Plans for PineKnot-V started on a high note. With the promise of 83 sites at Whispering Pines, no one thought anything could go wrong. We announced the dates for the 2009 rally—October 1-4—on May 1, and reservations started coming in that day. As of May 14, fifty-five units were registered! Normally, this would have been great news. However, Whispering Pines suddenly seemed to forget their agreement to reserve eighty-three sites, dropping the number to fifty-nine. No one wanted to tell people, “You can’t come because there is no space for you.” As of June 14, seventy-five had already informed us of their intentions to come. So the decision was final—We MUST find an RV park that can and will meet our needs. That place was Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland, Texas. Here is how we described this place when we announced the change: “Spaces for over 100 trailers. Level, grassy pads. Most are full hookup. Two small lakes—one stocked with fish. Several historic buildings on the property. Antique cars, trucks, and tractors on display. Not quite as many amenities as Whispering Pines, but we think all will enjoy being there. Cost: $18.00/night—Use of Rec Building included. You may arrive early and stay late. If you have not registered with us yet, please do so now. There will be room for all who want to come.” Over seventy rigs showed up before the rally was over. Floyd and Fannie Salmon assigned us to “The Sunshine Inn” area of their park. This area is so designated because that is the name they had given to the old house there that would be our rec hall. This turned out to be the one drawback—“The Sunshine Inn” was a tad too small for our group, but we adapted and everything turned out well. The weekend started fine with Larry Gamble demonstrating the ins and outs of using PEX plumbing on Thursday morning. In the afternoon, Pat Harko provided a crafts demonstration. We all enjoyed a bar-b-q dinner that evening. Tom and Martha Jo again hosted breakfast on Friday. Karan Wheelock hosted the Pet Show that morning, and Don Dayton shared with us his knowledge of trailer mods in the afternoon. The Potluck started at 5:30 and the Crime Stoppers Band, marking their fourth consecutive time with us, performed from 6:30 ‘til 8 PM on the front porch while we sat in our lawn chairs on the front lawn and listened, while the moon rose behind us. Tom and Martha Jo again served breakfast on Saturday. This was followed by the “Egg Tour,” and then a buffet lunch at The Café and Creamery on Main Street in downtown Grapeland. Tom, Geary, and others demonstrated their Dutch oven cooking abilities. Their creations were featured at the Left-Overs Potluck. This time, instead of giving the residual funds from the registration fee to only a couple of people, Robert and Karen spent the money on items for door prizes. With these purchases, plus several donated articles, almost everyone received something from the drawing. It was at PineKnot-V that Robert and I let it be known early in this gathering that we no longer would be able to serve as leaders for future rallies. Frankly, we were burned out. Robert and Karen had contributed so much to making all the PineKnots the successes they were. They spent most of their time almost every year manning the registration desk, which was no small task in itself. Before we adjourned on the Saturday night, Fred Rosin graciously volunteered to be the organizer of PineKnot VI. We all seemed to agree that we should return to Salmon Lake Park in 2010. |
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