The time has come, ending of one era and the beginning of a new one. We are very appreciative of Barney & Barbara’s dedication and hard work given these past 7 years as our International Directors. Thanks for leaving the Klub in excellent shape for us. Also, a big thanks for your thorough training and for allowing us to be in your back pocket these past couple of months. Our very best wishes are with you; and, remember you did tell us you are only a phone call away.

For those of you who do not know us, we will take this means of introducing ourselves. Jim grew up in North Platte, NE. After graduation from the University of Nebraska (yes, we will forever be NE fans) he began working for Travelers Insurance, spending a few years in Omaha, NE and the remainder of his years with them in Sioux City, IA. He accepted the “Golden Handshake” from Travelers at the age of 52, then worked for Great West Casualty Insurance Company for a few years until he felt old enough to retire.

Wilma grew up in Stromsburg, NE, the Swede Capitol of NE. She took numerous college classes, while working, to improve her chances of promotion. After spending a few years in hospital work as a Medical Records Technician and Administrative Secretary she began a career in banking. For the last 26 years she was Executive Secretary and later Correspondent Bank Officer at the Security National Bank in Sioux City, IA.

Over the years we have both enjoyed volunteering for numerous organizations and as Board Members. We are presently members of Eastern Star and Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City, IA. Jim is also a Master Mason and a Shriner.

WE ARE BLESSED with the awesome family we have. Our oldest son Kevin & Sarah live in Mendota, IL and they have 2 boys, Adam and Jacob. Doug & his wife, Kris, live in Sergeant Bluff, IA. They have a daughter, Emily and a son, Riley. We started out camping when our boys were 6 months and 2 ½ years old. We did a lot of camping while the boys were growing up and are glad they are still enjoying camping with their families. Both of our sons love God and love their kids – FOR THIS WE ARE THANKFUL.

WE ARE BLESSED with wonderful Christian friends that we spend our winters with at Trophy Gardens in Alamo, TX – FOR THIS WE ARE THANKFUL.

WE ARE BLESSED with our Newmar Family that has continued to grow these past 11 years. We have been in the Klub since 1999 serving as President of the IA Hawkeye Kountry Travelers Chapter, and later as Region 4 Directors. We have attended several “Special Events”, twice hosted the Grand Circle Caravan, and haven’t missed an International Rally since we joined the Klub. We find our Newmar Family to be very wonderful, caring and good fun loving folks – FOR THIS WE ARE THANKFUL.
WE ARE BLESSED, honored and proud to accept the position as your new NKK International Directors. The success of the Klub is directly related to the hard work, dedication and participation of all its officers and members. We all know that rallies are more enjoyable when you get involved and volunteer. We couldn’t ask for a more wonderful group of folks to work with than those at the Newmar Corporation and the NKK staff. We have attended 2 employee meetings; and, following the business at hand, the meeting ended with a spiritual message and a prayer – FOR THIS WE ARE THANKFUL.

In this issue you will find information on the Florida RV Super Show to be held in Tampa, Florida from January 11 – 16, 2011, and we are ready to start taking reservations. We will be attending this Rally for the first time and we would love to see you there. It is a “Buddy” Rally so we encourage you to bring along a friend. Please watch the November issue for a recap of our 2010 International Rally.

Please, oh please do send Vicky your favorite recipe, as she is plum out, and we would like to see her column continue. Is this a sign of the times, we use restaurants more and recipes less? Just for sending a recipe you will receive a coffee cup, compliments of “Vicky’s Kountry Korner”. I could use more recipes as my cook books were left in TX.

Since the Barnett’s have done such an excellent job of running the Klub, we don’t foresee making any big changes in the near future. We are approachable and we hope you will do so as we want to meet you. We will do our very best for the Klub and for all members. We do ask for your help and support and we certainly would appreciate hearing any comments and suggestions you may have to help us in our effort to keep the Newmar Kountry Klub the best Klub ever.

