Two hundred and ninety five coaches from all parts of the country flocked to the State Fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon at the end of September to kick off the 14th Annual Safari Homecoming Rally. The parking committee swiftly directed coach owners to the proper spots, and the motorhomes — sporting the famous Safari murals of all types — soon formed neat rows throughout the fairgrounds. The following three days were packed with more wonderful meals, cocktail hours, seminars and craft classes than you could shake a shore cord at: all of it organized brilliantly.
“This is probably the smoothest rally we’ve ever had,” said Safari Events Coordinator Brenda Reagh. “Everything really seemed to cooperate.”
The weather was certainly cooperating when we arrived to cover the rally for the magazine (and as part of my ongoing research to determine if Safari owners do have more fun) as the early autumn sunshine coddled us the entire time.
While our designer and photographer Colin Morton went off to shoot the photographs of the 2005 Panther for the article on page 16, I headed inside to cool off and take in a few seminars.
The first was the Men’s Only Seminar hosted by our Vice President of Product Development Pat Carroll. Wow: My hat’s off to Pat for having the nerve of a tightrope walker when facing that firing line. Kidding aside, there was a lot of good constructive criticism and many of you had very positive things to say. This was actually one of the most informative seminars I’ve attended, and I have to think that the brutal honesty and receptiveness displayed at seminars like this one plays a large part in your decision to go with Safari. As Trek owner Doug Clark put it, “You do listen and I see a lot of the things we talked about in the last models have changed. I thank you for that.”
In fact, I’ve been asked by National Sales Manager Joe Zurbuch to thank all of you for making it the best sales rally we’ve ever had: a record 26 coaches sold. So thank you.
At the next seminar I attended, Monaco Coach Corporation Customer Service took a turn at the whipping post. The panel consisted of April Klein, vice president of customer service support; Garth Herring, vice president of service operations, and several other service directors, managers and technicians. The information and honesty at this “airing of the grievances” was just as beneficial as the Men’s Only session. Herring said that some folks get a bit confused as to which person oversees what, and explained it right off the top. “If you’re talking to someone over the phone, then it’s April you get to blame,” he joked. “If you’re talking to someone with a toolbox, then you get to blame me.”
Once I got out of that sweatbox, I headed to the pacific atmosphere of the Swarovski Crystal Bracelet craft class held by Judy Pederson and Theresa Monroe. The ladies were making some fine looking jewelry and gamely showed it off. Nancy Hanson explained a little history behind Swarovski crystal: giving us a few hints should we ever decide to try the craft ourselves. “It’s great for motorhomers because it doesn’t take up a lot of space,” she said.
No time to sit down and weave a few bands though, Colin and I were off to get a few photographs of owners and their murals. We ran into Martha Skeans and Wayne Prigge outside the Skeans’ “giraffe Continental” and after a photograph and some heckling from Wayne concerning my sense of direction (long story), we were introduced to the neighbors.
Jim and Lois McKee were right next door: their coach has a great U.S. Marine Corp. bulldog mural (Jim is a veteran of the Korean War) and it turns out the model for that mural was lying in the shade up front. Maggie, a winner in the pet parade the day before, was kind enough to strike some poses for us. “She looks like Jim, not me,” Lois said.
Joe Vukovitch and his wife Georgia were parked next to the McKees. Joe was also a veteran, which we found out after the mural of two B-17 bombers on the back of his coach caught our attention. It turns out that the two planes are depictions of the actual planes that Joe co-piloted during World War II: the first he had to bail out of when it caught fire during a training mission near Raleigh, North Carolina, and he also had to jump from the second when it was shot down over France just over a month later. It was fascinating to talk to both Joe and Jim, and really quite amazing to find these men with such amazing stories parked right next to each other. Both had risked their lives for their country: Joe in the air and Jim on the ground. Jim had shattered his knees and frozen both feet during his time in Korea when he took part in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, one of the most savage battles of modern warfare which pitted 15,000 allied ground troops against 120,000 Chinese infantrymen. It was humbling to be reminded of those sacrifices.
The next event ushered in a lighter atmosphere, as the rally-goers enjoyed a champagne party and scavenger hunt. We got a real kick out of watching Rose and Claude Golden, fully decked out in cowboy attire, search for hidden animals in the murals. Although we were only able to enjoy one day, it was action packed. By the end of it, I discovered that not only do Safari owners have a lot of fun, they also have some amazing stories to tell. Thanks for the stories and we’re looking forward to seeing you again next year. |
