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RV & Camping News

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News from around the campfire.

– York, PA: The York Campers World RV Show was held in York, Pa., the second weekend of March, as has been done for the past 36 years. The 14 RV dealers present reported brisk sales, and a total of 180 units were shown on over 130,000 square feet of indoor space and 38 units were outside on the York Expo Center ground, said Beverly Gruber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association. “Fifty campgrounds showcased their facilities and talked with the customers about the advantages of coming to their park,” she explained.

-Timmins, Ontario: When city officials in Timmins, Ontario, agreed to help operate cash-strapped Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park two years ago, they thought the park would be a paying proposition. Now the city says they may close the gates at the park if they can’t fill 10 more seasonal RV sites. With 53 sites filled, the city set Friday as the deadline for purchases; if not sold, the park will be listed as “non-operational.”

Indiana: Indiana’s state parks and reservoirs are looking for volunteers to serve as campground hosts in exchange for free camping. Hosts work a minimum of 20 hours per week. Sites looking for hosts to volunteer in April are Turkey Run, Indiana Dunes, Potato Creek and Spring Mill state parks. Raccoon State Recreation Area needs a host June 29 through August 3, the entire length, or in two-week periods. A complete list of sites and information on hosting duties is here. If interested, contact the site directly.

Elkhart, Indiana: Thor Industries Inc. plans to auction off remaining towable inventory, work-in-progress units and assorted components Tuesday (Mar. 25) at a former Monaco RV tow-able manufacturing plant on Indiana 19 (2700 S. Nappanee St.) on the south side of Elkhart, Ind., a facility that Thor purchased in February from Ocala, Fla.-based Allied Specialty Vehicles Inc. Auctioneers indicate that a big crowd is expected for the liquidation sale at the 220,000-square-foot plant in which Thor plans on expanding its Thor Motor Coach Inc. division’s motorhome production. The auction, according to a sale flier, will include “enough inventory to run production for weeks.”

Nationwide: RV dealers are expecting big things this year, according to results from a Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) survey conducted in late January to early February. In the March issue of RV Executive Today, RVDA reported that after a good 2013, the majority of survey respondents are expecting 2014 to be even better. Specifically, 68% of dealers who participated in the survey feel the outlook for the retail market this year will be better than it was in 2013. Another 32% believe the market will be about the same as it was last year.

– Manlius, NY: The Great Outdoors RV Superstore in Fulton, N.Y., is proposing to build a satellite recreational vehicle/trailer sales office on the site of the former Fremont Lanes Bowling Alley in the town of Manlius, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.The Post-Standard reports that a small sales office would be built on the now-vacant 2.5-acre site, with 12 parking spaces and room to park 23 RVs/trailers. The site would open this spring, as soon as the proper permits are secured, Doug Miller, engineer for the town of Manlius told the Post-Standard. The bowling alley was demolished several years ago.

~News From The Weird~

– Three people were badly burned after an RV burst into flames at a Delta, British Columbia, gas station March 15. According to police, the occupants were siphoning fuel through a trap door in the vehicle, which they parked above the underground holding tank. Investigators haven’t confirmed where the stolen gas was intended to be sold, but said it sometimes is advertised on Craigslist.

– Alexandria, LA: Tips about odd smells led to the arrest of a Deville man who allegedly was operating a meth lab in a small camper, according to The Town Talk.
Deputies went to the camper Wednesday in Deville to follow-up on the tips about the smells and suspicions that meth was being made. John Loyd Paul Jr. answered the door, and deputies smelled “a distinct chemical odor,” according to The Town Talk. A deputy who entered the camper to get a gun saw a pan with suspected meth drying on a heating blanket, The Town Talk reports. Paul was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance II, creation/operation of a clandestine lab, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, illegal carrying of weapons with drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 

Special thanks to CampingPA.com for supplying these great tidbits of RVing news…

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

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RV News and Tidbits

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News from around the RVing Lifestyle

– Pennsylvania RV Court Ruling: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Dingman Township’s request for appeal regarding a provision in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance after losing to Lake Adventure in a lower Court ruling in 2013.  The provision in question amended the definition of a recreation vehicle to one “that does not require a special highway moving permit when transported” and “a vehicular unit, mounted on wheels, of such size or weight as not to require special highway moving permits when drawn by motorized vehicles.  This is another great win for campgrounds and the RV industry,” Robert Adams, owner of Gettysburg Campground and PRVCA’s Campground Director. “This decision helps ensure that park models and destination camping remain a growing segment of the industry.”

– RV News: The Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory has announced 2014’s top rated RV parks. Digital Journal explains, awarded with perfect 10/10/10 ratings, these 101 RV parks and campgrounds feature the most desired amenities, cleanest facilities and most attractive properties and locations. Long considered the Gold Standard by RVers, the ratings given to these top rated RV parks and campgrounds put them on every RVers’ list of places to visit in 2014. For a complete list, click here.

