Ghristmas Greetings from the Officers and Staff of the Granite Staters,and our Best Wishes for a Happy and active RV-ing New Year to the Granite Staters membership.

      Welcome to The Granite Stater, the Granite Staters chapter's omline newsletter. To reach our website's Home Page, click on the link in the upper left corner of this page. All the non-editorial features of the original printed newsletters, rally announcement and registration forms, chapter officer information, and members' membership renewal form are still to be found there. Important chapter news and member information will appear here.

     I hope this finds everyone well and I wish everyone Happy Holiday Season and a wonderful year ahead. We had a great turnout for our September rally in Sandwich. It was great to see so many of you there. I count us as fortunate that Covid let up enough to allow us to have the rally safely. I think everyone had a good time and we were happy to be together.

     The members at the rally in Sandwich seemed to want to have it at the Sandwich Fairgrounds again this coming year. The weekend after labor day would place the dates September 9-12, 2022. I have asked the fairgrounds for a price for us to be there next year. It may be OK to list this as a possible date for our rally and annual meeting. I want the activities committee that volunteered at our September meeting to have input on this.

     Northeast Area Rally coming to Fryeberg, ME, August 4-7, 2022.

     I am excited that the Northeast Northeast Area Rally is being planned for Fryeberg, ME this coming summer. I'm hoping that many of our members will attend. It's not often that this is held in our back yard! It's a great opportunity to attend without the hassle of driving many miles to get there. Please see the note from John Traphagen, FMCA Vice President and President of the Northeast Motorhome Association. He is looking to get an estimate of the number of coaches from each chapter who will be attending. This doesn't have to be a firm commitment, but will be helpful for their planning. They are estimating the price to attend at about $325 which will include the spaces for overnight camping with 30 amp outlets and water. Two dump stations will be available for use on the way out.

     He is also looking for volunteers for things like parking and security, safety, and transportation. Please consider if there is a way you would like to help. Be sure to read "Message from John Traphagen," next following.

     My Contact Info: I have had trouble with important email being buried, a function of having the same email address (rmorgan@rmorgan.com) since the late 1990s. I'm going to try to use a new email, rmorgan@granitestaters.org for chapter related correspondence. Also – the best way to reach me by telephone is with my cell phone number, 603-657-5603.

     Thank you, Bob for continuing to work on the Newsletter and Webpage.

     Rich

     Message from: John Traphagen,
     President, Nortneast Motorhome Association, FMCA,
     Date: Thu, Dec 9, 2021 at 8:32 PM
     Subject: Northeast Area Rally Letter
     To: Chapter Presidents, Secretaries and National Directors

     Your Executive Board is working very hard to provide an exciting and successful Northeast Area Rally for 2022.

     We really, really need and appreciate your input as soon as possible to make this rally successful. We will need your response by (Jan 15, 2022).

     We have secured Fryeburg State Fairground in Maine, the state where FMCA was created in 1963.

     Our first concern is COST, we are able to provide 30 amp service along with water, and there are two easily accessible dump stations. What was a surprise is the State 9% Lodging Tax, so that will have to be added to the cost. Our goal is to keep the cost as low as possible. The cost of the rally is going to depend on the number of RV’s that will commit from your chapters. The bottom line is we are looking at keeping the cost to around $325.00.

     Our second concern is PARTICIPATION How many of your members will be interested in attending the rally on August 4-6, 2022? We are hoping for a minimum of 225 to 250 RVs. We would like to be able to share with the vendors an approximate number so they will feel confident and will secure their spot soon. We hope your chapter members will look forward to attending and help us to reach our goal.

     Our third concern is VOLUNTEERS. We know a successful rally only happens if we have people willing to volunteer. In surveying your chapter members, would you see who is willing to volunteer for such activities as 1) Parking, 2) Seminars, 3) Safety, 4) Security, 5) Information Booth?

     Seminars, Each room will have a sign board outside of it; you will have a list of who is in what room, you just need to make sure the sign is correct. If there is a problem, for example, the lights won’t work you will have a telephone number to call.

     Safety, Looking for unsafe conditions, like cars parked in front of fire hydrants. If First Aid responds to someone’s needs you will be asked to get information. You will not be doing First Aid.

     Security, The day vendors set up and tear down someone will have to be at the doors to make sure only vendors enter the building. On entertainment night someone has to be at the doors to greet people and check for name badges.

     Information Booth, We expect to have the information booth open on Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 5pm.

     There may be more volunteer opportunities once we begin the rally. This rally really depends on the Chapters and the volunteers, please be part of the solution not part of the problem.

     Fourth request is for every chapter to provide a DOOR PRIZE. Everyone enjoys winning a prize so please help by committing to one door prize. Fifth request is a ChapterAD for the program book. More information regarding sizes of ads and costs will be forthcoming. Begin to think about your ad design.

      Please help us with your support for the Northeast Area Rally, let John Traphagen, President of NEA at JTraphagen@fmca.com NO LATER THAN JANUARY 15, 2022 as to answers to our requests/concerns; meaning what is the status of your chapter support.

     It is imperative that we hear from each chapter; either from the President, Secretary, or National Director so we are able to make sound decisions about the rally. Remember this rally is for YOU, members of FMCA. The Executive Board is looking forward to your responses.

