TIFFIN ALLEGRO CLUB
2018 SUMMER RALLY
GOSHEN, INDIANA
By: Sally Moore
Our summer rally in Indiana started damp with heavy rains, but the skies soon cleared, everything dried out, and our rally was off to a great start! We hosted 315 Tiffin coaches from across the USA and Canada for a time of fellowship, education, and comradery.
A special thanks to Mount Comfort RV for participating in the rally and bringing several new Tiffin coaches featuring the newest and latest designs. Our volunteers arrived early in Goshen to assist the Tiffin staff in preparing the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds and to begin parking early arrivals. WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! Our volunteers are the greatest in the world! They pay to attend the rally and then spend the entire time working and helping everyone else have a great experience. Have I said, we love our volunteers?? And, we think they are fantastic!!
As soon as rally attendees parked and set up camp, they made their way to the Registration Desk to receive their welcome bag of goodies (packed by our volunteers)! The second most popular destination was the Tiffin Allegro Store along with the other vendor booths. Thank you for supporting the Tiffin brand and wearing it proudly! We were very fortunate to have a large variety of vendors and products present at this rally.
On Monday evening everyone gathered for a delicious meal catered by Das Essenhaus Restaurant followed by welcoming remarks by Bob Tiffin and Kelly Moore. We appreciate Bob & Judy Tiffin, Andy Baer and the management team from Tiffin Motorhomes for supporting our rallies with their presence. Door prizes were awarded and everyone enjoyed a few games of Tiffin Allegro Bingo. Prizes were awarded with much fun and laughter. Thanks, Tom and Pat Webber, for doing a great job calling Bingo! All veterans and first responders were recognized and saluted during the evening. Veterans of each branch of the military stood as their flag was presented and their anthem played. We were blessed with Kenny Evans’ performance of the Star Spangled Banner prior to dinner and then with Sarah Getto’s rendition of God Bless America as the American flag was presented. Thank you, veterans and first responders, for your service to our country! We were honored to have you at the rally.
We saw several energetic souls warming up with stretching exercises and walking around the fairgrounds before our big buffet breakfast. Immediately after breakfast, seminars on RV related topics were conducted. Great topics that interested all RV owners were covered, such as Understanding Your Induction and Convection Microwave, updating and gaining the most from your navigation system, and deciphering the coach electrical system. Onan generators, Cummins and Freightliner chassis always have great participation at their seminars. Again, we had an abundance of seminars available at this rally. Many RV related suppliers are located in northern Indiana so we had a great response with more seminars than we had time slots.
Owners and their pets participated in a “Kick Off Summertime Fun” Pet Parade Tuesday afternoon with approximately 30 fur babies dressed in cute and innovative costumes. Prizes were awarded in four categories. Everyone enjoyed ice cream treats following the pet parade. This was a great opportunity to visit with one another, share travel experiences, and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.
Tuesday night featured another delicious meal from Das Essenhaus. After more door prizes, we welcomed the very talented Kenny Evans to the stage once again. Kenny performed a wonderful variety of ‘golden oldies’.
Wednesday morning saw our dedicated walkers out and about very early enjoying the beautiful sunrise again. Interesting seminars and activities during the rally included an art class, “It’s FUN art, not FINE art!” and flexibility, stretching classes that can be performed in your coach. Everyone gathered at noon for a Tailgate Bar-B-Que featuring beef brisket and homemade rolls with all the trimmings. Homemade chocolate pudding was a delicious treat to end a great meal.
Owners were invited to participate in our Red, White & Blue-Celebrate Memorial Day site decoration contest. Lots of originality and thought went into this. We were treated to everything including fresh baked cookies, memorial displays, and beautiful patriotic scenes. The winners were Ray & Judith Rooney; Pat & Sue Logsdon; and Tom & Shelley Soik. Tiffin Allegro gift certificates were awarded. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Door prizes were again awarded after the Wednesday’s evening meal. Sarah Getto from Norman, OK entertained the group with her vocals and instrumentals. Sarah is a much loved entertainer at Tiffin rallies across the nation. Her renditions of great female vocalist such as Karen Carpenter, Reba McIntire, and Holly Dunn are always a delight.
On Thursday morning, everyone experienced a delicious treat of home baked sweet rolls from the Rise & Roll Bakery, compliments of Magnum Inverters followed by a morning of educational seminars.
Ice cream was enjoyed again Thursday afternoon while touring the beautiful Tiffin coaches one last time. Mount Comfort RV was able to make several people’s dream come true! Folks gathered after lunch for a “Swap Meet and Craft Show”. Owners were invited to bring any of their unwanted junk–I mean treasures! Others made their best deal to take the junk/treasures home with them!! This was one of the largest events we have experienced at our rallies in recent years.
Thursday evening ended our festivities. After another delicious meal, more fantastic Tiffin door prizes and Red Bay stories by Kelly Moore, everyone enjoyed entertainment by Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band. After a great week, it was sad to say “Happy Trails” to so many new friends!
A special round of heartfelt thanks goes out to the hard working service technicians from Tiffin’s & Mount Comfort RV. They are our unsung heroes and do a remarkable job of visiting each coach during the rally to perform minor repairs/adjustments to the coach. Hats off to them!!
Friday morning Tiffin friends hooked up the tow and headed on to their next destination. Whatever your plans, travel safely and we hope to see you at a Tiffin rally somewhere in the near future! Watch our Facebook page, Tiffin Sideroads blogspot, and Tiffin Motorhomes website for the latest information on upcoming events. Happy trails to you – until we meet again!