From the Desk of Barney & Barbara Barnett (2916-L)

Holiday Greetings to everyone! It’s so hard to believe the end of the year is upon us already. As we wind down 2009 we are gearing up for 2010 and the 25th Anniversary of the Kountry Klub. We hope that all of you will be able to join us in Goshen, August 14 – 21. It’s going to be a good time!!
2010 will also be Barbara and my last year as International Directors. The Board of Directors have selected Jim and Wilma Weeks, (9233-L), currently Region 4 Directors, as our replacements. They will begin to work with us in May and will take over at the end of next year. We hope to make this transition as seamless as possible for our Directors as well as all the Klub membership.

There will be many challenges again for us in 2010, however, we will meet them head on. One of our big concerns is our “Special Events and Caravans”. In the past couple of years, people have put off signing up until it was too late in many cases and we have had to cancel some events, because at the time, we didn’t meet our minimum requirements to run the events. It’s plain and simple, if you want to go, SIGN UP early. Both our Alaska and Newfoundland Caravans require a long lead time as does our 2011 Panama Canal Cruise which is also in this issue. That will be Barbara and my last official function and we hope many of you will join us. All are in this issue. Check them out!! Don’t forget the Tampa Super Show Rally Jan 12 – 17, 2010. We are taking reservations now in the Klub Office.

We have reviewed the Surveys from our 2009 International Rally. Approximately 20% of the attendees completed and submitted a survey questionnaire. Comments pertaining to the information and directions to Goshen, the greeters and parking crews, the Rally Program and Information Desk were totally positive. As always, your input on meals was difficult to quantify. 75% felt meals were good and 13% felt meals were not good. The remaining attendees had mixed opinions. All attendees felt the entertainment would have been good if the acoustics in Building A had been better. Next year, we will have entertainment as well as opening and closing ceremonies in the Grandstand. We thank you for your comments and suggestions, and will implement those we can in 2010.

The 25th Anniversary Rally will also serve as a “reunion” for prior International and Region Directors. We will be sending invitations to them in hopes that they will be able to join us in Goshen for this special time.

Both Vicky and Linda have added their Holiday wishes to our article and Barbara and I would also like to wish you all a wonderful “Holiday Season” and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Barney & Barbara Barnett
International Directors

Whew!! Another rally in the books. We were so blessed to have cool weather right through the entire rally. The week after, typical AUGUST weather returned just to remind us what it could have been like! We had hoped to use the Park Stage for entertainment in the evenings, however, the threat of rain unfortunately kept us indoors and sound suffered as a result. A quick review of the surveys showed the overwhelming majority were very positive. There were the usual concerns about meals and sound but basically that was it. Next year we will just go to the Grandstand for entertainment and not have to worry so much about weather. All in all, it was a great rally and pretty much everyone was impressed with the Fairgrounds.

We would like to thank all the many volunteers who made this rally such a success. It takes a lot of people and you responded wonderfully. In the past Newmar picked up the camping fees for the early days the Team Leaders and parking crews were working. Obviously that was not possible this year and the Team Leaders and Parking Crews came in early and paid for the privilege of volunteering to serve you. THANK YOU ALL!! We must also thank all our Region Directors and Member at Large who all worked so hard to make sure the rally was a success.

The “Caring and Sharing” program headed up by Ray and Mary Ann Houser (11008L) with help from the Keystone Kampers was a great success. We had nearly a full truckload (big) of items donated by those at the rally and some who could not attend sent items with friends or contributed money to buy items. All these items were donated to the Nappanee Open Door which helps unemployed families in the area. Our Church Service offering, of $1068.25 was donated to the Family Christian Development Center which also helps those in need in many other ways. You all lived up to the “Caring and Sharing” attitude this year and I know we speak for the Nappanee Open Door and Family Christian Development Center when we say THANK YOU for your contributions.

There will be comments from others about the International, so I will not expound further. I will say that I had the opportunity to read Jim Hagedon’s, our Member-at-Large, October article, before it was printed. I highly encourage you to read it!

