TIFFIN ALLEGRO CLUB

2018 SPRING RALLY

TUCSON, ARIZONA

By:  Sally Moore

Our dreams of a warm, sunny February in Tucson were not immediately realized, but after a rainy start to our Spring 2018 Rally the skies turned a beautiful blue and the winds calmed after the rain showers passed through!  Temperatures never reached the expected 70’s, but the glorious blue skies with the mountains in the background made for a wonderful rally.  We hosted 315 Tiffin coaches from across the USA and Canada for a time of fellowship, education, and comradery.

A special thanks to LaMesa RV for hosting a pre-rally hot dog luncheon with mouthwatering homemade ice cream!  LaMesa also brought a complete staff and several 2018 Tiffin coaches featuring the newest and latest designs.  Our volunteers arrived early to assist the Tiffin staff in preparing the Pima County 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 folks were parked and camp set up, 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.  Thanks to our wonderful customers, the Tiffin Allegro Store set all-time record high sales on opening day!  Thank you for supporting the Tiffin brand and wearing it proudly!

Monday evening saw everyone gathered in the Old Pueblo Building for a delicious meal followed by welcoming remarks by Bob Tiffin, Jason Kimbrell of LaMesa and Kelly Moore.  We appreciate Bob Tiffin, Tim Tiffin and the management 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.  All veterans and first responders were recognized and saluted during the evening.  Thank you for your service to our country!  We were honored to have you at the rally.

Even on a frosty morning, we saw several energetic souls out on an early morning power walk around the fairgrounds to get the blood flowing before our big buffet breakfast.   Immediately after breakfast, seminars on RV related topics were held.  Great topics that interested all RV owners were covered, such as Convection Microwave Cooking, updating and understanding your navigation system, and deciphering the coach electrical system.   Onan generators and Freightliner chassis always have great participation at their seminars.  Owners participated in a craft & hobby show Tuesday afternoon.  It is always interesting to see the crafts that RVers make while touring the country in their Tiffin coach.

Even with the chilly weather, everyone enjoyed ice cream treats during the afternoon.   This was a great opportunity to visit with one another and share travel experiences.  Tuesday night we were happy to introduce Tim and Lynne Tiffin.  Tim is the General Manager of Tiffin Motorhomes and he addressed the group giving everyone an update on operations at Red Bay, Belmont and Winfield plants.    Tim reminded everyone that he had worked within 15 feet of his dad, Bob Tiffin, for over 30 years and that he had been well trained in Bob’s philosophy during that time.   “After all these years, I know what Dad’s going to say – I know his tone of voice – I know what his decision will be” Tim remarked.   With the experience and expertise of Bob Tiffin’s three sons and now the addition of three of his grandsons, Tiffin Motorhomes is already well poised for the future.

After more door prizes and another delicious meal by Golden Choice Catering, we welcomed a talented group, “Piano Man-Generations”.  Father and son duo, Terry and Nick Davies, entertained the group with dueling pianos and vocals of the great Elton John and Billy Joel.  Everyone enjoyed this extremely talented family along with their backup band.

Wednesday morning saw our dedicated walkers out and about very early enjoying the beautiful sunrise again.  Interesting seminars were again held in the Old Pueblo Building.    Everyone gathered at noon for a Tailgate Bar-B-Que featuring beef brisket and pulled pork with all the trimmings.  Homemade banana pudding was a delicious treat to end a great meal.

Owners were invited to participate in our “Old Wild West” site decoration contest.  Lots of originality and thought went into this.  We were treated to everything from a real, live sheriff to saloons featuring ‘rot gut’ aka iced tea and an old west town with the watering hole poisoned with lye!   Tiffin Allegro gift certificates were awarded to the winners.  Thanks to everyone who participated!

Door prizes were again awarded after the 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 gathered in the Old Pueblo Building for another delicious buffet breakfast followed by a morning of educational seminars.

Ice cream was enjoyed again Thursday afternoon while touring the beautiful Tiffin coaches one last time.  LaMesa was able to make several people’s dream come true!  Folks gathered after lunch for a “Swap Meet”.  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 December ’63, Frankie Valli and Four Seasons tribute artists.  This group brought the house down!  Everyone enjoyed singing along to his or her favorites such as “Sherry”, “Let’s Hang On”, “Rag Doll”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” and “My Eyes Adored You”.  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 & LaMesa 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!