Posted: Feb 27, 2012 6:31 AM ESTUpdated: Feb 27, 2012 7:30 AM EST
Photo courtesy Tin Can Tourists
TCT 92nd Winter Convention at Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville Florida
February 26, 2012
Brooksville, FL
Today is the day everyone heads home. This morning ended up being dry, but clouds were all around and rain was very close. Many members were already gone by sunrise in order to beat the rain, as it was suppose to be heavy rain all around. Thankfully I packed last night and only needed to hook up to my truck. After hooking up my trailer I headed over to the pavilion for breakfast and to say goodbye to all the remaining members. Wasn’t long before a few rain drops started to fall here and there, so I made a quick trip around the campfire to find out when and where I would see everyone again and decided I too better hit the road before the heavy rain set in.
By 8am I was on the road and heading back home on the interstate, just a few miles down the road I hit the rain. About an hour down the road I pulled over at a rest area only to find that my front window in the Scotty was leaking at the top! With all the very heavy rain and highway speeds, the rain was blowing up under the front rain guard and pouring into the trailer! So I dried up the water inside, moved the cushions to the rear, and decided to take some putty tape that I always carry for emergencies (I have learned to be prepared with all my travel troubles!) and put the putty tape up at the very top of the window under the rain guard (after drying it with a towel) then headed back out on the interstate. When I pulled over a few hundred miles later it was all nice and dry inside, so it shouldn’t be a major problem to fix later.
Finally I made it home about an hour after lunch, and it is time for a good rest! I had a great time at the rally, but ready for a good nights rest!
Tim Heintz
Tin Can Tourists South Eastern Representative
1968 Serro Scotty
TCT 92nd Winter Convention at Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville Florida
February 25, 2012
Brooksville, FL
Very early this morning I awoke to a very cold little trailer! After a little rain around midnight, the temperature had dropped quite a bit and I had to find my little heater. The good thing about such a small little trailer is it does not take long at all to heat up. After the trailer was nice and warm I fell back asleep.
By 7am I was up and getting the trailer ready for the open house. After getting the trailer ready I headed out to the pavilion to have breakfast with all the other members. After breakfast I took the opportunity to walk around a see some of the trailers before the open house started. There were many great trailers at the rally, with around 60 trailers at the winter convention we had many makes and brands. Plus this new location for the winter convention has plenty of room for us to grow, with around 200 RV sites!
At 11am it was time for the open house to start, and it was my job to get the judges together and take them to the trailers that were to be judge. After the judging the crowds really started to show up. Even with the park being a little out of the way, the car count was around 150 and most cars had about 3-4 people. The show stayed fairly busy throughout the day and there were lots of people very interested in the trailers. By 4pm the crowds were getting smaller and the clouds started to clear allowing warmer weather to move in!
After the show there was some time before dinner to relax, so I joined John Culp and a few other members to talk trailers and catch up on what all had been going on since we last met. Of course John had many stories to tell, as well as a few lies. Soon it was time for dinner, so we all headed to the pavilion for a catered BBQ dinner. The food was great and everyone was full with good food but they all had room for Jim Heiser’s Homemade Ice cream!!!!! Jim cooked his secret Ice Cream and used a 1923 industrial Ice Cream Maker to mix it, and then froze it in large copper cans. It was AWESOME!!!!! When dinner was over it was time to hand out the awards: 1st place went to Lanny Webb and his very rare 1955 Holiday built by Wally Byam, 2nd went to John and Gail P. with their very cool 1964 Greenbiar Corvair Van with an upgrade camper conversion option, 3rd went to Peg Kern’s 1963 Shasta, and the “John Culp Special Interest Award” went to Don Moyer’s 1948 Spartan Coach Co Motor home.
Just when most thought the night was over, we had a very Special Event after dinner!!!!!!!! Alex and Charon Kensington treated us to their excellent Sword Swallowing Act! If have never seen their act you are really missing out! Both are world class Sword Swallowers and really know how to put on a show. Words cannot do it justice so you will just have to see them in person!
After the show everyone headed back to their trailers and several campfires were started and many of us sat up for hours just talking around the campfire. Around 10pm we got a weather report that rain was on the way and would be around through the night and into tomorrow. So many of us decided to take down our awnings, and back most of our outside stuff so it would not be wet in the morning. By then it was well past bed time! So time to go to bed.