– ROANOKE, Va.: A recreational vehicle caught fire in the parking lot of the Roanoke Civic Center as families were heading inside to see the Kazim Temple Shrine Circus, according to Roanoke Times. The fire damaged three RVs in the parking lot full of other trucks and circus equipment, but only one RV had severe damage. Two adults and two children were displaced from the fire, Roanoke Times reports.  The cause of the was ruled as electrical, Roanoke Times explains.

– Richmond, Ind.: based Tom Raper RVs announced the launch of campersweather.com, a new website especially for campers and outdoor enthusiasts featuring weather forecasts, current conditions and weather alerts. According to a press release, the website, Facebook page, Twitter and a soon to be released mobile app are all free and include live weather radar, up-to-the-minute weather maps and weather related news.

– RV News: Stats on wholesale shipments of rigs seem to indicate it. U.S. wholesale annual shipments jumped 12.4 percent in December compared to the year before — about double 2009. On a monthly basis, December shipments were up 14.3 percent over 2013, the biggest December in six years, says the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

– Economy: Midwest propane prices continue to shoot upward. At one point last week, spot prices reached almost $5 per gallon, but dropped to $4.50. At the Kansas hub, prices reached $4.95, the highest since 1989.

– RV News: A fire in an electrical box at the Como, N.C., Camp PD Hunt Club got out of control and smoke was seen for miles. Local firefighters called in assistance, but in the end, 17 RVs parked at the club were wiped out.

~ News from the Weird ~

– RVs burn gas, but cows manufacture it, and in one case this week it caused a problem. Methane gas from 90 gassy cows exploded in a German farm shed, injuring one of the animals. High levels of flatulence had built up when a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames. One cow was treated for burns (hopefully, “rare” and not “well done”).

– This that make you go hmm? An RVer in Severance, Colo., who couldn’t get his motor home started tried using starter fluid. With somewhat predictable results, the rig caught fire and was totally destroyed. The twist? The rig was inside a local car wash when the fire broke out. No damage estimate on the car wash building.

Special thanks to CampingPA.com for supplying these great tidbits of RVing news…

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

RV News and Tidbits

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News from around the RVing Lifestyle:

– If the shoe fits … Police in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, investigating a truck theft, found a shoe print from a DC brand shoe. Nearby, an RV owner reported a missing travel trailer. Later, another RV vanished from a dealership — and the thief left a DC shoe print. Next day, a truck in a ditch turned out to be piloted by the DC shoe man. Darcy Blayne Pahl will be spending a year in jail for these and other theft charges.

– Brits can “rent” what’s billed as the largest motor-coach in all the land – a U.S. built Newell Coach, formerly owned by Formula 1 race car drivers, for just a tad over $13,000 a night. Included in the fee is a chef and a team of waiters. For an upgrade, you can hire a limo, a helicopter for rides and, of course, drivers and pilots. And no worries, the coach is delivered to your choice of locations — and there it stays.

– Paradise Valley, Ariz., police said a motor home driver led them on a chase then to a bizarre traffic stop. After exceeding 70-mile-per-hour speeds, the man pulled over but refused to exit the rig, calling 9-1-1 operators repeatedly and telling them the stop was straight out of Nazi Germany. Police finally “convinced” the man, with the help of pepper spray, to come out. They found several ounces of marijuana, a “white-brown powdery substance in containers,” and a loaded Glock handgun inside.

– The annual collection of chunks of ice from a New Hampshire lake was able to start nearly a month earlier than previous years thanks to the recent cold snap.
Rockywold-Deephaven Camps ice haulCrews armed with saws and picks collected the blocks on Thursday for a Holderness campsite, which uses the ice as a natural freezer.Using a specially adapted circular saw, the lake is carved into chunks before the crew use ice picks to haul the blocks into trucks.The giant ice cubes are then driven to the campground, where they are stored in special cabins that prevent them from melting.Campers at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps will be able to use the blocks to help chill their ice boxes and keep supplies cool during their vacations later this year.

– CAPE MAY, N.J. — David and Maggie Robinson, co-owners of Holly Shores Campground in
Lower Township, presented a $10,000 check to Joanne Carrocino, FACHE, president and CEO of Cape Regional Medical Center, which represents the third payment toward a $50,000 pledge, according to Shore News Today.
The Holly Shores donation benefits the Thomas & Claire Brodesser, Jr., Cancer Center Capital Campaign. Shore News Today reports, the pledge is made possible by various fundraising initiatives that are held at Holly Shores Campground throughout the camping season.

– The RV industry hasn’t been pinched by the economy, but nature took a crack at it. Forest River reported a two-day shutdown due to weather at their Class C plant in Elkhart, Ind. — the first time in at least a decade. Snow and intense cold were held accountable.

– Milroy, PA – Lerch RV is Pennsylvania’s newest Palomino RV dealership. Their newest offerings will include the Puma, Puma Unleashed, Canyon Cat, SolAire, SolAire hybrid-expandables, SolAire ultra lites, and Palomini single axle light weight campers. Soon they will be offering these great RVs at the lowest prices in the state along with their current inventory from Keystone RV and Open Range RV Company.