There will be items of interest and follow-ups to things in our article in each Konnection concerning next year’s International Rally as it is the 25th Anniversary of the Kountry Klub. Newmar Corporation and we here in the Office are already working on several surprises for next year. There will be more details to follow, but, we will still make them a surprise!! Be there! Our first project is an anniversary quilt made by Klub members. Kay Tibbetts (17365) proposed this project for all the quilters in the Klub. Read more about this project elsewhere in this issue.

There are several items of interest to all Klub members concerning what we continue to do in the future. Obviously, as we mentioned in our August article, one is the Konnection. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to all of you and how it affects everything we do. Please help us get to our goal of 1,500 subscriptions a month. The Region Directors, headed by Ralph & Sharon Martori, Region 7 Directors, did a 50/50 raffle at International with the Klub’s 50% going to the Konnection fund. They raised $1343.00 to help defray costs. Region 3 also contributed $40.00 from their “penny” raffle, which is a very unique raffle. We need everyone’s help to get the word out to those who do not have a subscription to the Konnection now.

Our Special Events and Caravans are also impacted without a Konnection. Many of you have waited till the last minute to sign up and in some cases were too late to go. We are barely squeaking by on most special events as far as numbers are concerned. These Caravans and Special Events are done for you and yes we must remain in the black to run these events. My point is; if you want to go, sign up and sign up early so we know we have enough units to make a go of any given trip. I have also heard some of you say “oh, we’ll wait till next year”. Well, in some cases there may not be a next year. If we struggle to make a go of a Special Event or Caravan more than 2 years in a row, odds are, we will no longer do that event.

Speaking of Special Events and Caravans, you will find the Tampa Super Show Special Event and the Alaska Caravan advertised in this issue of the Konnection. The first Newfoundland Caravan was a huge success and we are planning to run it again next year. The tentative dates are July 5-28. We have added a couple of days as a result of this year’s surveys. Next year is unique in that you can do the Alaska or Newfoundland Caravan and still be back in time for the International. Normally they overlap and you had to make a choice. The Newfoundland caravan will be published in the Konnection as soon as all preparations are finalized. Both the Alaska and Newfoundland trips are limited on the number of units we can take, so don’t be disappointed, book early.

Everybody who uses a computer knows how much time and effort they can save us. However, we also know how difficult things can be when they don’t operate properly. At Goshen we were working on WI-FI with a somewhat weak signal (because of our building) that frequently disrupted our communications. What I am saying is this: at Closing Ceremonies when we read the list of Top 10 States in Attendance, we were working with faulty data be it human or technical in nature. After being alerted by our members from Ohio, when we returned to the Office in Nappanee, we resorted to the old- fashioned method of manually counting States. Here is the corrected listing of our Top 10 States in Attendance at the 2009 International Rally.

10. South Dakota and Iowa – 13
9. Kansas – 14
8. Indiana – 16
7. Pennsylvania – 17
6. Texas – 24
5. Missouri – 30
4. OHIO – 31
3. Illinois – 33
2. Michigan – 36
1. Florida – 40

Our apologies to Ohio. Watch out Florida, several States are closing in on you! I have a feeling this will be a real contest next year among several States. I have heard several are already planning ways to try and dislodge Florida. The challenge has been laid down!

We have listed the winners of our Craft Contest elsewhere in this issue of the Konnection. The judges told us that of all the contests they have judged (nearly every RV Rally that has been held at the Fairgrounds in the past several years) ours was the most difficult because the crafts entered were by far the best they have seen. Congratulations to all entrants!

We wish all of our Canadian friends a Happy Thanksgiving celebrated at the same time as we here in the US celebrate Columbus Day – October 10. Also, on November 11 please remember all of our Veterans who have fought to keep our Country free. Finally, on November 26, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the US. As we give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy, we hope you will be spending the day with family and friends.

Well, by the time you read this International Rally should be history, however, we will not be able to give you a report since these articles are written so far in advance.  As I write this we are slightly over 400 units already registered and hope to be between 425 and 450 units by rally time.  Wish we could hold on to this weather, right up through July 4th weekend it was “cool”, not even warm!

