FALL SAMBOREE October 2013

Transcription

1 FALL SAMBOREE October 2013 Al + Ann, Larry + Amy, Tony + Sue, Gary + Bonnie, Paul + Tiny, Bob + Linda, Tommy + Linda Jo, Mitchell + Sandi, Jim + Alane camp here. Barry + Lynn remain home where Barry is practicing, with a cane, for old age. Bluegrass Sams is the host chapter for this Fall Samboree at the Madison County Fairgrounds in Richmond, Kentucky. Along with Directors Diane and Bill Mulkins and the Good Sam State Staff and all the attending campers this is an eventful and sometimes wildly exciting gathering with music, laughter, dancing and singing. Food, games, entertainment, crafts, seminars, a visit to the Hummel Planetarium, a tour of old town Berea, a trip to Acres of Land Winery, a flea market, bake sale, a parade of costumes, and a chili cook-off are included in the program. There is a Halloween theme for this Samboree. The stage is a cemetery setting with no grounds keepers. Detached heads, loose bones, unburied bodies and gravestones are in evidence. There are 92 rigs at the fairgrounds. Campers and their dogs arrive from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ontario Canada, West Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, one of the Carolinas, Texas and Washington State.

2 Kudos, props and ovations are directed to the Bluegrass Sams for preparing this convention for happy campers. As always, BG Sams gather themselves around a campfire in the evenings to relax themselves, engage in playful banter, reveal their inner fears and sometimes bring the past into the present. One evening Amy battles a fast growing spider who drops from a sycamore tree into her curly hair. Fear is a strong motivating force that can quickly shorten a spider s already brief lifespan. Out of the past is a strategy once implemented by Ann to help Al with an attitude adjustment. Some campers are aware that Ann once utilized a frying pan to align Al s behavior with her expectations. Ann adds that multiple adjustments were required to achieve the full attitudinal effect. Al is now properly aligned. Not afraid to join the BG Sams around their campfire are Mel, Eric, Eli and Adi. Eli and Adi bring their natural social skills and curiosity to camp life. Maintaining direct eye contact when they speak and listen, asking their curious questions, showing off their tattoos, dancing and playing games comes easily for them. WEDNESDAY: Karaoke is available on stage this evening. Singing Josh Turner s Long Black Train, Larry displays yet another skill. He receives a standing ovation from the female campers, his target audience. THURSDAY: Paul and Tiny preside over the Mexican Train and Skip-bo tournaments. They explain the rules, referee disputes, and keep the games moving along. Dulcimer music captures the attention of most of the campers tonight. Mitchell is inspired, again, with the sounds derived from Latin and Greek words, dulce and melo, translated together as sweet tune. Mitchell and Bob aim to

3 become a musical group. Or a musical pair. Mitchell on the dulcimer, Bob on the Dobro. They consider naming their group Double D. It s a marketing scheme to attract more than music lovers. FRIDAY: Bob and Linda call the Samgo, not Bingo, games on Friday and Saturday. Tony and Sue team up with them to check cards and collect money while Sandi manages the bank. This evening State Good Sam Chaplain, Robert Kendrick, conducts a memorial service for Bobby Linville. Bobby joined the BG Sams in 1994 and served as the chapter s president from Later in the evening a group of young cloggers dazzles campers with their coordination, speed, balance and synchrony. All skills once possessed by BG Sams. Narrow Road with Randy Jackson and Bluegrass Gospel Music is featured in the cemetery on stage. They announce that they ve never played in a cemetery before now. After their performance, Mitchell and Bob speak with the players on the narrow road. The next day, through fortuitous circumstances, Bob purchases a fine Dobro, at a good price, from one of the band members. SATURDAY: Games and contests continue today. BG Sams represent themselves well. Tommy and Linda Jo receive an award for the best decorated rig with a Halloween theme. Gary receives best in craft for his professional quality workmanship building a train, with cars made of different wood types. He was also planning to complete more wood work before he ran into a manufacturing problem on the assembly line. He drove his problem to the local emergency room where his right thumb was stitched and heavily wrapped. Larry receives third place for a quilt he made. And, for the second consecutive year BG Sams capture the most votes for the best chili.

4 BG Sams participate in a costume parade. Mitchell and Sandi become Ghoul Sams with toothy vampire grins. Bob and Linda spice themselves up as salt and pepper dispensers. Al and Ann become Al Capone and his moll. Jim and Alane are Harley bikers. The only time Jim was on a Harley he hurt himself, then fell off. Larry is a whoopee cushion. Tony and Sue are able to negotiate a truckload of mums, $3.00 each, courtesy of their son Vernon and the nursery where he works. Bob hauls the load in his truck. They are auctioned off this evening and provide hundreds of dollars to the coffers of the BG Sams who make charitable contributions with the monies they accumulate. In the evening Maureen and Scotty play and sing their way into the hearts of campers who dance themselves into excitement and slow, romantic attachments with their partners. With Tony and Sue observing, Alane and Sandi and Mitchell join their efforts to somehow bring Jim to his feet. For Jim, dancing is an activity best performed under the mild or moderate influence of an adult beverage, in near darkness, and with no one else around, except a dancing partner of course. SUNDAY: Sharing their full hearts and treasures with their fellow campers and feeling richly blessed, the BG Sams (and all Good Sams) pledge to give aid to others in need, respect nature and the environment, give back to the community and those less fortunate, treat others with dignity and respect, and wear a smile.

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