     Contact John Traphagen at JTraphagen@fmca.com.Thank you for your cooperation and participation in this very important survey.

     Editor's Note: A questionaire is posted on our chapter's Home Page under "OUR 2022 RALIES" in the announcement for the Norteast Area Rally. It is not a sign up or reservation sheet, it is a questionaire. Please fill it out as soon as possible and submit it to the president so he can respond to John Traphagen by January 15, 2022.

     Executive Board:of the Northeastt Area, FMCA

     John Traphagen, President
     Lou Snow, Sr. Vice President
     Rick Bianco, Vice President
     Richard Milewski, Vice President
     Bill Newton, Vice President
     Jim Sennett, Treasurer
     Anne Archambault, Secretary
     Barbara Smith, Immediate Past President
     John Traphagen, Northeast Area National Vice President
          JTraphagen@fmca.com
          845-332-6001

     The past three years have been paticularly difficult for me. Following the March 2019 FMCA Perry convention where I was stricken with a perferated ulser requireing an emergency operation at a Warner Robbins, Georgia, hospital and 13 weeks in rehab in both Perry and Portland, Maine, I never fully recovered. Later, in August, I was again hospitalized and in ICU at Dartmouth-Hitchcock with a septic UTI. In October I was in no way able to drive the motorhome back to Florda and so found a facility in Portland for the winter. And then COVID hit! I finally was able to get out for two months for August and September in 2020, to a campground in Cornish Maine, before returning to the Portland facility for the next winter, I finally left that facility last May, spending the whole summer at the Cornish campground I have now moved into an appartmet in South Portland,

     Since I drove the motorhome the 400 miles north on I-75 to the Perry convention I have not driven it or my car, and may not drive again. I just don't know.

     We are pleased to note that Barbara Smith was elected to the FMCA Executive Board of officers as Treasurer. Barbara and her husband, Ed, have been members of the Granite Staters for many years, and she calls us "her first chapter," meaning that we were the frst chapter they joined when they became FMCA members.

     FMCA's 2021 nationally elected officers are as follows:

     National President: Rett Porter F369084
     National Senior Vice President: Gary Milner F409834
     National Secretary: Kathie Balogh F316832
     National Treasurer: Barbara Smith F329936

     Northeast Area National Vice President: John Traphagen F20711D

     The Granite Staters chapter was chartered on July 7, 1995, and each year since then we have held our "Birthday Bash" in September to observe the anniversary. With the cancsled camping season last year, the celebration had to be postponed. The Executive Committee has rescheduled it for the weekend after Labor Day, September 10, 11, and 12 at the Sandwich Fairgrounds in Sandwich, New Hampshire, Early arrivals are welcome on Thursday, September 9, with an aditional fee. See the left column under Coming Events for more details. These are tentative details and are subject to revision. Full details and application form will be posted on the Granite Staters Home Page when available..

     When we were unable to hold any rallies last year, including the business meeting, the elected officers volunteered to remain in their respective positions until we were able to hold a legal business meeting. Granite Staters President Rich Morgan has issued an appeal for volunteers to serve on the nominating committee to find people to serve as officers of the Chapter. As he told members at our last annual meeting in Seiptember, 2019, there are lots of opportunities to serve as officers. Please volunteer.

     Because of COVID-19 emergency constraints during last years camping season, the chapter's Executive Board unanimously voted to waive the annual membership dues that year. For those who pay annually, their 2021 dues are now due, for thos wko have paid ahead for multiple years, their dues have been extended one year.

     FMCA holds a business meeting, the Governing Board Meeting, annually at the summer convention, this year in Gillette, Wyoming. The Governing Boaed is the National Direcctors, one to a chapter, elected by the FMCA chapters. It is the one time each year that a chapter is directly represebted at an FMCA meeting. Also piesent are the elected national officers.including Area National National Vice Presidents, invited staff and other guests. It is chaired by the FMCA National President, who, after a 14 point opening, callx for upwards of 20 officer, committee and sub-committee, and staff reports. Next on the agenda come Membership Dues and the Prposed Budget for the coming year. Finally, brfore adjournment, is the election by the Govening Board for the four major FMCA officers, President, Vice President, Secretery, and Treasurer.

     Before leaving my Florida winter campsite in March, 2019, for the FMCA winter convention in Perry, Georgia, I had been entertaining thoughts about going to that summer's convention in Minot, North Dakata, in early July as the Granite Staters elected National Director. I had even charted out a 2311 mile, 40 driving hour, route from Maine to Minot,driving alone for six or seven days That plan was never to be. Instead of reurning to Florida when the Perry convention ended, I wound up in a Georgia operating room with a perforatod stomach ulcer. On the day I would have had to leave for Minot, I was still in a re-hab facility. The Monot convention had ended by the time I was released. Incidently, at Perry I received.a shipment of our chapter's tri-fold brochure from Dick Higgins and worked the Chapter Fail with them.

     As National Director I have voted several times by mail on FMCA and Northeast Area issues, including twice to re=elect Barbara Smith as NEA President. The first ballot was a tie, unfortunately she lost the tie breaker by, I think, one or two votes. I am not able to attend the Gillette convention, and will have to resign as National Director.

     Bob Burnham
     National Director, 2018 - 2020