diplomatman2002

In most states there is confusion as to what is required for testing for a motorhome over 26,000 lbs. 26,000 Lbs is pretty much the standard weight agreed upon for requiring a special license but what I required for the test is always a point of discussion. To begin with many policemen don't even know that one is required. Where you have problems is that if you are involved in an accident and the other driver or an attorney does know then you can be charged with driving out of class and receive a ticket. I have been teaching CDL drivers many years in NYS and still find that some DMV clerks are not familiar with the permits and occasionally I will run across a summer or part time examiner who is not familiar with a RV test. In NYS the test consists of three rights, three left turns and parallel parking and or backing up to the examiner. Before backing you must shut the coach off, secure the parking brake and walk behind the coach to make sure it is clear and then ask the examiner to observe for you. Where some examiners are confused they may require you to do a brake test which consists of shutting your engine off, taking your parking brake off and holding steady pressure on the foot brake for one minute to insure that it does not loose more than 2 lbs. of air in a minute. Then with your parking brake on and your engine off you pump the air down until the warning buzzer comes on. When you start to move you must apply your brakes within the first 50 feet to insure that they work properly. This is not required on an RV test but sometimes it is wiser to go through the process if asked to do so instead of getting off on the wrong foot with the examiner. No other pretrip is required. I have only had one person fail an RV test and that was a retired police officer who got into an argument with the examiner about a brake test prior to the road test and even though he was a good driver he failed with 100 points. I had the test rescheduled for the next day and he passed with flying colors with a different examiner. Diplomatman2002

To all our Veterans thank you for your service to our country. To all the Veterans Families thank you for all your sacrifices Now it is our turn to climb the mountains and perform the miracles for you. MOUNTAINS TO MIRACLES VETERANS FOUNDATION INC. http://mmvf.org

Since I started Mountains To Miracles Veterans Foundation which is a Not For Profit organization that serves Disabled Veterans in receiving benefits, securing housing, and receiving trained companion dogs, I have met many hero's but little did I know that in the past few years I have served on the National FMCA Executive Board with one of them. Below is a picture of Charlie Adcock , South Central National Vice President receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross during service in Viet Nam. To Charlie Adcock and all our veterans , Thank You for your service. Paul DuBois-President Mountains To Miracles Veterans Foundation Northeast Area National Vice President

There are several reasons as to why there will be no Northeast Area Rally in 2013. One of the main reasons is because of chapter and member support. In 2012 we had 377 member coaches, 37 vendors and one coach dealer with 10 coaches. It is only goes to reason if there is not a good family coach attendance that the vendors are not interested in attending. Vendors have found that their sales in general are way down all over the country. They have stated that people will attend the rallies, look at their products, decide if they want them and then buy them off the internet at a much lower price. When a vendor looks at what it cost them to travel to the rally, pay a rally fee, pay for parking, ship their products to the rally and if they are not sold to ship them to the next location, it is not cost effective. Another reason is that we have a situation where one of our larger chapters holds a multi chapter rally in Oswego, N.Y. that is held within a month of our Area Rally and draws from our attendance. Another muti chapter rally is held in Quonset Point, RI. within a month of our rally. In 2013 Good Sam will hold a National convention in Syracuse, NY from June 13-16 and FMCA will hold their National Convention in Gillette, WY. on June 19th. All of these events draw both family coaches and vendors away from our rally. Good Sam has announced that starting in 2014 , they will hold regional rallies in or near where FMCA holds rallies. Prior to my election as Northeast Area Vice President , a five year contract was signed with the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, VT. to hold our rally at that location. This is an excellent facility and the management is excellent to work with but we constantly receive complaints that some chapters do not want to return to the facility despite it's facilities which are impossible to duplicate anywhere in the Area. In 2012 in order to afford the rally, we partnered with several veterans organizations and made the rally a veterans appreciation rally and held several special events as fund raisers for veterans . The understanding was that any profits from those organizations would be used for veterans which we have done. In addition the Champlain Valley Expo gave us a $15,000 discount on the rally expenses. Due to rally attendance and support we have lost money on nearly every rally since 2008. We suffer the same problems that most Areas do. Our members are aging out and not traveling much anymore, people are not volunteering , and costs are going up. For instance we just received notice that the cost of golf carts for 2014 will increase by $10.00 per cart due to rising transportation and other costs. I hope this explains why there will be no 2013 Northeast Rally and why Rallies in the future are in Jeopardy. Paul DuBois National Vice President Northeast Area