Unfortunately we had to cancel the Kids Kamp this year as we had no volunteers to lead the program. Hopefully next year someone will step forward and we can again have the Kids Kamp.  As we have said so many times, about everything, it all depends on volunteers. Several items from the Board meeting were announced at International Rally that are of an interest to everyone:

Member-at-Large Election:  Jim Hagedon was the only candidate who applied for the position and since he was unopposed, he was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors at our June meeting. Jim will be our Member-at-Large for the next three years. Our congratulations to Jim and we look forward to continuing to work with him. The election procedures were posted in our November and January Newsletters that went to all members as well as on the Klub website. 

Konnection Magazine:  In order for us to continue to publish the Konnection past the end of this year, we have to increase the paid subscriptions to at least 1500.  We currently stand at only about 750.  We have been blessed this year to have some private donations which we have put towards the cost of publishing the Konnection. Also every penny of advertisement money we get goes to production costs.  Unfortunately many of our advertisers are no longer in business or are no longer advertising in publications such as ours because of the economic situation. It’s going to take an effort on everyone’s part to make sure we can continue with the Konnection. It is truly the lifeblood of our Klub.  It’s now in your hands. If you know someone who doesn’t have a subscription, by all means, encourage them to get one.

We recently received a donation from the attendees at the Kansas State Rally.  We would like to thank Larry and Shirley DeWitt for collecting and forwarding their donation. The B.C. Islanders also took a novel approach in that any Chapter member who had not signed up for the Konnection, they paid for their subscription out of Chapter funds so everyone in the Chapter would get a copy. Every little bit helps and we certainly appreciate the support. 

International Director Position: Barbara and I will be stepping down as International Directors after next year’s International Rally. That means our replacements must be chosen by the end of this year so they will be able to “shadow” us and be a part of preparing the rally next year.  If you are interested in applying for the position you can call the Office and we will be happy to send you a copy of the job description.  Once you have read the job description, you will need to prepare a resume and send that along with any other information you think is appropriate to: 

Kountry Klub Board of Directors

Attn: Matt Miller

P.O. Box 30

Nappanee, IN 46550  

This information must arrive at Newmar not later than close of business, Friday, October 30, 2009 for you to be considered for the position.  Those selected as finalists may be required to come to Nappanee for final interviews.  

As most of you know, the Klub will celebrate its 25th Anniversary at the International Rally next year.  It will again be held at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds in Goshen, the dates are August 14 – 21.  The 14th and 15th are early parking days. The Anniversary was planned for Goshen before we had to move this year’s rally there. We are working already to make our “anniversary rally” a very special one for all attendees. We, along with all Klub Officers, will work hard to make this happen. We hope to see you there.

What a difference a few weeks can make. When we were here for the budget meeting, the fields were brown, and muddy, the trees barely blossoming and the spring flowers were making an appearance. Well, while the spring flowers are now gone, the trees are out and the fields are planted and up. It’s like witnessing a “rebirth” every year. Ah yes, the sounds of train whistles, farm “fertilizer”, its Nappanee alright! Welcome!

Klub activity across the country is good. Our Regional, State/Provincial and Chapter rallies are being well attended. That is a very encouraging sign. We also have over 250 coaches signed up for the International when this was printed. I hope to see between 500 and 600 units in Goshen. Along those lines, remember you can bring a friend this year. We are especially trying to reach those who no longer have a manufacturer to rely on.

We have never really had donations to the Klub per se; however, recently we have picked up several with all the proceeds going to the Konnection funding. We have started a “Donation Acknowledgement” column, in the Konnection, to publically thank these individuals and groups. We thank you all for your generosity and hopefully we can keep the Konnection coming!

AS THIS IS THE LAST ISSUE OF THE KONNECTION BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL, THERE ARE SEVERAL ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE COVERED:

KOUNTRY KIDS PROGRAM:   HELP!!!  We have a volunteer who is willing to help with the program; however, we do not have a Director.  If someone does not step forward to run the program we will be unable to have a separate Kids program. If you are interested or want to know what is involved, please call us at the Office. The “Kids” have had a lot of fun over the years; it would be a shame for this program to fall by the wayside.

SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE:  We will have our Church Service on Sunday morning this year.  If all goes as planned, Mr. Mahlon Miller will deliver the message for us. If you have never been to one of his Services, you can’t help but come away inspired. Our Kountry Klub Choir, directed by Dale Martin, will provide the music.

RED HAT SOCIETY TEA:  Our “Queen Mum”, Judy Faller, is planning your tea this year, so remember to bring your attire with you. Although I’m sure there are many shops in the local area that would love to sell it to you. We are glad to have Judy and the Red Hat program back again this year.

CRAFTS:  Wow!  As Barbara and I share the same computer address, I can tell you I don’t ever remember so many craft classes being offered. Every time I bring the computer up, there’s another person wanting to do a craft class. There is a great assortment this year also. Barbara has some words in our article about them. So, if you are a crafter, you will have fun this year.

CARING AND SHARING:  Ray & Maryann Houser (11008-L) came up with an idea for all of us to help the local community. They have graciously agreed to collect non-perishable food and hygiene items at the rally. There is an article elsewhere in this issue explaining the program.  Please remember to bring something along with you

PLANT TOURS: Plant tours will be offered Monday thru Friday of Rally week. There is a schedule of the planned tours on page 10 in this issue. Signup sheets will in posted in the Rally Registration area on Saturday morning. Pay particular attention to the 8:00am tour. It is a more “in-depth” tour and goes places the public tour does not. You must provide your own transportation to and from Nappanee. Also please note that you MUST BE at the tour building 15 minutes before your tour. No open toes shoes or children under age 8 will be allowed.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:  Remember, “Early Bird” registration ends on Friday, June 12, so get those reservations in if you want to be eligible for the drawing to get your rally fee back.  There will be five lucky people.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER:  The Emergency Phone Number at the International Rally will be 877-639-5582 and is answered daily from 8:00am – 4:00pm.  After hours there is an answering machine that you can leave a message on. We recommend you give this number to a family member or friend in case you need to be contacted.  REMEMBER THIS NUMBER IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY.   

As Barney said earlier, this year’s craft program at the International Rally is really shaping up to be one of the most diverse ever!  See the classes listed elsewhere in the Konnection. Some of the classes are limited in size, so call the Klub office early if you are interested in taking any of them. We are also still looking for Klub members who would like to teach a craft class this year. Call the Office, or e-mail us with your information. We can never have too many crafts!

We are also pleased to have some informative health seminars presented by the Goshen Hospital. We have already scheduled a seminar entitled “Living with Hypertension” with blood pressure screenings prior to and after the presentation.  We also have a seminar entitled “The Importance of Movement and Exercise”.  We are hoping to have some additional seminars that will be announced at the Rally.

While “early bird” registration ends on June 12, we will continue registering for the International Rally through July 24, 2009.

We wish every Father a wonderful Father’s Day. Hope you can spend it with family and friends. See you at the International Rally in August. Till then, be safe and enjoy your travels.

PLEASE CHECK THAT RESERVATION FORM BEFORE SENDING

We receive many reservation forms that have incorrect check amounts/credit card information or are not completely filled out. In many cases we are unable to contact you because you are on the road and this can cause your registration to be held up until we can verify information. If you have an e­mail address or cell phone, please provide it so we can contact you if necessary. Thanks for your help!!

SERVICE AT INTERNATIONAL RALLY

In order to service as many customers as possible during the rally, the Service Department will prioritize their service. Emergency customers will be serviced first. Emergencies are considered ONLY items that would prevent a coach from leaving the rally. Next will be warranty customers. Due to the volume of work requested during the rally it is not always possible to provide service to all members. Remember, if your coach is no longer in warranty, you will be asked to pay for any parts used in repair. NOTE: In your rally confirmation package you received a yellow envelope with a Service Department work order request form. If you are requesting service at the International, please read the form and fill in ALL the information and return the designated copies to the Newmar Service Department by the designated date on the form. Be sure to bring your copy with you when checking in with Service at the rally.

