Area Covered:

Contact: Steve & Sindy Gradowski
12089 Belle Rd , Memphis , MI 48041 Ph: (810) 392-3302
Website: http://overloaders.bravehost.com/home.htm
Email:ru2reddy@gmail.com

Sept. 28, 2009

MICHIGAN OVERLOADERS

The Michigan Overloaders, aka the Fun Bunch, are now officially 20 years old! We met September 17 – 20 at the Spaulding Lake Campground in Niles MI, where we had a wonderful time! The weather man has blessed us at the last two fall rallies, and we had sunshine and fall days in the low to mid 70's. What more could we have asked for!

Les & Jean were able to attend our rally as they were returning from their latest Alaska adventure. Jean provided us with the best homemade cinnamon rolls one morning at our potluck breakfast, while Les brought us up to date on upcoming activities Gulf Stream is providing. He also gave us the highlights of their Alaska trip at our ice cream social. Thank you both! We always enjoy it when you join us and hope to see you again as your time permits.

We also honored Joyce Bailey. She is the last founding member of our club. She and Kenny helped organize the club at the very first rally and Ken even named the club. Unfortunately, Ken lost his battle to cancer a few weeks before the rally. He will be greatly missed. In all those years they had missed only one rally and that was last spring. Ken had chosen the name Overloaders at the very first rally, as they had blown several circuits trying keep the coffee pots and other equipment up and running. Well, he would be glad to know that the name still holds true. We were doing great at this rally until the owner showed us where this really big ceiling exhaust fan was. Unfortunately, it was also on the coffee pot circuit.

Also recognized were past founding members Jan Mallette and Mary Meyer, both of whom attended this rally. It is always good to see them.

Included in the activities we enjoyed was a Scavenger Hunt. Who knew so many people would have a $1 gold coin with them and that one team would steal the Gulf Stream flag off another team’s rig to win the competition! Our version of the Newlywed Game was played as well as lawn chair baseball. We will not soon forget the fishing contest. The Spauldings have three small stocked fishing ponds. It never occurred to any of us that they would feed the fish before the contest! Nothing caught was a “keeper” but we had a beautiful day to sit out and had a lot of laughs. When Bob Stevens announced the winners, he mentioned that he had just spent $25 for a new fish scale so Carol Case could win with a 3 ½ ounce Bluegill!

As always the food was great! Gulf Stream provided us with the means to put on hamburger and brats dinner with all the fixings and that was wonderful of them. The next morning we had a potluck breakfast and what wonderful cooks we have! An Ice Cream Social was held that afternoon with homemade stew, a salad bar, along with homemade apple cobbler for supper. Nothing like a bunch of ladies getting together to prepare stew and peel apples! Work is done in no time with lots of laughs along the way.

Saturday morning the men provided us with a pancake breakfast and afterwards we had ladies’ crafts while the men played horseshoes. Around lunch time we played Lawn Chair Baseball while Bob Fair and Bob Stevens fixed hot dogs on the grill and served up ice cream afterwards. Later that day we had a wonderful gentleman come in who is a friend of Harold & Jo Forburgers, and he put on a wonderful fish fry for us. After our evening’s activities, we had anniversary cake and punch. Campfires were enjoyed every evening. Sunday morning we assembled for coffee, rolls, and door prizes before saying our goodbyes. As you can easily see, we did a lot of eating! Good thing we had such good weather and with the great campground we had plenty of area to walk off some of that food.

I want to thank Jo & Harold Forburger for the fish fry. They did a great job of organizing it. I also want to thank the ladies, Dixie Dawe, Margret Overholser, Betsy Stevens, & Carol Case, who gave me so much help each and every day. Thanks also to all the other ladies who stopped by to peel apples, make salad dressings, or run to their rigs for more butter. Yes, Paula Dean, butter does make everything better! You all combined to make this rally a success and there is no way it could have happened without you.

Next spring we will have an election of officers and we will have an entirely new board elected at that time.

Our next rallies:

Spring Rally – May 20 – 23, 2010 at the Apple Creek Campground, in Grass Lake MI. Our hosts will be Carol & Oscar Case. Election of officers at this rally.

Fall Rally – September 16 – 19, 2010 at the Bayshore Campground in Sebewaing MI. Our hosts will be Toni & Stan Dobie. New officers take over at the conclusion of the old business at the business meeting.

See you down the road,

Deb Fair