Family Motor Coach Associate takes over the ND State Fairgrounds

tikkalover

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MINOT, N.D. - The Family Motor Coach Association is at the North Dakota State fairgrounds for their 100th International Convention and RV Expo.
FMCA representatives say they expected up to 4,000 people and 1,700 motor coaches to be a part of this year's rally.
RV's as far as the eye can see.
"It's my first rally. I just retired recently so it's my first rally, but I am having a great time so far and learning a lot of information,” said Steve Medlin, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"Folks from California, New York, Florida from Canada. All over the US. They come for this convention,” saidDoug Uhlenbrock, FMCA events director.
"Because it is bringing people from all across the country and they were excited to come here because a lot of times they don't make it to North Dakota; this was a good reason to come,” said Renae Korslien, North Dakota State Fair general manager.
FMCA has been around for 55 years and has grown a lot since it began.
"It started by a bunch of RVers and they were new RVers. They probably didn't call them self RVers, they were folks who turned their bread trucks and their old school buses into RVs. They gathered to see and eclipse and that is where FMCA formed,” said Doug Uhlenbrock.

But today, FMCA is about so much more than watching eclipses.
"Socially, it's a lot of fun. We have a lot of friends here. We meet a lot new of friends and it's also a vast learning experience,” said Paul Metzinger, Casa Grande, Arizona.
"So education is really a big thing. We have over 100 seminars that will be going on over throughout the four day period. Lot of technical things but also seminars about traveling, about where to go, what to do with your RV, how to cook in your microwave. Different things like that,” said Uhlenbrock.
Gathering friends from all over the country for a weekend of RV fun.
Saturday is Minot Day. You can come and enjoy all FMCA has to offer for free at the North Dakota State Fair Center.

Holly titty sprinkles. I wished I had the money sitting on the fair grounds and in the 2 lots to the east of it in my pocket.
 
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Retired Educator

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Was in Minot on Monday and already I could not believe the amount of RV's in town. Traffic might be a PITA for a few days but overall it's good for the state and for Minot. Hope they all have fun and spend some of that out-of-state money.
 

Duckslayer100

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No lie, we drove to the Twin Cities and back this weekend and I bet we counted 500 plus RVs. I told my wife "is there a camper convention somewhere??"

Apparently there is!
 

Sluggo

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Was in Minot on Monday and already I could not believe the amount of RV's in town. Traffic might be a PITA for a few days but overall it's good for the state and for Minot. Hope they all have fun and spend some of that out-of-state money.

Now imagine the money that would pour into the state daily if only we had a Presidential Library in Medora?
 


Sluggo

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I know you're saying this tongue-in-cheek, but Medora is a massive draw for state tourism.

Yep, I agree. I just wish I knew if the tourism in Medora was currently X, what would the tourism in Medora be if there was a library? Is it 2X, 3X or still X.
 

Up Y'oars

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Minot hosted the FMCA convention a number of years ago. The year was 1995 or 1996, I believe. A hail storm came thru town and dumped tennis ball sized hail. Never before had so many motor coaches required glass replaced! Everything in Minot was gone and many RV's left town with cardboard taped to their side windows, or they had to wait for the windshield glass to arrive via shipments before those facing the 'x' direction could leave town. Millions of dollars in damage to very, very, expensive tour buses. I remember one of the buses had a matching trailer, in tow, with a matching color Mercedes Benz inside for getting around town. These people limit no expense to their 'fun'!
 

SDMF

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Minot hosted the FMCA convention a number of years ago. The year was 1995 or 1996, I believe. A hail storm came thru town and dumped tennis ball sized hail. Never before had so many motor coaches required glass replaced! Everything in Minot was gone and many RV's left town with cardboard taped to their side windows, or they had to wait for the windshield glass to arrive via shipments before those facing the 'x' direction could leave town. Millions of dollars in damage to very, very, expensive tour buses. I remember one of the buses had a matching trailer, in tow, with a matching color Mercedes Benz inside for getting around town. These people limit no expense to their 'fun'!

There was a big hail storm in Bismarck in the early-mid 90's when the Air-streamers held a meeting/rally/party there as well. I distinctly remember a quote from the newspaper shortly after where the Air-streamers had nicknamed their hail dents "Bis-Marks".
 


nybs

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Heard there is a special on their showcase RV this year...it is currently on sale for $500k less than sticker price and can be yours for a cool $1,700,000.
 

Bacon

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Heard there is a special on their showcase RV this year...it is currently on sale for $500k less than sticker price and can be yours for a cool $1,700,000.
Must be a Prevost.
 

Wags2.0

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Hahahaha! A motor coach association?! I want to go for the people watching. I picture so many new balance shoes and socks with sandals
 

JayKay

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Yep, I agree. I just wish I knew if the tourism in Medora was currently X, what would the tourism in Medora be if there was a library? Is it 2X, 3X or still X.

When all is said and done, the library in Medora will cost very little. Very little. A lot of the money spent in Medora, honestly, is donated by the Walton family, of Walmart.

I have a first-cousin who lives in Medora full time, and is the head of maintenance for the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation. He's explained it a few times.

If I were really to look for a waste of money, with not a hint of monetary return, I'd have to look no further than the insidious spread of "bike lanes" in Bismarck.
 


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