Tracking Airstream Rallies - Polly Auyeung

Airstream Rallies generally occur for 3-7 days and involve at least 30 people. Usually regional clubs organize trips to natural landmarks or cultural festivals but sometimes rallies occur at campgrounds so Airstream enthusiasts can socialize and share their travel stories. I went on the Airstream Forums and noted all the rallies within two years of Hurricane Katrina. Listed below are their locations

2005
jan - cedar keys
june - moraine view state park
october - kingman, az; longs, sc
nov - pyramid lake, nev
dec - lake ray roberts state park, texas; bianco state park; pasadena, ca

2006
jan - san dimas, ça; indio,ca; oceanside, ca; temecula, ca; lodi ca; cedar key, florida; saltine city, ca
feb - mckinney falls state park, tx; blythe, ca; riverside city,ca; avon park, fl; sarasota, fl; cottonwood, az; newport, or
mar- freedom, new hamp; hoboken, ga; tombstone territories rv park; reno, nv
april- for lauderdale; mt. vernon, wa; st. augustine, fl; amish country, pen; wentachee, wash; san diego; chatsworth ga; belleville tx; myrtle beach, sc.; dos picos county park; parvenu state park; west alexander pa; riverhead ny; salisbury, ma; duncan mills, ca; smith, nv; salem, ore; durand mi
may- chatham ny; limestone, pa; port aransas, tx; lovelock, nv; lake sampson, va; gettysburg; hancock, nh; tumalo sp,
june- lake george ny; limestone pa; north norwich ny; pasco wa; moraine view; seaville nj; scusset beach; truckee ca; montage nj; salem, or
july- silver falls, ore; trout lake we; vail lake, ca; burlington, vt; mammoth lakes, ca; georgetown, main; estes park, co
aug- grass lake michi; brooks, ore; galax va; rockies; strasburg pa; rochester nh; marblefalls, tx; par buena, nj; dayton pa; bellingham, washington; hats creek,ca; angel fire, nm; upper saranac lk, ny
sept - lebanon pa; edinburg va; yucaipa park ca; block island, rhode; pecatonica river forest; east wakefield, nh; silver springs, nv; land between the lakes, kentucky
oct- newport dunes, ca; townshend, vermont; woodland, ca; gray, tn; new hope, pa; coloma state park, ca; palmetto cove, sc; san marcos, tx; columbus, ohio; silver springs, nv; lake san antonio, ca
nov-oxford mi
dec- baraboo, wisc; pasedena, ca

2007
jan-topsail, fl; santa paula, ca
feb- montgomery, tx; cottonwood, az; old town, fl; sarasota fl; newport or; manteca, ca; freedom, nh
mar- washoe lake, nevada; four corners
april- sonora, ca; washington, ca; lincoln city, oregon; lake chatuge, georgia; silver springs, nev; pensacola
may- bloomsburg; frankfort ky; hatcreek ca; council bluffs, iowa; birch run, mi; north situate, ri; wallowa lake oregon; columbus, indiana; painsville, ky; kanab color country; susanville; thousand islands, ny
jun- nyc; moraine view; lovelock, nev; poplar grove, il; perry, ga; fletcher, oh; jordanelle state park; lizardhead pass; perry, georgia
july- fountain green utah; mammoth lakes; wellington, oh; durand mich; pyramid lake
sept- meteor crater; dayton, washington; block island; gilbert lake state park, ny; freeport, maine; port republic, nj; ione, nv; beverly beach state park
october- albuquerque; gonzales louisiana; pecatonica forest preserve; brandon montana; doyle california; shenandoah; valley virginia; lake san antonio; north ga mountains, ga
november- kernville ca; san antonio nm; show low, ariz; kernville,
december- westford, ma; blanco, tx; picacho peak state park

Information Sources:

1. Social Knowledge. "Upcoming Rallies". Airstream Forums. 2010.
http://www.airforums.com/?page=rally (Accessed January 13, 2010)

Fema residents forced to evict - Felix Cheong

An article in the New York Times talks about the trouble that many Hurricane Katrina victims are going through since FEMA is forcing them to evacuate their trailers. Most victims are using the trailers as a stop gap in order to raise enough money to fix the homes that they have lost, or buy new ones, but due to the poor economy and lack of work most are finding it hard to leave the trailer camps. FEMA had promised to build permanent residences or "Katrina Cottages" for the people that can't support themselves or allow them to buy the trailers at around $300, but according to this article the permanent housing plan hasn't been finished yet, and when people inquire about buying off the trailers FEMA says that it is no longer an option. This leaves most of the people stranded. Even though most people were supposed to evict by May of 2009 there were still 3000 people living in trailers at that time.

