GRASS VALLEY, FALL 2025

Romers RV Club Fall Rally at Grass Valley was a Gold Rush of Good Times!

What a spectacular way to usher in the autumn season! The Romers RV Club Fall Rally at the beautiful Grass Valley RV Resort was by all accounts an absolute smash hit, leaving a trail of happy memories and full bellies in its wake. A massive thank you and a hearty round of applause go out to our wonderful hosts Tony Sauer and KatherineThompson and Juan Marquez and Debbie Holt and Debbie Smith and Janet Ream. They orchestrated a weekend filled with perfect weather, fantastic fellowship and unforgettable adventuresl

With 34 members, 4 guests (2 of whom joined the Romers), in attendance, the energy was high from the moment the first RV pulled into the resort. It truly felt like a family reunion and the warmth of the company was, as always, the best part of the entire event.

Digging Up History and Fun

Our rally schedule was packed with a brilliant mix of history, local culture and good old-fashioned fun.

The first day we laced up our walking shoes for a delightful walking tour of historic downtown Grass Valley, with cobblestone streets and Victorian architecture led by our own Katherine Thompson.

Click Here for a Complete Summary of all the sites of historic downtown Grass Valley

Day two took us on a fascinating journey back in time with a guided tour of the Empire Mine State Park, with the echoes of the California Gold Rush.

Click Here for a Complete Summary of the Empire Mine Tour

On Saturday was the Grand Finale, the crescendo of our weekend! We closed out the Rally by attending the Annual Classic Draft Horse Competition!

The consensus is in: the food was amazing, From the shared potlucks to local treats, every meal was a delicious highlight, fueling our days of exploration and laughter.

Don't Miss the Next Adventures!

If you missed out on the Grass Valley fun, don't worry, the road ahead is full of incredible rallies!

Be sure to mark your calendars and start getting excited for next year's rallies! Our next rally is the Western Area FRVA Rally in Indio, California January 6-11th. See the tab below to sign up! We have a Spring Rally being planned in Paso Robles, Ca. at the Wine Country RV Resort. It will be hosted by Jim & Susan Lewis, David Lee & Kate Pryor and John Rodriguez & Janet Votaw. The dates are April 29-May 3, 2026. In addition, be sure to also mark your calendars for next rear's Fall Rally which will be held at the fantastic Jackson Rancheria RV Park! The dates are October 1st to October 5th. This highly anticipated event will be graciously hosted by two fabulous couples: Jim & Joanne McPheters and Dave & Bobbie Peterson. Get ready for a wonderful blend of relaxation fun, and all the luxury the Rancheria has to offer.

Thanks to Jeff George & Cherry Schult for summarizing our Grass Valley event.

NEXT RALLY

Western Area FRVA

Riverside Co. Fair Grounds

January 6-11, 2026

President's Report

First, I'd like too thank Tony & Katherine, Janet & Debbie and Juan & Debbie for hosting a very successful and enjoyable rally in Grass Valley.

Also, a Romers welcome to our new members attending, Jeff George & Cherry Schult, John Rodriquez & Janet Votaw and Barry & Nancy Levy, who brought guests, Allan & Gail Horowitz, who joined Romers on the spot!

Finally (whew!) I want to thank Jim McPheters & his nominating committee for their work to provide a full slate of officer nominees, who were elected unanimously by acclamation.

Thanks & congratulations to:

John VanDoren, Immediate Past President

Gary Cowan, President

Dean Bash, Vice President

Maureen Bouma, Treasurer

Debbie Holt, Secretary

Susan Lewis, National Director, FRVA

Jim McPheters, Alternate National FRVA Director

Thanks also to our dedicated volunteers:

Kate Pryor, Membership

Juan Marquez, Bar Manager

Gary Cowan, Interim Webmaster (Anyone else willing to take it over? See Gary)

Nadine Margoles, Romers Gear

Sharon Cowan, Newsletter

Pat Klempner, Sushine & Showers

Thank you to everyone for your support over the past several years. It has been a priviidge to serve as your president the past two years and I know you'll continue to support the new President & Board of Directors as we continue to learn and grow together. Again, Thank you so much.

