November 2019 Newsletter http://piedmontunit.wbcci.net/welcome/ Region 3, Unit 161

2020 Piedmont Airstream Club Officers

Mike Bizon, President 704-450-1227 mikebizon@me.com John Lloyd, V. President 910-279-3863 mailto:johnklloyd@charter.net Gregory Ray, Corresponding Sec./ News Letter Editor 336-764-0838, gtrnc27107@yahoo.com Margaret Banke-Hamernick Recording Secretary 703-568-7134 mailto:mbanke@hammar.com Stedman Brown, Treasurer 252-314-7961 stedmanbrown6693@gmail.com Dick Martin, Past President 919-349-1122 mailto:dickbmartin@gmail.com

Inside this issue: 2019 President’s Corner 2020 Dues notice Rally Report November 2019 President’s Report

Dear Piedmont Airstreamers,

Hello to all the members of the Piedmont Airstream Club. We’re officially a club now that the members have voted in favor of the name change. I am proud to be the very first president of the club and the very last vice-president of the Piedmont Unit.

There was a professor in the English Department at the University of South Carolina, Havilah Babcock, who wrote a story titled ”February is the Cruelest Month”. I would say that those of us that love to be on the road in our Airstreams think December through April can be pretty cruel too. Even if our North Carolina winters are pretty mild, we do have to plan carefully for any road adventures or just storing our rigs.

As of this writing next year’s rally schedule is not complete. We do have a blockbuster of a kickoff in February. Stedman and Tammy are hosting. Look for details in January and the complete Rally Schedule. Here is a preview of 2020 activities:

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January:Mid-Winter IBT Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort Las Vegas, NV February:Winter Luncheon Stedman Brown and Tami Lowe, hosts February 15th at 11AM D&S Cafeteria South Hills Mall and Plaza 1177 Buck Jones Rd. Raleigh, NC 27606 March:(hosts needed) April:WBCCI Region 3 Rally Ocean Lakes Family Campground Myrtle Beach, SC May:New Bern, NC Alan and Jane Hvizdak, hosts May 14 -17 Make Reservations before March 1 2020 New Bern KOA 800-562-3341 June:WBCCI International Meeting The Ranch Events Complex Loveland, CO July:(hosts needed) August:Galax Old Time Fiddler’s Convention Cool Breeze Campground Galax, VA September: (hosts needed) October:Alumalina Tom Johnson’s Camping World Marion, NC November: NC Veteran’s Day Rally Robin Gieniewski, host Fayetteville, NC I would like to thank the members that have volunteered to be a part of the Club’s administration for 2020.

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Our treasurer, Stedman, not only takes care of our money, he takes care of our health too. Stedman checked our AED (Automatic External Defibrillator ) and found it needed new batteries. The Executive Board quickly approved the purchase of new batteries and we’re good to go again. Why do we have an AED ? Credit to Wikipedia: Observational studies have shown that in out of hospital cardiac arrest, public access defibrillators when used were associated with 40% median survival. When operated by non-dispatched lay first responders they have the highest likelihood of leading to survival. To give a brief explanation of the equipment, let me borrow more from Wikipedia: an AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the the threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation. With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layperson. So we’re traveling with an AED to do the best we can to help us survive a cardiac incident. I hope we never have to use it.

We will have an AED at every rally. Its location will be advertised by a bright yellow-green placard outside the designated rig. I also hope that every rally leader will mention the AED and location at the beginning of the rally.

It’s going to be a great year for Airstreaming with the Piedmont Club. Happy Thanksgiving from Mike and Gaile.

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If you have not renewed you WBCCI and Piedmont Unit# 161 membership for 2020, please do so. November 30 is the deadline for your information to appear in the membership directory. Please renew online, go to the new website at airstreamclub.org to renew and charge your dues to your credit card. WBCCI dues are $65 and Piedmont Club #161 dues are $15. You may also complete a hard copy of the membership form and mail the form along with your check to our Unit Treasurer, Stedman Brown, 5204 Fielding Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606.

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Piedmont North Carolina Unit Minutes

October 25, 2019

Marion, NC

The October meeting at the Tom Johnson Camping Center, Marion, NC was called to order by Vice President Mike Bizon at 3:45PM.

Officers present: Mike Bizon, Vice President; Shelley Townsend, Recording Secretary; Steadman Brown, Treasurer; Bud Moore, Trustee; and Bill Townsend, Past President.

Members in attendance: Dana and Donna Edwards, Bud and Donna Moore, Jeff Skeahan, Doug and Beth Whitley, Bill and Diane Byrum, Alan and Jane Hvizdak, Jerry and Billie Shelton, Mike Bizon and Gaile Broom, Bill and Shelley Townsend, Dick and Wardene Statham, and Stedman Brown.

A motion was made and seconded to change the name of our club from the “Piedmont North Carolina Unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International, Inc.” to the “Piedmont North Carolina Airstream Club”. After open discussion, the motion was approved.

There was also discussion on minor changes to our club flag and this topic is going to be referred to a committee.

The slate of officer nominees for 2020 was presented by Bill Townsend and voted on after appropriate discussion and motions. The following were elected:

President: Mike Bizon

VP: John Lloyd

Treasurer: Stedman Brown

Corresponding Secretary: Greg Ray

Recording Secretary: Margaret Banke-Hamernick

Trustees 2020-2021: Ned Albee and Alan Hvizdak

Officer installation will be held the weekend of Oct 31st- Nov 3rd At Crosswind Campground in Linden, NC.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and approved at 4:20PM.

