The hometown for the nation’s leading recreational vehicle manufacturer is seeing nearly 16-hundred motor homes pull in this weekend from every state except Hawaii. The 36th annual Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club Grand National Rally is underway in Forest City. W-I-T general manager Denny Burkholder says there’s plenty for motor home enthusiasts to do. Events include seminars, live music, contests, games and R-V driving rallies. Burkholder says Winnebago drivers can even show their skills in two different types of “motor home rodeos.” The skill rodeo involves backing, parking and being in the right spot. There’s also the backseat drivers’ rodeo where the R-V driver is blindfolded and taking directions from his or her partner communicating via walkie-talkie. Burkholder says it’s fun to see the rally grounds adjacent to the main Winnebago factory transform from an empty campground to a miniature city of motor homes. He thanks 300 volunteers for the job. Some have been on-site since July 1st. He says their temporary city has a population of three-thousand, all with an address, emergency support and messaging systems. Burkholder says the rally is only open to club members. If you want to join the club, contact your local Winnebago dealer or look on the WIT website at “www.winnebagoind.com” and go to the “lifestyle” section at the top of the page.