John VanDoren, President

Vice President's Report

It has been a pleasure to serve as your VP for the last 2 years. I want to thank those that volunteered to be Rally Masters during my time as your Vice President. The Grass Valley Rally hosted by Tony Sauer and Katherine Thompson is an example of new members volunteering to host a Rally and to make it a great success for all. As your President I will work hard to continue to strengthen our club by recruiting new members and assisting all members in maintaining the spirit of friendship we are known by. Thank you to John for his leadership and preparing me for the next two years. Also, I want to thank Dean Bash for volunteering to be my VP as we work together. Finally, a gigantic thank you to Larry Johnson for his dedicated service from Bar Manager to National Director and we look forward his and Ellen's participation as Associate Members.

Gary Cowan, Vice President

National Director's Report

The FRVA board meeting was held in July 2025, at the 111th International Convention at Gillette, WY. We thank our member, Rick Nelson, for attending to represent the Romers club. 151 clubs out of 244 clubs attended (62%). Information from the board meeting is as follows:

Election of National Executive Board: Paul Mitchell – President, Vice President – Bob Weithofer, Secretary – Glenda Milner, and Treasurer – Kenneth Lewis.-FRVA has been losing members for years. There has been lower attendance at conventions. Magazine advertising sales are down. Of the 15,000 MH’s sold last year, 68% were gas. FRVA has dipped into its reserve funds. On the positive side, membership increased last month.-

The budget for 2026 was approved. They are looking for a new Executive Director. A new Western Area will be elected next year. The board acted on various by-laws, polices and procedures. Having an Alternate National Director is optional for clubs. They are looking at the sale of properties near the headquarters. Membership dues will be kept at $99 per year. There is much to be done if FRVA is going to survive in the long run.

Upcoming Rallies:

-Jan. 7-11, 2026 Western Area Rally Indio, CA

-March 18 -21, 2026 112th Int. Convention Perry, Georgia-

-July 1- 4, 2026 113th Int. Convention Sedalia, Missouri

-March 17 – 20, 2027 114th Int. Convention Perry, Georgia

This is my last National Director’s Report!! We had a major accident with our MH coming home from the Hemet Rally on May 5, 2025. We came very close to being killed! Ellen was taken to the hospital, but she recovered from a leg injury. Our MH was a total loss, and we have no plans to replace it. We had our Monaco MH for 29 years, since we bought it new in 1996. It has been a lot of fun traveling to many places and making a lot of friends. We will remain as an associate member of the Romers. I have enjoyed being the Romers Club National Director.

Larry and Ellen Johnson

Recent Romers Photos

Welcome to our new members, Allan & Gail Horowitz

SUNSHINE AND SHOWERS

We are sad to hear that the Wimberly's are leaving the Romers. The steps to the Motorhome and Gary's neuropathy and arthritis in his hands are making it a real challenge to continue motorhoming. They will be missed terribly, but we wish them the very best with their next adventures, spending more time with kids and grandkids. Gary & Phyllis shared that they will miss everyone dearly and wish us all happy trails.

TECH TALK

A big thank you to our own John Van Doren for leading the tech sessions these last few rallies! Below is a recap of the discussion at Grass Valley.

1. It was noted by the group to never us Armorall on your tires and rubber moldings. Instead it was recommended to use 303 Brand Protectant.

2. John has had a air dump problem. He has Power Gear Jacks rather than air leveling. While looking for a permanent solution (with the help of Rick Nelson) Jim Lewis recommended pumping the breaks with the engine off to empty the air.

3. Gary Cowan noted that Colton Truck & RV were unable to install a Safety Steer system on his 2012 Fleetwood Discovery. Apparently the 2012 Discovery has a very unique front end assembly that Safty Steer can't integrate.

4. Jim Lewis had the JG Engineering (Amish ) compressor cooling unit installed in his Norcold 1210LRIM refrigerator. It is working fine!!

5. Janet Ream & Debbie Smith have been working hard to resolve an issue with their tag axles on their Newmar Motorhome. It is a very serious problem which they have been doing their best to get resolved.