California Pacers

By Carole Montgomery, F241026

Fifteen years ago, a group of Pace Arrow motorhome owners got together to form the California Pacers chapter of FMCA. We started with 40 charter member families, and three still remain active in the club: Roger and Shirley Clark, F106016; Don and Ester MacDonald, F114045; and Patricia Nelson, F42570.

Fun is the main focus of our chapter, as we have so much at every rally. We have our own chapter of the Red Hat Society, known as the four Ps — Pretty Perky Purple Pacers. Our Pacer men, not to be outdone by the ladies, have formed their own society known as the “ROMEOs.” This stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out. They even have their own dress code and hats! With this kind of a start for our rallies, you can be sure that we have a great time.

We all enjoy the many hilarious skits and entertainment planned and presented by Pacer members at our rallies. For example, the Pacers held a surprise “mock” wedding for members Richard and Gerri Colvin, F164704, who just happened to be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at a rally. How surprised they were when we proceeded to re-marry them, complete with a wedding gown for Gerri and bib overalls for Richard. They even had a cast of outlandlish-looking characters such as the minister, Larry Ryberg, F204014, and a darling freckle-faced flower girl, Joyce Foreyt, F171979, who tossed rose petals from a basket.

In May we held a Miss America contest, with the men competing for the title. All nine contestants were beautifully dressed, although a bit burly. "Miss Texas," a.k.a. Roger Aldous, F304717, was crowned Queen and looked ravishing in his sequined dress, red heels, and full beard.

And we are still laughing from when Joe Muse, F218119, brought down the house in September with a skit in which he progressed from a baby taking a bottle and eating cereal to a young man trying to shave. The unseen Sharron Monaco, F297240, maneuvered his hands from behind a curtain.

Our "sheriff" keeps us in line at the rallies. If members are caught without their badges, for example, they are fined a small fee, and their conduct can and probably will be reported to the membership at the general meeting. Some members have even been known to try to outrun this "lurking" law enforcement.

We all look forward to the awarding of our prestigious D.D.A. (Dumb Dung Award). This award is a genuine, dried, gold-plated “cow patty.” It is mounted on red velvet and nicely framed. At the end of each rally, the award is presented to some lucky Pacer. There are usually eight to 10 nominees who have done something to qualify for consideration, such as flooding their coach while visiting with friends, or leading a caravan down the wrong street. The recipient of the D.D.A. must display it on his or her coach dashboard until the next rally, during which it is passed on to some other lucky Pacer.

We meet officially four times each year, twice in Northern California and twice in Southern California. We also hold a pre-rally in January just prior to the annual Western Area Rally in Indio. Chapter dues are $20 per year, plus a one-time $25 registration fee, which includes badges and our quarterly newsletter.

Please come and join us. We would love to see you in February 2005 at the "Geriatric Jamboree" in Hemet, California, or at one of our other fun-filled rallies.

FMCA members who own a Pace Arrow motorhome are welcome to join our chapter. You do not need to be a resident of California. For more information, contact FMCA's Chapter Services Department at (800) 543-3622.