I just sent you a private message with our contact information . Paul

Hi Ben, In the Northeast Area we do not presently have a Class B chapter. There are several chapters who have members with Class B motorhomes especially now as many longtime members are downsizing. You will find that you would be welcomed into them. If you would be interested in forming a class B chapter I would be happy to assist you. Please feel free to contact me at diplomatman2002@yahoo.com Paul DuBois Northeast Area National Vice President

Dan and Donna, To answer your questions about the Northeast area rally, this year's rally has many new and exciting events that will interest all ages. We will have the usual events that are a part of all rallies such as vendors, seminars, coach displays, chapter fairs and ice cream socials but also there will be a pig roast, driver rodeo for both towables and motorhomes, a ladies driving class for both towables and motorhomes, a golf cart obstacle driving contest where the driver is blindfolded and guided through pylons by the co-pilot. Also, such options as a zip line and rock climbing event, a hot air balloon ride, a sailboat cruise on Lake Champlain, a tour of the Coast Guard station, a brewery tour, sky divers, and several other events. On Sunday there will be a day of pet events. There will be a dog agility event, dog Frisbee catching event, a dog groomer, a dog trainer, a veterinarian and a police dog show. There will be four evenings of entertainment. Volunteers will come in on Wednesday July 18th, other attendees will come in on Thursday July19th. all persons interested in volunteering for any function are welcome. Anyone wishing to come into the grounds prior to Wednesday or stay later than the end of the rally may do so by contacting the Champlain Valley Expo Center at 1-802-878-5545, rates are very reasonable. Anyone having any questions may contact me at diplomatman2002@yahoo.com . We look forward to seeing you. Paul DuBois Northeast Area Vice President

In the Northeast Area we have one of the best Area Rallies anywhere. If you look at the activities listed on our Registration form you willl find many new and exciting events that are geared to attracting new members in fact this only being February and our Rally is July 19-22 we already have several members registered and also several vendors and yes we are inviting towables and they will be parked without discrimination as they come in. The apathy that I was speaking to was not the attendance at chapter events or rally events it was to the willingness in many cases to serve in chapter offices and give input as to how to make FMCA better. I am fortunate to have one of the best Area Executive Boards anyone could ask for and I certainly have a great group of volunteers. My area has the same problem that other areas does, chapters failing due to lack of officers . All of the Area VP's get out and travel to area meetings and events as much as possible. Sometime ask any Area VP or National Officer how much it has cost them out of their own pockets to do their job you may be surprised-- it is not a small amount. Paul DuBois

I agree with Allen . I have served on the Executive Board with Allen for nearly three years and he is telling it like it is. One of the greatest problems that FMCA is facing today is APATHY. I know that in my area I on a regular basis send out news items and requests for input from officers, chapter contact persons and members. The first response that I receive is many e-mails bouncing back due to incorrect e-mail addresses. My list is from the National list so they have the same problem. Aside from that I may receive one or two responses from those that receive the e-mails. I know that most of the Executive Board member share the same situation. This Executive Board has been faced with probably the most difficult situations in the history of FMCA. As a result of this they have had to make some of the most difficult decisions of any Board. In any organization when the revenue flows in and money is not a problem and cuts do not have to be made everyone is happy. This is not the case now. This Executive Board has to weigh every expenditure to decide if it is necessary and in the best interest of FMCA. We have been faced with making a commitment to update our IT department to bring it in compliance with federal regulations, this has been approved by the Governing Board and will cost around $150,,000. This is only one of the decisions that have had to be made. The Interim Executive Director has been instructed to furnish the Executive Board with his plans to cut expenditures to attempt to bring the expenses in line with the revenue. This is no easy task. At present it is estimated that due to the loss of membership and as a result of the loss of membership a decline in Magazine advertising revenue that our revenue is only meeting 65% of our expenses. How do we address that problem. Below are some of the possibilities: 1. Raise dues: The result of a dues increase is as follows. We will lose some members, we will also have a rush of members renewing at the present rate for coming years which will delay revenue to help our problem. 2. Continue to draw from our reserves at the estimated rate of $100,000 per month. It is estimated that our organization can last about four years by doing this. 3. Cut staff and or benefits: If we cut staff this will result in a loss of services to the Areas and members and the ability to provide the services that our members expect and deserve. 4. Allow towables to become a part of the solution in some manner. This without a question is controversial with strong feelings on both sides. 5. Hear positive suggestions from members. Perhaps your suggestion could be the silver bullet that no one has thought of. perhaps you by your positive input could be a savior to FMCA. It is your decision are you going to be the critic with no solution or are you going to be joining the Executive Board in working to benefit this great organization? It is your decision. Paul DuBois Northeast Area Vice President

