Check out these highlights of RV-related news, events and video from this past week.
1. WIT Rally prepares to celebrate 40 years: The Winnebago Itasca Travellers Club is set to kick off the 40th Anniversary Grand National Rally on July 19 in Forest City, Iowa. WIT Club general manager Doug Formanek expects about 1,200 Winnebago owners to attend the event at the company’s headquarters. Learn more about this year’s “WITstock” Winnebago owners event.
2. Electric vehicles May Replace RVs at Shuttered Indiana Factories: Several entrepreneurs see potential and profitable opportunity in the large, dormant manufacturing facilities in Elkhart County, Indiana. Federal stimulus funds from the Energy Department could help provide start-up capital for some ventures looking to retrofit assembly line equipment. Local residents and laid-off workers are hopeful that the switch would return hundreds of jobs to the area.
3. Winnebago Announces 2009 20/20 Vision Award Winners: To be honored as a 20/20 Vision winner, dealerships provide exceptional customer service to Winnebago motorhome owners traveling outside of their home area, according to a news release. In earning this award, a dealer must perform warranty repairs on at least 20 different traveling customer motorhomes, or perform 20% or more of the total warranty claims for customers to whom they did not sell. See the list of dealers with 20/20 Vision status for 2009.
4. Coleman to Help Kids with Camping Trip: Believing that spending time in the outdoors benefits body, mind and spirit, the Coleman Company Inc. has partnered with Camp Mak-A-Dream to provide camping opportunities for cancer-stricken youngsters. The camp aims to help these children and their families alleviate the stress of treatments and hospitals through the power of the outdoors.
5. The Great American Road Trip: The Great American Road Trip, a new summer reality show, will have you glued to your TV set as you follow new RVers on the vacation of a lifetime. The eight-episode series features seven families of four who embark on a trip along Route 66 from Chicago to California in Fleetwood Bounder motorhomes. Along the way, the contestants experience the fun, humorous, exciting and sometimes-difficult aspects of RVing with their families for the first time. In case you missed it earlier this week, the pilot episode will be re-broadcast this weekend on Sunday, July 12 at 8/7 Central on NBC.