One of the people that was interviewed is trying to pay off renovations to his damaged home by collecting cans, but if FEMA kicks him out now he's scared that he will not be able to pay off the renovations. “I need the trailer,” said Mr. Hammond, 70. “I ain’t got nowhere to go if they take the trailer.”

This article fits into what we were discussing about how people that most need the camps are the ones that FEMA wants to kick out, since they don't have the money to support themselves. Most people that have the money to leave would have left already due to the poor conditions of the trailers. If FEMA does force the rest of the victims out, they are the ones with nowhere to go. This article emphasizes again how FEMA wants these camps to be temporary.“All I can say is that this is a temporary program, it was always intended as a temporary program, and at a certain point all temporary programs must end,” said Brent Colburn, the agency’s director of external affairs. The idea of temporary and immobile trailers of FEMA versus the airstreams mobile but permanent iconic mindset is interesting.

Information Sources
Dewan, Shaila. "Fema residents forced to evict". New York Times. May 7, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/us/08trailer.html?_r=2 (Accessed January 10, 2010)

Airstream Caravans - Polly Auyeung

An organized Airstream trailer gathering ("Rally or Rallies") are the core of what the Vintage Airstream Club and the Wally Byam Caravan Club Int'l are all about. The rally concept is an early one from the vintage era of the 1950s — a chance to use what Wally Byam intended his Airstream trailers to do, "hit the road, travel and explore our country, sharing discoveries and great places with other fellow Airstreamers."

The invention of the Airstream International in 1957 made these rallies possible. As the first "self-contained" trailer in the industry (with the first holding tank, the first ladder frame and the first pressurized water system), it did not have to rely on an external power and water source. The freedom from being "hooked-up" made it possible for people to travel anywhere with their airstreams.

Media References and Information Sources
1. WBCCI. "Rallies". The Vintage Airsteam Club. 2009
http://vintageairstreamclub.com/ (Accessed January 7, 2010)

Airstreamer Culture - Polly Auyeung

The following article was written by a journalist who got to test the Airstream for a roadtrip. He notes that there's something elusive about the trailer that sets it apart from all the rest:

An Airstream is a shiny telegraph from mid-century America, an object that reflects our grandparents' restless, road-hungry energy. [...]

"People will buy an Airstream because it's different, and they think they are different," says Rich Luhr, editor of the enthusiast magazine Airstream Life. "They tend to be more artistic, a lot of teachers, a lot of small-business owners and entrepreneurs. They're more design oriented. They look at a white-box RV and say, 'Ugh, I can't be seen in that.'" [...]

Whatever the ratios, they all look worse when you're talking about an Airstream. The eight-metre rig the company is lending us costs $70,000 U.S.; a white-box travel trailer would go for half that.

Enthusiasts stage ambitious caravans. (Founder Byam himself thought nothing of setting off from Capetown to Cairoon in an African caravan.) They keep track of one another by way of large numbers painted on the trailers so that, whenever they see another Airstream on the road, they can look it up in the official registry.

They overnight in one another's driveways, a custom known as "courtesy parking." They band together in segregated "Airstream-only" RV parks. (Is that even legal?)

"Airstreamers don't consider themselves RVers," says Randy Bowman, an owner from San Diego who rolls up to us on his mountain bike. "They're a breed apart. It's a clique."

Information Sources
1. Neil, Dan. "Elegy for the Airstreamer". Canada.com. November 18, 2008.
http://www.canada.com/life/summer-guide/driving/Elegy+Airstreamer/827971/story.html (accessed January 7, 2010)

Ontario Airstream Rally - Caelin Schneider

"It [Airstream] represents freedom, good taste, adventure, quality, etc. Something about a travel trailer that is 45 years old and is even better that when it was new. Airplanes are a lot like Airstreams in that they can be updated with the latest in technology & style but still keep it's unique feel. I've been in "Beaver" float planes from the early 50's that function just like new. An Airstream also makes a statement where ever it goes."

Media References & Information Sources
1. Ontario Unit WBCCI. "Spring Rallies at Almonte, Ontario". Ontario Unit WBCCI. May 26, 2008.
http://www.ontarioairstream.org/Photos/Almonte-Rally-2008.html (Accessed January 7, 2010)