Shawnee, OK - Fall 2006
Updated: 11/30/08
HitchHikers of America International Rally - 2006
We were in Oklahoma as part of our Fall, 2006 Trip to the Southwestern states. Our first destination was the HitchHiker II factory in Chanute, KS for a resolution to a window leak. Following that, we went to the HitchHikers of America International Rally in Shawnee, OK. Our next destination will be the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta on a HH tour.
We know Chanute is not in Oklahoma but we wanted to post a new attraction found in Chanute to our Web site. It is the Chanute-Wright Memorial.
Every element of the memorial rotates with the wind.
HitchHikers of America International Rally - 2006
The last we heard there were
118 HitchHiker RVs at the rally.
Dolores and Don opened the rally Monday evening. All day Monday the RVs were arriving and parked in the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee, OK. Many had been parked earlier - we were parked on Saturday so we were ready for the tour of Oklahoma City on Sunday.
They
had help from a lot of volunteers but especially from Marilyn and Curt.
The
first introduction was of the NuWa staff members attending the rally. The NuWa
staff provides a wealth of information for HitchHiker and HitchHiker II owners.
After the introductions and some announcements, an ice cream social was enjoyed by all. We didn't mind standing in line for the ice cream, toppings and brownies to put it all on. Oh yes, the fellowship with fellow HitchHikers was also enjoyed.
It is so, so good!
Tuesday started with a continental breakfast sponsored by one of the vendors. That was followed by a focus group with the NuWa staff. The focus group is informative for the owners and the NuWa staff.
The craft class this year made a snowman. The sample is on the table.
Some
of the best scheduled events are the seminars conducted by the suppliers of
products used in the manufacturing of NuWa products. The vendor representatives
are very helpful.
Bolo golf and jokers were on the game schedule for the afternoon.
The
evenings entertainment was a performer who, as a child, met Gene Autry, the
singing cowboy.
Wednesday started with a catered breakfast. It was very good.
Well worth another wait in line. And, standing in line is another opportunity for
fellowship.
After a morning and early afternoon of seminars on various subjects, the games began. Today was set aside for bean bag baseball and dominos.
The evening schedule called for a Crazy Hat Contest and bingo. The competition for the craziest hat was fierce.
The voting . . .
While not many people battled for the crazy hat prize, most people played bingo. Some of the prizes were big - a club membership, camping and cash.
Thursday was a busy morning, a busy evening but a mid-day with all free time. The day started with the presentation of the tours available for 2007. We signed up for the Nova Scotia, Branson and next year's International Rally. The group was also asked where we wanted to go in 2008.
The
next event on the schedule was the Red Hat Luncheon. This is also an opportunity
for the guys to go to lunch together - without red hats.
The catered luncheon was just right for women. Following lunch they played a few word games, listened to a presentation of humorous poems and enjoyed the company of other women.
Every
year a craft sale is planned. Sometimes there are a lot of tables, sometime a
few.
Our Bocci Ball tournament was held in the afternoon.
The
farewell Thursday night dinner was delicious. Another meal worth standing in line for.
This time Larry released the group table by table to keep the line shorter.
Appropriately, he started with RV and Janice's table. RV is the Service Manager
at the HitchHiker plant. He works hard the entire rally taking care of issues
the owners have. You could tell from the applause when RV was introduced that
his efforts are appreciated.
Closing ceremonies on Thursday night included the Memorial Bear and the 'HitchHiking' Kangaroo. The Memorial bear honors our members who have died during the year. The 'HitchHiking' Kangaroo will ride with a member family and report back where he traveled during the year until the next rally.
Awards were also presented. The following photographs are some of the 'winners' of the various games and contests held during the rally. Of course, the real fun was the participation with HitchHiker friends.
Dave Moore was the evening's entertainment. He played the guitar, harmonica and accordion. He played the guitar and harmonica at the same time ... but ... for some reason could not sing and play the harmonica at the same time.
Larry
was sitting in the back of the room enjoying the performance and/or evaluating
his selection of the entertainer for the night.
Friday's
continental breakfast is the last event. It is a chance for everyone to say
'good-bye' or 'see you down the road'.
Some of us stayed at the Shawnee Expo a couple more days before heading for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.
The rally requires a lot of work by the Larry's office staff, the event managers, their assistants and volunteers.
Our thanks to everyone!
Note: We have a page on our Web site for the optional tour of Oklahoma City, OK - Fall 2006 .
This is the first house built in Shawnee.
Beside the house was the Humane Fountain used in Shawnee to water horses in the upper trough and smaller animals in the lower troughs.
The house was located behind the Santa Fe Depot Museum. Built in 1904, the Romanesque style resembles a castle. It is built of limestone brought from Indiana.
Inside the train station is an accumulation of artifacts from the Shawnee area.
The
first thing we noticed was the foot x-ray we remembered from our childhood. We
remember how neat it was to look in the machine and see the bones in your feet.
Of course, Mom and the shoe salesperson looked in the rear viewers to make sure
the shoes fit.
The narrow roof boards are the wood from the sides of old railcars.
Other items . . .
Three train cars were on display next to the train station.
Admission is a recommended donation of $2 for adults, $1 for students. The museum is open, Tuesday - Friday 10am - 4pm, on weekends, 2pm - 4pm.