Grand Design RV owners pack fairgrounds for five day rally
COLDWATER — For the third year, owners of Grand Design RVs filled the Branch County Fairgrounds for a five-day rally and campout last week, bringing in 227 RVs and 515 people registered to attend.
Amanda Varga and her husband Jason are on their fourth Grand Design RV. The couple started the Michigan rally.
“We just got a bright idea to have a get together back seven years ago. It turned into a Grand Design rally,” she explained.
It moved to Coldwater three years ago.
The campers began to arrive Tuesday, and by Wednesday, every available campsite customarily used during the fair week was filled with an RV. The camper headed home Sunday.
“We are just two crazy volunteers that love to get people together that we call family,” Varga said.
Many of the people know each other from this and other camping events.
“We do games, bingo, cornhole tournament, dances, and campfires,” Varga explained.
The company Grand Design has an impact team. “We pick a local charity. This year we’re doing Laura’s Place," Varga said.
Laura’s Place was built in 2001 in Coldwater to provide safe and affordable housing to low-income domestic and sexual violence survivors. “We’ve made fleece blankets to donate to them. We’re going to take over there,” Amanda Varga said. “We also have the Honor Network here. That group has a flag that travels the country to honor fallen military, police, EMS and fire.”
The rally group, as a registered non-profit, donates to them, Varga explained.
Each yearly rally has a theme. Since last week was National Law Enforcement Week, the group made gift bags for the local officers.
Organizers take pride in using local vendors for the event, suppliers, caterers, and even golf cart rentals.
Three other couples plan and organize the event with the Vargas. Amanda Varga said, “When I open registration, I sell out within 10 to 15 minutes. I have a waiting list, maybe sometimes 75 waiting for somebody to cancel.”
What do all these people have in common? They all own RVs manufactured by the Middleberry, Indiana company Grand Designs.
“It’s a way that owners can get together and meet new friends meet up with old friends,” Grand Designs company coordinator Karen Green said.
The Michigan event is just one of 42 company-sponsored rally events. Michigan is the largest regional rally.
Green said the national convention is held in Goshen, Indiana south of Middlebury.
“It is the last week in August. It’s right before Labor Day weekend for four days in August,” Green said.
Branch County Fair hosts and rents for the rally because it has a camping area used only during the fairs. “No regular campgrounds could host an event this size just for us during the summer camping season,” Amanda Varga said.
“We have vendors selling camper related stuff. They do seminars on the different products they have or how to maintain your RV,” Amanda Varga said.
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Lazydays RV from Elkhart, Indiana, was selling rigs to people wanting to upgrade or downsize.
When not camping, Jason Varga is an engineer at General Motors. Amanda works for an RV component company out of Elkhart, Indiana.
---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Grand Design RV owners pack fairgrounds for five day rally
