Wednesday August 17, 2011-Elkhart County Fairgrounds

This morning was supposed to have begun with coffee and donuts that were supplied by an RV store that was supporting the rally and displaying some trailers here. There was evidently a large mixup on the amounts of coffee and donuts needed because by the time we got there, about 8:30, most of the coffee in the rally hall was gone or cold and all the donuts were gone. Not Good! There were two coffee pots outside near the trailers that were being watched over by two of the lady volunteers, but after running out of everything, they were frustrated and very short and snippy with everyone. We went back home and finished our coffee there and vowed that everything would get better.

All of the seminars have been shuffled. There was not enough room in the original area, so all were moved around. One seminar on engine performance was cancelled due to the death of the couple's daughter that was to have put on the seminar, and vendor at the rally. I went to a seminar put on by the Cummins Crosspoint, the Cummins engine support company for the midwest but was a bit disappointed that the seminar was more for motorhomes than trucks, but it was still informative.

We served the meal in the evening, which was our assignment for the rally. The serving went very well and we got over 600 people served in less than 30 minutes. We had roast beef with baked potatoes and green beans but we ran out of baked potatoes. Almost everyone got a potato except us servers, but I didn't really need one anyway. I learned that when we ran out of mashed potatoes last night, there were actually a couple of pans that had been overlooked or not brought over to us. I also learned that they had taken the leftover food to one of the local churches. It's good to know that they are sharing with others.

The entertainment tonight was the South Bend-Mishawaka Valleyaires, an a-capella barbershop chorus. They are very good, and I have always loved the harmonies and sounds of the barbershop quartets that I have listened to.

The rally has been somewhat chaotic and we have run out of some food but seems to be improving some. I hope it continues because this is a great location for rallies.

So long.