Respectfully submitted:

Shelley Townsend, Recording Secretary

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Piedmont Airstream Club Installation Rally

Oct. 31- Nov 3, 2019

Crosswinds Family Campground, Linwood, NC

We had a great final rally for 2019 at Crosswinds Family Campground. We had fifteen units including:

Lloyds, Hvizdaks, Beckers, Sheltons, Townsends, Gieniewski, Whitleys, Newtons, Lewis’s, Browns, Bizons, Stathams, Byrums, Paschals, and Martins.

Thursday evening dinner offered a chance to dress up in Halloween costumes, and we enjoyed chili and chicken noodle soups with lantern light as the whole area endured a 4-hour power

outage. After a good rain, the temperature dropped about 30 degrees. The campground meeting room was a great place to meet and dine.

On Friday, we ventured north to the Childress Winery for a tour and lunch in their Bistro. We learned a lot about growing grapes in NC, and how the industry has expanded in NC. Childress

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bottle their own wines and also bottle for a number of other companies. Greg Ray arrived on

horseback to visit on Friday.

Friday afternoon and Saturday were spent visiting the Spencer Transportation (Train) museum, and others explored downtown Lexington and Salisbury. We had a great campfire thanks to John Becker for dry wood for the fire.

Thanks to Bill Townsend, Mike Bizon, and John Becker for bringing their grills to grill ribeyes for our dinner on Saturday evening. Everyone brought a great selection of side dishes and deserts to complete our meal. Also, we had a great time with the big hand-made Jenga game that Alan Hvizdak created, Thanks Alan.

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We were also honored to have Richard and Pat Paschal join us for happy hour and dinner on Saturday evening. Pat and Richard have both been instrumental in the growth and support of the Piedmont Airstream Club. They both have been officers, and Richard edited our award-winning directory for many years. THANK YOU both for your service and dedication to our club.

After dinner, John Becker presided over the installation of the 2020 officers:

President: Mike Bizon

Vice-President: John Lloyd

Recording Secretary: Margaret Banke-Hamernick

Corresponding Secretary: Greg Ray

Treasurer: Stedman Brown

Trustees 2020-2021: Ned Albee and Alan Hvizdak

Past President: Dick Martin

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After the installation, we enjoyed a roaring campfire and great conversation.

Sunday morning, we had muffins, fruit, yogurt, and coffee in the clubhouse and departed after a great rally weekend.

Thanks to all who helped us with this final Rally of 2019.

Dick& Becky Martin

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Take a look at this picture that Bill Byrum took.

Bill and Diane were at the Mother Ship and took a minute to go to WBCCI HQ to pay their dues. I know that there are members that can give us some background on this State Rally.

“ Friends for Life” there has got to be a story. Share please. Mike Bizon

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Pictures from the winery by Greg Ray

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Gregory Ray, KK4MHY Piedmont NC Unit, WBCCI Unit Corresponding Secretary 179 West Drive Winston-Salem, NC 27107 WEBSITE: http://piedmontunit.wbcci.net/welcome/ 2019 Rally Sites:

Jan 21-25 Midwinter IBT, Hosts WBAC Region 6, Baldwin County Coliseum and Arena, Robertson, Al. 2019midwinteribt@gmail.com Feb 9 Luncheon/Tour, Hosts Bud and Donna Moore, Capital City Customs, 7801 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh, NC 27603 phone: 919-772-3005 Mar 14-17 Piedmont Maintenance Rally, Hosts: Bill & Shelley Townsend, Lumberton/I-95 KOA, 465 Kenric Dr., Lumberton NC 800-562-0845 (reservations) Apr 25-29 Region 3 Rally, WBAC Region 3, Tom Johnson Rally Park, 1885 US Hwy 70W, Marion, NC, Go to WBCCI Region 3 website for reservation info. May 16-19 Joint Rally with Carolinas Unit Hosts John and Nancy Becker, Margaret Van de Ree, Raleigh Oaks Rv Resort, 527 US Hwy 701 South, Four Oaks, NC 27574, Ph: 919-934-3181, Reservations cutoff April 15th, 2019 Mention Piedmont Club Jun 13-16 June Rally, Hosts Dick and Becky Martin , John and Dee Lloyd, Mayo Lake Park, 1013 Neal’s Store Rd., Roxboro NC, Reservations, 336-322-0109, mention Piedmont Club July 20-27 WBCCI Internaional Rally, Meadow Event Park, 13111 Dawn Boulevard, Dosewell, VA 23047, https://dosewell.wbcci.net/resgistration-details/ Aug 5-11 Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention, Host Region 3, Cool Breeze CG, 2330 Edmonds Rd, Galax, VA 866-342-0300, robert@coolbreezecampground.com, phone 276-236-0300 Sep 12-15 Fall Piedmont, Rally Hosts Todd and Debbie Stroud, Holly Point campground at Falls Lake. Oct 24-27 Alumilina Rally , Host John Leake, Tom Johnson Rally Park, 1885 US Hwy 70W, Marion, NC, Contact John Leake at john@leakesantiques.com for Rally info. Oct 31-Nov 3 Installation Rally, Cross Winds Family Campground, Linwood, NC Call (336) 853-4567 for Reservations