New England Rally

Massachusetts - Pilgrim Winnies State Club

By Pat Kane

Finally, the time had come to be able to go to a WIT Rally. The New England Rally was hosted by Connecticut Nutmeg Winnies and was held September 17th to 19th in Spencer, MA. Special thanks go out to Connecticut for continuing on during this difficult and ever-changing time to provide a safe, fun rally. Well done! 

Early birds arrived on Thursday, September 16th. It was a great day to travel and everyone was excited to be arriving at the rally. Registration was seamless and parking a breeze. There definitely was excitement in the air as it was the first rally that folks had attended since 2019! Thursday was a "get acquainted day" and folks took advantage of spending time with each other and sharing stories of the past couple of years.

On Friday the remainder of attendees arrived. Although the number of coaches were fewer than some rallies there was an incredible amount of enthusiasm by all those attending. Rally events started out with corn hole and other games including cards, cribbage, and board games. A wine and cheese social was held in the afternoon followed by supper and an ice cream social later that night. In keeping with the theme of "Vintage Vegas" several coaches were decorated with lights, lights and more lights!!! Congrats to Geri & Ken Murphy and Paula & Leo Iodice. Their amazing rendition of Fremont Street won first prize in the coach decorating contest. Pat Kane & T Thompson won 3rd prize in the decorating contest. Mass was well represented!

Friday night was also the night to dress up in a Vintage Vegas costume. There were fedora's, suspenders, boas, sparkly jewelry and fancy tiaras. Oh, and even the obligatory full-dress Elvis!! (Who could that be?) One beautiful Vintage Vegas outfit stood out though. It was that of Linda Martel! She looked beautiful and rightfully won first prize for her handmade outfit. Congrats Linda. Friday night was topped off with music.

Saturday started off with a great pancake and sausage breakfast. Good sustenance to fuel us as we played bean bag baseball. The tournament featured two teams from Mass and two teams from Connecticut. Alas, Mass did not fare well and Connecticut won both games and was crowned the 2021 champion. A rematch is scheduled at next year's rally in Vermont. The day was jammed packed with activities for all. After lunch we participated in the Friendship Walk, played lawn games, croquet, ladder golf and jarts, and even got some horse racing in! There was time to get rested up for dinner and entertainment. Elvis made another appearance Saturday night! He was a younger version and boy could he sing, shake, rattle and roll!! He brought Roy Orbison with him too!! It was a terrific evening of song, dance and laughs. So nice to have live entertainment and the performers were having as much fun as we were! In fact, they asked if they could stay longer and continue to sing. Who were we to say no? So, they continued on!!

Sunday was bittersweet. We had so much fun but now it was time to pack up and say "so long". As the summer season is ending folks are heading in different directions, some south, some west and some to the barn. To all we wish safe and happy travels. See you on the road.