Hi, There are some good places to stop enroute and several good campgrounds. In Camden Maine there is the Camden Hills Campground and also Megunticook campground. One of the things that the kids may enjoy is to take a ride on one of the tall ships in Camden Harbor. They allow dogs and we took our three on the ships several years ago and it wasn't a problem. You might enjoy a stop at the Maine State prison Gift Shop in Thomaston just south of Camden on Route 1 they have some execllent wood working products made by the prisioners and is well worth seeing. If you want information on Nova Scotia contact Pricillia Crowther who is the contact for the Scotian Roamers chapter , her e-mail is: priscillacrowther@hotmail.com I am sure that she would help you. Make sure you have all the dog's health records and their shots are up to date If you need any further information that isn't covered by anyone on this forum, don't hesitate to e-mail me at diplomatman2002@yahoo.com and I will have one of our members that live in that area contact you and help you Paul DuBois Northeast Area Vice President

Hi The Band was Dan Gable and the Abletones at the Northeast Area Rally. Dan Gable has played with the Glenn Miller Band. They are from Mass. Paul DuBois Northeast Area Vice President

Chris; I do not expect everyone to agree with my statements and respect your right to disagree. I have based my statements on my knowlege as an Executive Board member and my conversations with younger members and members who have been in FMCA for years and also former members who have given up traveling in a motorhome and downsized to a smaller towable. I have the greatest respect for our Life members and last year at our rally many of them were in attendance and were honored at a rally dedicated to George Snyder, who was instrumental for creating the Life Memberships that saved FMCA many years ago. I seek their advice very often. For instance I received a phone call from one of our early members last week asking about towables at our rally, and when I told her that we were allowing them, she said that it made her very happy because her son had a towable and would be able to bring her so she could see her friends. Now times are different from when FMCA was formed. The economy is in very difficult shape, and the interests and goals of younger families are not the same as they were several years ago. Toy haulers and pickup trucks are popular ways to camp. Prior to becoming an Area Vice President I spent 14 years involved in the RV business and still keep in touch with all my dealers in the Northeast and know the sales trends that is what I base my statements on. At the present time our revenue is meeting approximate 65% of our expenses; Because our membership is under one hundred thousand members, which is a benchmark for advertisers to place their dollars, our magazine income is down over one million dollars despite the fact that the magazine staff is doing their best to increase revenue. We are experiencing a loss of over 600 members a month and that is a conservative figure, as some months the net loss is greater. If you take 600 members a month times 12 months, that is 7,200 members a year that we are loosing. 7,200 X $40 a member is $288,000 dollars a year of revenue that we don't have. Due to the fact of unforseen problems, we have had to spend approximatly $150,000 to update our IT department to make it federally compliant. If we failed to do this we would face a very large fine. We will also have to spend several thousands of dollars a month for license fees and support for it. If it was not for the expertise of our National Secretary, Vicky Ferrari, who is an attorney, and her husband, John, who worked for Perot Systems and Dell Computer systems before he retired and is an expert in this field, our cost would have been much greater. We have reduced salaries, not replaced some staff that have left and taken other steps to control spending, but the fact remains income is not covering expenses. It is thought by some members that we will need to use about $100,000 of our reserves each month to meet expenses. We currently have between seven and eight million dollars in reserves, depending on the market. I don't suggest that towables are the cure all for FMCA, but could be a part of the solution. I know that everyone on the Executive Board is open to input from our members, so I encourage you to convey yout ideas. Paul DuBois National Vice President Northeast Area

