MO: Gateway Winnies

THE GATEWAY WINNIES CHAPTER
Winnebago International Travelers Club
NEWSLETTER
March
2022

Plans for the March campout at Lazy Day RV Park, March 25-27, 2022: Since we do not have hosts, there are no organized plans for the Friday evening meal. Any dining out or pot luck will be on an impromptu basis. President Don Hardebeck will hold a meeting on Saturday morning. Saturday evening we will have a pot luck. Bring your own meat to cook over an open fire or on the grill along with your favorite side dish or dessert to share. (Brats or hot dogs suggested.) Join your fellow members in the meeting room Friday evening and Saturday evening for cards, games, and socializing. Weather permitting, we will have campfires Friday and Saturday nights! With 20 members signed up, we will surely have a good time!

Upcoming Campouts:  Attached is the 2022 event schedule. Here are a few notes:
• Winnie Mo Tasca State Club Spring Meeting, Cape Camping & RV Park, Cape Girardeau, MO, April 21-24, 2022 – The Gateway Winnies are hosts for this event. Attached are the Registration Form and Agenda. Please join us if you can!
• Branson Stagecoach Campground, May 13-15, 2022 – Rate: $45-$55. 20% discount if 10 or more reservations. After making your reservation, please notify Club Secretary Janet Foss of the following: Your name, phone number, RV Type/Size, # of Slides, # of Guests and email. This information will be entered on the Rally Registration Form required by the campground, and it will be turned in at the campground office.
• Double J Campground, Springfield, IL, June 10-12, 2022 – Host(s) needed!
• Cottonwoods RV Park, Columbia, MO, August 19-21, 2022 –call 573.474.2747 to reserve or book online at https://www.cottonwoodsrvpark.com using the “Book Now” button. Enter code “Winnies” for the group rate.
• Osage Beach RV Park, October 7-9, 2022 - Rate: $53-$58 per night. 10% discount for 3 nights or less; 15% discount for 4 or more nights. 2-night minimum. $100 deposit at time of reservation. $50 cancellation fee provided members call to cancel by 11 a.m. 7 days prior to arrival; past that date and time the full deposit will be forfeited. Shortened stays must be changed at least 7 days prior to arrival or all reserved dates will be charged. Days can be added at any time if there is availability. Begin making reservations April 1, 2022. Reservation deadline: September 1, 2022.

As you can see, camping fees have increased. Campgrounds are also filling up sooner and management is asking that reservations be made as early as possible.

New Members: The club rules provide that your first night of camping with the group is free. If you have not been reimbursed for your first night’s camping fee from last year, please contact Treasurer John Moll at [email protected] or 314.625.7198 and he will send you a check. If you will be at the March campout at Lazy Day RV Park, he will have the checkbook with him and can reimburse you then.

What have you been doing this winter? We recently checked out The Long, Long Trailer on DVD from the library. This 1953 comedy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is lots of fun. Let’s just say that the “joys” of RV ownership have not changed over the 70 years since the movie was filmed. Watching Lucy and Desi backing their rig, gauging stopping distances, maneuvering turns, leveling the trailer, dealing with weight issues, repair costs, space constraints, making a wrong turn, reading a map, and failing to call ahead for a reservation were all too familiar, not to mention the resultant marital discord over these mishaps. I enjoyed seeing Lucy dressed in colorful skirts with full petticoats, high heels, matching hats, gloves, and accessories while Desi sported hat, crisp white shirt, and neatly pressed trousers. If you haven’t seen this movie or if it has been a long time you’ve seen it, you may want to put it on your viewing list for some fun entertainment.

If you have a blue denim Gateway Winnies vest that you are not be using, please bring it to the March gathering. It would be helpful if all Gateway Winnies members who are attending the April Winnie Mo Tasca meeting have a blue denim vest to wear so that our members are in uniform! Thanks!

Finally, if anyone is selling an RV or knows of anyone who is, contact Butch Graham. Butch has a friend who is looking to buy an RV.

Janet Foss
Secretary, Gateway Winnies
[email protected]
636-497-2132