PARTS DEPARTMENT

The Parts Department will again bring an inventory of the more popular parts for you to purchase during the rally. Remember, if they do not have the part at the rally you can order it for later delivery; so start working on your list of parts needed.

HANDICAP & DIABETIC MEMBERS

Please make sure we are aware of your needs. Please, double check your reservation form and make sure you are providing this information in advance so we will be able to properly assist you at the rally. For Handicap parking we require a copy of your mirror hang tag or a letter from your doctor. Please send with your reservation.

VOUNTEERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL RALLY

If you have not already contacted the Klub Office to volunteer your services, please take time to do so now. We currently have openings in all areas. Not only are you helping your fellow Klub members but it's a great way to meet new friends. Call the office toll free at 877-639-5582 and ask for Linda. She will be glad to sign you up!!

RECEIVING MAIL AT THE RALLY

You can have mail sent to you during the rally. Please make sure it is addressed as follows: Newmar Kountry Klub, Your Name and Klub number, c/o Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, 17746-D County Road 34, Goshen, IN 46528.  Also have it marked "HOLD FOR PICK-UP". Please do not have mail delivered before July 29, 2008. Any mail received after the rally will be returned to sender.

KLUB NUMBERS

Please make sure your Klub number is displayed as you come in to the International Rally so our parking crew can keep track of all our arrivals. If we need to locate your unit in the event of an emergency the visible numbers are the fastest way to find you. They are also necessary for the service department or any vendors who are working on your unit to locate you. Thank you for your cooperation.

WEBSITE FOR TRAVEL INFORMATION:

For information about Goshen and the surrounding areas you can access the following website www.AmishCountry.org.

Spring greetings everyone. In this edition of the Konnection you will find the International Rally Registration Information as well as our first Dealer ads in many years.  If you happen to stop by one of these Dealers, remember to tell them you saw their ad in the Konnection. In addition to the International Rally Registration section, there is additional rally information immediately following our article.  Make sure you check monthly as any new information will be printed there.  We are so happy to have the Konnection back in circulation.

We have two new Regional Directors that have been appointed since the first of the year. My apologizes to Gary & Tammy Beeler (9631), our new Region 1 Directors and Bob & Bonnie Krieger (7803), new Region 5 Directors.  I let last month’s Konnection get by me with announcing their appointments. Gary & Tammy are replacing Jim & Sue Hagedon (12632) as Jim is now the Member at Large.  Bob & Bonnie are replacing Doug and Linda Randolph (7803-L) who were our longest serving Region Directors.  We welcome them aboard and look forward to working with them.

The theme of this year’s International Rally is; “Extending the Hands of Friendship”.  With so many RV manufacturers falling by the wayside in the past year, it seems only appropriate that we invite owners of those products to our International Rally, in part, to checkout Newmar products and the Kountry Klub as well. If you have a friend or just someone you know who falls into this “orphan” category, invite them to come to the International Rally with you or have them call the Office and we will gladly answer any questions they may have. Other brands have never been allowed to attend our International and this is a ONE TIME exemption approved by the Newmar Board of Directors and the Kountry Klub Board of Directors.  

It Is our hope that  some of your friends, once they have attended our rally and been with you, our Klub members, that we can bring them into the Newmar and Kountry Klub family. Someone is going to “Extend a Hand” and it may as well be us. While I know some of you will object to this invitation, “extending a hand “during troubled times is never a bad thing to do.  Remember, it could have been us, and how would you feel?

Rally registrations have been coming in at a better rate than we anticipated. This is good news and uplifting for Vicky, Linda, Barbara and me.  We have all been working extremely hard under some not so great circumstances to keep things rolling. It is very gratifying to see the efforts Vicky and Linda put forth. They truly share the feelings for the Klub and our members that Barbara and I do. Next time you see them, or talk to them on the phone, let them know how you feel.

Just a reminder, we will not have tram service at the International. There are golf carts for rent from a private company. Their rental information is listed elsewhere in the Konnection.

We hope all of our Mothers enjoy their special day this month. Of course, Mothers are special every day!  And, we also salute all of our military members and Veterans this month on Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day.