell out so there was no room at the Inn. Okeechobee sells out early every year; keep that in mind for next year. The Good Sam staff parked 395 rigs without so much as a glitch. It there was any, the staff kept it from us so everything appeared to go very smoothly. They do a really great job. We salute them and thank them for making this Samboree a truly memorable experience. Wednesday Lynne organized a side trip to Okeechobee Healthcare Facility to deliver 46 lap robes; some had been made from yarn donated by Marilyn Russell (Rolling Sams Chapter) and were given in her honor. Richard and Jeannette Ormsby had the privilege to lead the parade of colors. State DirectorBill Maxwell acknowledged our chapter for being named Florida’s 2007 Chapter of the Year as well as receiving Honorable Mention for 2007 International Chapter of the Year. Two very fine accomplishments that we can all be very proud of. We met the representatives of Dogwood Sams (won the 2007 International Chapter of the Year) and had a pleasant discussion about each chapter’s activities. (See webmaster’s page for a list of all the winners.) Saturday, after the catered dinner, there were door prizes, raffle and contest awards. Al and Lynne Morneault made a presentation to the State Director of a Florida flag that will remain with the Good Sams of Florida and will travel with the State Director (Morneault’s paid for the flag). The entertainment was provided by a very talented Glenn Johnson who played country on his guitar. We have fond memories of a great Samboree where we saw so many old friends and made so many new. Good Sams of Florida and our Chapter is our extended family. Mary Murray, Trail Blazing Sams, was recently honored by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Community Quarterback because of the volunteer work she does with her chapter (2007 Chapter of the Year). Chapter activities included Adopt-A-Road, Adopt-A-Park, Give A Day for the Bay, Special Olympics. Mary crocheted lap robes for seniors in assisted living facilities and veterans hospitals, blankets and hats for newborns among many other projects that she and the other Trail Blazing Sams did to earn Chapter of the Year. Among the gifts she was given was $1800 which she then divided among three of their charities. WUN WUN WUN Our outing at Robin’s Nest was well attended. We had eight rigs including guests. Weather and camaraderie was enjoyed by all Our March outing was great, the weather gods were kind and no one was gator bait, not even Stormy. We had a spare rib dinner that was done to perfection. Thanks to everyone who helped make the dinner a huge success. Cal introduced a new game that was enjoyed by many. |
