Only if someone posts the "menu update" that Bob referenced in his email.
I did not get that one.
Did not post as clean as I had hoped...
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We’re getting close! Here are a few last minute reminders and updates to help you get ready for the FROG Rally.
SCHEDULE
Here’s an overview of the schedule for the week. You’ll get more detailed information on arrival, but this might help you with your overall planning. PLEASE NOTE that the seminar schedules and plant tour dates could change slightly. We’ll post and keep you up to date each day if there are any changes.
MEALS
The FROG Rally officially opens on Sunday evening, August 4 with dinner.
Just as a reminder, the schedule of meals for the week is:
Sun, 8/4 Dinner
Mon, 8/5 Breakfast Buffet; Pete’s “WOW” Dinner; Entertainment
Tue, 8/6 Breakfast Buffet; Dinner on your own. (The Chamber of Commerce will provide discount coupons for many locations.)
The Phat Phrog Stunt Team is holding a pot-luck dinner on Tuesday evening, and has asked me to announce that everyone is invited. Dinner will be at 5:30.
We also encourage members to visit restaurants in Goshen and surrounding communities.
Wed, 8/7 Breakfast Buffet; Dinner; Entertainment
Thu, 8/8 Breakfast Buffet; Dinner on your own. Again, we encourage you to support the local businesses.
If you’ve registered for tour #3 (riverboat cruise / Das Essenhaus) or #4 (Amish Acres, / 9 to 5 The Musical), dinner is included.
Fri, 8/9 Breakfast Buffet; Dinner; Entertainment
Sat, 8/10 Breakfast
Menus were listed in the first update that you received.
ARRIVAL
Upon arrival at the Fairgrounds, you’ll be entering at Gate 2. Depending on traffic, you’ll either pull right up to the check-in table or, if traffic is heavy, make a loop through the front parking lot to allow traffic to get out of the street. There will be someone there to direct you. When you reach the check-in table, you’ll be given your site number or area and escorted to you site by a member of the parking committee on a golf cart. Once you’re settled, we ask that you come to the registration area to pick up maps, schedules, name badges, and welcome bags.
If you’re planning to arrive early on your own, or to stay late, you can call the Fairgrounds at (574) 533-3247 and ask for Bev or Diane. Let them know that you’re with FROG. They won’t assign you a specific site. Instead, we’ll get you into the site that you’ll have for the rally so that you don’t have to tear down and move. You’ll be making payment directly to the Fairgrounds for the extra nights.
SERVICE
If you’ve requested service, please remember to check in at the service building. We might have to re-locate the service operation from the previously announced location. We’ll have information posted at registration.
VOLUNTEERS
There will be a lot of opportunities for volunteers before and during the rally. In addition to parking and registration, we’ll be asking for help in “spotting” RVs for the display area, helping vendors find their locations, placing signs and banners, moving “stuff,” and more. During the week we’ll need shuttle drivers on the golf carts, help with straightening up and re-setting the dining room chairs after entertainment, and miscellaneous activities that always come up.
SEMINARS / WORKSHOPS
We are working with both vendors and factory staff on our seminar lineup. In addition there are several members who have offered to head up a seminar, discussion, or activity during the FROG Rally, and I want to bring those to your attention since you might want to bring some materials of your own to participate. The exact times are to be determined, but here are some of the activities that members will be leading:
Ken Reek, an avid photographer who happens to have won first place in the Forest Jump photo contest, will be offering a seminar / class on photography Bring along some of your own equipment and some of your shots to show off and critique.
Ken will also be doing a multimedia presentation on visiting Yellowstone National Park during both the summer and winter. It will include photos and narration, music, and a “movie” of still shots throughout the seasons.
Margaret Reek will be leading a session on Sewing/Quilting in Your Rolling Home. It will be a get-together of people with a common interest to discuss tips and techniques for sewing/quilting in a rather challenging environment. Bring along your projects to share and show.
Kay Krober will head a knitting group to get together and share their interest in this activity. It’s a great chance to “sit ‘n knit,” make new friends with a common interest, and learn or share techniques. Many groups take on projects to knit caps or blankets for nurseries or other charitable causes. Bring along your projects, show off your handiwork, and encourage others to join in your charity.
If you have a skill you’d like to share, an activity you’d like to organize, or other special interests, please feel free to publicize them. We want this to be your event.
“WEIGHING YOUR WAGON”
In connection with its seminar, “RV Weighing and Safety,” the Recreational Vehicle Safety and Education Foundation (RVSEF) is offering optional weighing of each wheel position of your RV. This is most conveniently done either at arrival or departure from the rally, but can be done during the week if you’re willing to tear down. The cost of the individual wheel weighing and analysis is $60, payable to the RVSEF. To register in advance to have your unit weighed, go to the RVSEF registration page at
Form Page. To get more information about RVSEF and its various safety programs, including weighing and safety, visit
RV Safety & Education Foundation. Whether you have your unit weighed or not, you can still attend and participate in the RVSEF seminar. This program is offered by RVSEF and is not affiliated with FROG. IF YOU REGISTER TO HAVE YOUR RV WEIGHED ON ARRIVAL, please let the parking committee know when you arrive.
OPTIONAL TOURS
The tours are scheduled for:
Tuesday: Pieces, Pies and Posies
Wednesday: Amish Country Brown Bag
Thursday: Boats, Bites, and Bolts
Wine, Women, and Song – and More!
Friday: “ART” in Elkhart
We might have a few last minute openings on a couple of the tours, and will announce those on Sunday evening if we still have them available.
