Members and Friends
Opening Night at the 67th International Rally (Sedalia, Missouri).
As I write this, we’re seeing many Airstreams on the road, likely returning from our time together in Sedalia for the 67th International Rally. Held for the first time in October, we were blessed with fantastic weather, a great turnout (~1,250 Airstreams registered), great times hanging out with our members, and lots of learning about all things Airstream.
In this President’s Corner:
- Thoughts on our 67th International Rally,
- A reminder from Wally Byam (through the Wally’s Creed)
- Reintroduce the background story about our partnership with Harvest Hosts. What I love about this story is how the idea started: from two of your fellow members.
- Impromptu drop-in breakfast with the Nebraska Airstream Club
- Upcoming International Rallies
From my Opening Comments to the Membership:
Nighttime in Sedalia, MO, at the International Rally
Some Comments from International Rally First-Timers
Each year, roughly thirty percent of our International Rally attendees are first-timers. We recognize them with a yellow “first timer” ribbon and take special care to welcome them into an event that can initially seem overwhelming. Where else can one see more than 1,000 Airstreams, the wide range of seminars and exhibitors? LaVerne and I remember feeling lost at our first International Rally in Salem, OR – how do we join in? Is it ok to just walk up to a gathering of Airstreamers?
Maybe the most interesting thing (as your President) is trying to see our Club through their eyes and learn from their observations, questions, and concerns. To that end, here’s a few comments from our social media accounts from first-timers:
“We hung up our first-timer’s name tag and hit the road. We had a wonderful time at the Rally and want the whole team to know just how amazing this experience was. I’m looking forward to coming to another one. #4578 is now heading to Baja.”
“We have no idea how ya’ll will top last night’s epic VAC Halloween Dance, but every day of our first Airstream Club International Rally2024 – Fun in the Fall keeps getting better and better!”
“I can’t say enough great things about our first International Rally! We had so much fun, learned valuable tips, made great new friends, and danced through the week. Everyone was so happy and welcoming all week. Thanks to the volunteers, organizers, and officers for all your hard work. We can’t wait to see you all again in York, PA.”
“Thanks to all for such an incredible rally from a couple of first-timers… until next time.”
“Can’t wait for our first AS rally! We are new AS owners and are excited to meet everyone!”
“Last night a group of approximately 25 golf carts and 12 bikes…all lighted up, met at the Swine Barn for a great parade through the campgrounds. Two first-timers riding beautifully lighted bikes volunteered to be our leaders and did a wonderful job! Everyone had a great time, with most gathering for a group photo at completion. Many thanks …!”
“This week has been such an amazing experience for my wife and me. I have been able to share my passion for making products out of high-quality woods for the Airstream Community, plus met so many nice people who appreciate this art form. As if this wasn’t enough, we also made a lot of friends along the way. So, THANK YOU. We appreciate each and every one of you.”
“There are 1,300 Airstreams here, and let’s say 1/3 have one dog and 1/3 have two dogs. That’s 1,300 dogs, right? Big ones, barking ones, tiny ones in people’s purses. I’ve been sitting with folks from Arkansas and Tennessee at the Member Services desk, and I’ve taken up their Southern accent, although I don’t realize it until I’m talking on the phone with someone who’s not here. That’s made me chuckle. (Can you hear my accent when I say “chuckle”?)”
Local-Club and Intra-Club flags after the Opening Ceremony
Setting up the Arrivals Area
Checking and re-checking all the 1,200+ pedestals prior to Arrival
Buc-cee’s Beaver Colony (Pack) at the Vintage Airstream Club (VAC) Halloween-themed Dance Party
In my Closing Statement, I wanted to remind the attendees of where we started and how we are still following the time-tested vision of the founder of Airstream, Inc., Wally Byam. Sharing this with you readers as well:
And To Cap It Off – Breakfast with the Nebraska Airstream Club
I’ve mentioned this, but I need to reiterate one of the huge benefits of being in our Club – our community. As LaVerne and I were on our journey home, we got a text message from a friend of ours in the Nebraska Airstream Club, mentioning that she thought we were near them, and an invitation to join the Club for breakfast the following morning.
What a great surprise and treat, facilitated by a Courtesy Parking stop two years ago at the home of Ashley and Kevin Kavan (BRN# 1980), getting to know them and their family. At the time Ashley was vice president, and now is President of the Nebraska Airstream Club (thanks for your volunteering!).
I share this also as a reminder that any member is welcome at any Club event – as you travel, check out our listing of ~800 events per year at (airstreamclub.org/events). If there’s one you’d like to drop in on, use the contact information to see what’s available. We’ve done it many times and it’s quite enjoyable and you’ll always be welcomed.
Impromptu “drop-in” breakfast with the Nebraska Airstream Club (Ashley Kavan BRN# 1980)
The Harvest Hosts Partnership: How It Started
During the Strategic Planning Meeting in 2023, attended by our full International Board of Trustees, the team identified our legacy “Courtesy Parking” as a key but woefully underutilized benefit to our members: challenging to view, no date filters, no way to tell what size Airstream could be accommodated, cumbersome to initiate conversations with Hosts and no idea ahead of time if the spot would be available on a particular date.
After considering the development cost to re-build (and support) a new interface, we followed up on a suggestion of two Club members to consider reaching out to the industry-leading Harvest Hosts to see if we could partner rather than investing Club funds (and limited volunteer time) into a grounds-up design. Not to mention the long-term continued improvement and support required if done “in-house” or through a contracted “app” developer.
Fortunately, we quickly realized the synergy of working with the [fantastic] Harvest Hosts team. They had the vision, experience, and skillsets to add our Courtesy Parking to their core solution in a way only available to current Club members. A perfect match – as I’ve said many times, a successful and long-lasting partnership is based on shared visions, specific benefits for both organizations, and, frankly, compatible leadership teams. For our Club, this partnership lives squarely under our strategic priority of “Welcome and Retain Members” by continuing to improve and deliver new membership benefits.
Just Launched: Courtesy Parking Powered by Harvest Hosts
- NO cost to any Club member or ongoing costs to our ACI budget.
- Only accessible by current ACI members with improved privacy protection for Hosts.
- Optional paid features showing traditional Harvest Hosts properties, including wineries, farms, church parking lots, distilleries, and even a [decommissioned!] missile silo.
- Rich set of features, including filtering by Airstream size, routing, photos, a calendar showing the availability of Courtesy Parking spots, simple request-to-stay, and responses.
Our ACI Courtesy Parking Locations
Multi-stage, filtered routing.
Current Club Strategic Priorities
- Internal Communications
- External Communications
- Welcome and Retain Members
- Infrastructure (buildings and software)
- Training at all Levels
- Financial Literacy and Sustainability for IBT Members
Upcoming International Rallies
- Rally2025: York, PA (August 23-28, 2025)
- Rally2026: Minot, ND (August 22-27, 2026)
- Rally2027: Due to popular demand, “Back to Rock Springs,” WY (June 2027)
- Rally2028: Tentatively east of the Mississippi
That’s it for now!
Looking forward to seeing you all down the road, and let me know if you have ideas for our Club.
Eric McHenry
International President / BRN 153 // Amateur Radio callsign AA6EM