Tim Heintz
Tin Can Tourists South Eastern Representative
1968 Serro Scotty
TCT 92nd Winter Convention at Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville Florida
February 24, 2012
Brooksville, FL
Woke up this morning to a perfect temperature with the windows opened all night! After getting out of bed, I got ready and went out to the breakfast area to eat with everyone else. After breakfast we had a little time before we left to tour the private collection of antiques. This gave plenty of time for the members to walk around and see everyone’s trailer. This year we have a great collection of trailers, and more are still to arrive. Pictures of most of the trailers can be seen on the TCT Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/notifications#!/media/set/?set=a.10150679183870901.453302.503165900&type=3
By 930 it was time to meet at the entrance of the park so we all could caravan to the private collection of antiques. We arrived at a house and could see large vintage gas station signs out back from the front of the house! We all pulled around back and parked in a large field next to a huge ware house. Inside the warehouse was a very large collection of ‘everything’! From Cars, signs, gas pumps, bikes, boats, coolers, etc…. After a while we all thought we had seen it all, but then we were invited up to the house and entered the garage with MANY more older cars from the 1920′s-1930′s and more signs, bikes, etc… Then there was the inside of the house! There was a huge room with working vintage bar, Ice Cream Parlor, ect… Plus the office with even more ’stuff’! Pictures of all the collection can also be seen on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/notifications#!/media/set/?set=a.10150672648940901.452313.503165900&type=3
After a few hours of trying to see all there was to see, most of us headed back to the campground, while others went out to eat for lunch. I decided to just have lunch back at the trailer and do a few things to get the trailer ready for tomorrow’s open house. Throughout the day a few more trailers arrived, and a few more are still to come tomorrow. As usual we also had several peope come out to view the trailers a day early. I also took time to walk around and take pictures of all the trailers that had already arrived, which have been posted on the Tin Can Tourist’s Facebook Page.
By 5 pm it was time to head to the pavillion for our pot luck dinner. There was enough food for an army! It was a great time to sit around and get to talk to each other, even John Culp has been able to make it here everyday since he only lives a few miles away!
After dinner we had a few hours before the music and dancing started, so we all got to sit around and talk trailers…..this is my favorite part of the rallies!
By 7pm The music and dancing started, it was a great time that lasted well into the night.
Time for bed, should be a big day tomorrow
Tim Heintz
Tin Can Tourists South Eastern Representative
1968 Serro Scotty
TCT 92nd Winter COnvention at Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville Florida
Feburary 23, 2012
Brooksville, FL
Spent most of last night packing and getting my 1968 Serro Scotty for it’s first official TCT Rally. This is the first time most of the members will get a chance to see my Scotty, as I always have my 1950 Spartanette in tow. As usual I had put of packing until the last possible minute, but with such a small trailer it did not take long to fill it up until there was no more room!
At 7am I was up and finished a few last minute chores before hitting the road around 8am. With it looking a lot like rain I wasted no time in trying to beat the rain. Roads were clear and traffic was slim at best, made great time and managed to stay a head of most of the rain, just a drop here and there. The scotty pulled great and I didn’t even know she was behind me. Decided to stay on interstate the whole way since I-10 and I-75 had very little traffic.
By 2pm I was just about to Brooksville Fl, where the Sertoma Youth Ranch is located. After taking some long narrow roads through a beautiful and hilly Florida country side (No not all of Florida is white beaches and palm trees!) I finally arrived at the entrance of the ranch, including cows and goats all around, I was met by Danny Kent who was handing out the welcome packets to all the members as they arrived. The sites were all first come first serve, so I drove around trying to find a good place to back my little trailer in. Found a great little place right by the bath house and meeting place.
After getting backed in and all set up I decided to go around a see all the other members that had already arrived. Many of the members had already arrived, but there are still many more to come as there will be around 54 trailers here this year. This park has room for about 200, so we have plenty of room to grow over the next few year. The park is great for the TCT; the camping area is very open under big oak trees and you can see everyone across the park…..including the pastures and cows on the other side of the fence! It really is agreat place to stay, very quite and lots of nature all around.
At 5pm it was time to start our social meet and greet. We also inducted our new members and there were about 25 new members at the rally! Many more than last year, we showed them the secrets of the TCT and then it was time to eat pizza! After dinner Hunt Jones gave a great presentation on General Motors and the Futureliners from 1933-1950′s. Hunt’s presentation was very interesting and very informative, it is a must see!
After Hunt’s presentation, many of the members sat around to talk for a while, then everyone started to head back to their trailers for bed. Tomorrow after breakfast we are going to a private collection of antiques that promises to be spectacular!
Tim Heintz
Tin Can Tourists Sout Eastern Representative
1968