– Rolling out — the 2014 Ram 1500 Eco-Diesel pickup truck. A 3.0-liter engine said to yank a rated 9,200 pounds towing capacity and stated fuel economy of 27 miles per gallon on the freeway, and 20 around town — presumably solo. Chrysler says 1,000 of the new rigs will be in dealerships by next month.

Special thanks to CampignPA.com for supplying these great tidbits of RVing news…

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

RV News and Tidbits

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* Thanks to Amazon.com’s “CamperForce,” Kentucky’s Green River Lake State Park stays open through December, instead of closing in November. CamperForce is Amazon’s description of its seasonal workforce who live in RVs to be near their shipping facilities, in this case a warehouse at Campbellsville.

* Kansas officials say they’ll close highway rest stops near Russell to save water. Water usage has doubled to 1.6 million gallons at the stops since 2011.

* U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced legislation on Dec. 3 to increase the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents from 18.4 cents to 33.4 cents per gallon.
The bill, H.R. 3636, also known as the “Update, Promote, and Develop America’s Transportation Essentials (UPDATE) Act of 2013,” would phase in the increase throughout the next three years.

* Lippert Components Inc. (LCI) has partnered with Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. to provide designer furniture for RVs. LCI will offer a full line of Ashley sofas, sectionals, theater seating and recliners to the RV industry

* ROBERTSDALE, Ala. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Emerald Coast RV Center LLC of Robertsdale for nine serious safety violations following an inspection at the recreational vehicle sales and service facility on Highway 59 South. Prompted by a complaint, the agency initiated an inspection in August, resulting in proposed penalties of $41,000.
The serious safety violations include the employer’s failure to ensure workers utilized fall protection systems while working on top of recreational vehicles; train workers on powered industrial truck operations; provide proper machine guarding; ensure adequate guarding on electrical boxes; and use temporary wiring properly. Additionally, the employer was cited for failing to train workers adequately on hazard communication, provide a list of hazardous chemicals on-site, reduce compressed air for cleaning to less than 30 pounds per square inch and secure compressed gas cylinders properly. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

~RV News From The Weird~

* When a St. Helena, S.C., RV owner found his stored RV hooked up to electricity, he disconnected it. To his surprise, he found power hooked back up the next day. It was then he found a man living in the rig, who confessed to police he’d been holed up in the RV for two months after being kicked out of his mother’s home next door. The unwelcome tenant was charged with burglary and grand larceny.

* Turkey starts RV blaze: Firefighters called to a fifth wheel fire in View Royal, B.C., report it all started when a turkey was left unattended in the rig’s oven. In an understatement, the fire chief told the local paper, “It’s another ad for not leaving your cooking unattended. That turkey will be inedible.”

* An attempt to break the world record of how many marshmallows can be eaten in a minute will take place at the Central Illinois Recreational Show in Peoria, Ill. The show runs February 28 through March 2. The winner will need to eat more than 25 marshmallows to beat the record.

* A traffic stop Monday of a motor home on I-80 in southeast Nebraska led to the seizure of nearly 95 pounds of marijuana, according to North Platte Bulletin.
Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins told North Platte Bulletin that a dog detected the odor of drugs coming from the recreational vehicle, and a search led to 94.7 pounds of marijuana in 43 bundles, located in an empty water tank beneath the bathroom floor of the motor home.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

** Information gathered from CampingPA.com

RV News and Tidbits

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News Tidbits For 1/4/2014

*Next weekend, Pennsylvanians have 2 #RV shows to get to and enjoy. In the western part of the state, The Pittsburgh RV show starts January 11 and runs the entire week. Those in the east can visit the Allentown RV show Friday through Sunday. Winter RV shows are a great way to break the cabin fever.

*Crossing Pennsylvania via the state’s turnpike? Hang onto your wallet — tolls are increasing by a whopping 12 percent for those who pay with cash. If you hold an “E-ZPass” the rates will jump by a modest two percent.

*Ford F-150 truck fans, changes are in the works. The rollout for 2015 models will see all-aluminum bodies and a smaller 2.7 liter V-6 “EcoBoost” gas engine — so says Fleet Owner, but Ford won’t confirm.

*If approved, Canterbury, N.H., could become home to a 300-site RV park. The park would be built in stages, beginning this year, and would include four miles of hiking trails, a water park and access to a pond for canoes and kayaks.

*CarHistory.us.org is launching a comprehensive guide to purchasing recreational vehicles. It ill go through the ins and outs of different types of RVs, how dealers price them, and the best ways to negotiate when you are looking to buy.

*The Good Sam Club, a recreational vehicle organization with 1.5 million members, is hoping to bring in as many as 500 RVs to bolster attendance for the popular Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair. The Havasu (Ariz.) News reported that the festival, set for Jan. 17-19, already has 260 RV enthusiasts signed to camp out for the festivities, said Marquita McKnight, an executive director for this year’s event.

Safe Travels and Happy RVing!

– Information gathered from CampingPA.com.