I have always been told that if anything is worth having that it is worth working for. I have been out spoken in favor of towables and making it possible for younger people to join FMCA for the past two years as A National Area Vice President. Last July our Northeast Area rally invited towables and in July 2012 we will again not only invite towables but will have a program of new and exciting events that will interest younger people. We have an outstanding youth program that is well attended. We must get the FAMILY back into FMCA. We have to face facts, younger people are not buying and cannot buy motorhomes because of the cost. The signs are there-- FMCA must change, grow or die. Put July 19-22-2012 on your calendar and come to the Champlain Valley Expo Center in Essex Junction, Vermont . We have 1000 Electric and water site, a lot of great activities including ladies driver training for both Towables and motorhomes, a driver rodeo for both towables and motorhomes, a golf cart driving obstacle course, tethered balloon rides , a K9 event day with Dog Agility, a Veterinarian, a groomer, a trainer and vendors specializing in animal related supplies, an all you can eat pig roast, Motor Coach tours of the area and many more events. Towables will be parked in the same areas as motorhomes and welcomed by all. All of this at a very affordable price. and in a very beautiful air conditioned facility. Show everyone that towables in FMCA will work. Paul DuBois Northeast Area Vice President FMCA diplomatman2002@yahoo.com 518-265-7345

As a member of the National FMCA Executive Board I try to visit this forum on a daily basis as I feel it is important that we should know what our membership is thinking and this certainly is a way for them express their views. In the past several months I have seen many posts expressing concern about the declining membership and financial situation of FMCA. FMCA is no different from most volunteer organizations during this difficult economic period. Membership is on a steady decline and with that comes difficult financial times. When our membership was over 100,000 members, we had a steady stream of advertising coming into our magazine. Money was not a problem. Once our membership dropped below 100,000 members, our advertising also declined as advertisers felt they were no longer reaching enough people to justify the expense. I do not pretend to speak for the other members of the National Executive Board, as they have their own views and are entitled to either state them or not. I am speaking as an individual and with the blessing and agreement of the Executive Board of the Northeast Motorhome Association. We feel that we have an important stake in the future of FMCA as Hinckley, Maine, in the Northeast was the birthplace of FMCA. We want to be the place of the rebirth of FMCA also. It is no secret, we are having a difficult time. Our revenue is not meeting our expenses. We cannot continue to draw from our reserves and survive. We need to address two issues in order to survive. One is to greatly increase our membership, and the only way that we are going to do that is to attract younger members and the only way that this can be accomplished is to put the emphasis on families and make it attractive and affordable for younger persons with families to join. They are not interested in going into debt to purchase a motorhome . They are buying towables that can accommodate a family. We must also have activities that will attract both young adults and kids. Perhaps a sister organization under the FMCA umbrella is the answer. We in the Northeast Area have a very active youth program at our rally and will be welcoming towables at our NEAR 2012, 20th Anniversary rally July 19th-22nd and have many exciting events to interest everyone. In order to attract these members we must have a product for them to be interested in. We must have benefits that will meet their needs. If we are successful in doing this the advertisers and revenue will return. If not, FMCA faces an uncertain future. Paul DuBois President Northeast Motorhome Association

We in the Northeast Area of FMCA have a Veterans Outreach Program. We will be doing three RV shows in the next few months including: At Alpin Haus in Amsterdam, NY next weekend. At the Springfield, Mass RV and Camping show February 18-21 At Alpin Haus in April. We will be having an FMCA and Veterans Outreach Booth at these shows and would be happy to have your material displayed there or representatives of your chapter with us. you may contact me at diplomatman2002@yahoo.com Paul DuBois National Vice President Northeast Area FMCA