FACTORY TOURS
The current (subject to minor changes) schedule for plant tours is:
Tuesday, August 6, AM
Cedar Creek, Cherokee
Flagstaff/Rockwood
Berkshire/Charleston, DynaMax
Tuesday, August 6, PM
Sabre, Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI)
Columbus, Coachmen Motorized
Lexington/Sunseeker
Wednesday, August 7, AM
Flagstaff/Rockwood
Surveyor/R-Pod
Sierra/Sandpiper, PDI
Wednesday, August 7, PM
Cedar Creek, Cherokee
XLR, PDI
(as needed)
Thursday August 8, AM
Flagstaff/Rockwood
Thursday, August 8 (PM)
(as needed)
We’ll have signups for factory tours at Sunday dinner, and ask everyone to select only one tour initially in order to give everyone a chance to get in on one. If needed, we can try to schedule additional tours, although many of the plants work early shifts in order to cut down on the summer heat.
SEMINARS
To help you in your planning and coordination of tours, seminars, and other activities, here is the schedule of seminars. Again, it’s possible that there will be changes, and we’ll keep you advised if there are any.
Monday
Seminar 1 Seminar 2 Main Building
9:00 AM Lippert Components: LCI Products and Services Available at the FROG Rally Not Available
9:30 AM Precise Satellite & RV Electronics: RF Mogul RV Satellite HD Systems
10:00 AM
10:30 AM RV Safety & Educational Foundation: RV Weighing & Safety
11:00 AM Brian Moran, Forest River: RV Electrical Systems -- Converters and Monitor Panels
11:30 AM
12:00 PM Lippert Components: FAQ Technical Questions & Maintenance Tips on Slide Outs
12:30 PM Techno RV: RV Electrical Safety -- How to Protect Yourself from Bad Power
1:00 PM
1:30 PM Blue Ox: Weight Distribution Hitches -- Fundamentals and Towing Tips
2:00 PM Steven Anderson: Saving Money With a Quality Windshield Chip Repair
2:30 PM
3:00 PM Pampered Chef: Discover the Chef in You! Making Life Easier in the Kitchen.
3:30 PM
Tuesday
Seminar 1 Seminar 2
9:00 AM Lippert Components: FAQ Technical Questions & Maintenance Tips on Axles
9:30 AM Steven Anderson: How to Care for Your RV Inside & Out With Waterless Products Ken Reek: Getting the Great Shot -- Photo and Equipment Tips for Taking Great Photos
10:00 AM
10:30 AM ASA Electronics: RV Audio/Video Systems - How They Work, What's New, What's on the Horizon
11:00 AM Girard Tankless Water Heating Systems Kay Krober: “Knit-a-Rama”
Come and enjoy knitting, crocheting, tatting and other crafts. Pick up or share tips.
11:30 AM
12:00 PM SMI Tow Braking: Ins & Outs of Towing Safety
12:30 PM Techno RV: The Ins and Outs of LED Lighting Ken Reek: Yellowstone National Park Throughout the Seasons
1:00 PM
1:30 PM Dave Damon: Better Health the Original and Easy Way
2:00 PM Precise Satellite & RV Electronics: Ins & Outs of Towing Safely
2:30 PM
Wednesday
Seminar 1 Seminar 2
9:00 AM Skymed Takes You Home: Are You Prepared for a Medical Emergency? SkyMed Services vs Other Providers
9:30 AM Winegard Antenna / Satellite: Off Air and Satellite TV Reception
10:00 AM
10:30 AM Blue Ox: Safety and Security for Your Fifth Wheel Hitch
11:00 AM Brian Moran, Forest River: RV Electrical Systems -- Converters and Monitor Panels
11:30 AM
12:00 PM Techno RV: Tire Pressure Monitors -- Why You Need Them and How to Choose the Right One
12:30 PM R.J. Studley: Dutch Oven Cooking, Foil Dinners, and Other Meals in the Great Outdoors (Demonstration and Samples Included)
1:00 PM
1:30 PM Pampered Chef: Discover the Chef in You! Making Life Easier in the Kitchen.
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
Thursday
Seminar 1 Seminar 2
9:00 AM Techno RV: Getting Started with the Rand McNally RV GPS Workshop
9:30 AM MorRyde: The Ups and Downs of Trailer Suspension
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA
We have already mentioned that there is a bridge being replaced on County Road 34, just west of the Fairgrounds, starting on the Monday of the FROG Rally. This will not affect our arrival, but will require different traffic patterns starting on Monday. Detours will be marked, and we will have maps available from the Fairground office.
FOR THOSE COMING DOWN HIGHWAY 13 THROUGH MIDDLEBURY, there is a paving project going on just north of downtown that might cause some delays, typically around 15 minutes, especially in the middle of the day. An alternative route is to get off of the toll road one exit to the west (Exit 101, Bristol/Goshen, IN Highway 15 South). If you take that route, when you get to Bristol you’ll make a jog to the right and then to the left to stay on IN 15, and continue on IN 15 all the way to Goshen. In Goshen, you’ll turn left on US33 and, a block later, turn right, staying on US 33. Pass the courthouse and go about two more blocks to the stoplight at CVS Pharmacy. Turn left, continuing on US 33 to Goshen High School, where you’ll turn left on CR 34 / Monroe Street and continue about ½ mile to the fairgrounds.
Let’s get ready to rally!
Bob Byrne
O: (574) 825-8532
C: (314) 607-1531
frog@forestriverinc.com
FROG - Forest River Owners Group
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