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Ozark Chapter #17

Chapter Membership and Dues

The chapter# 17 membership fee is $10.00 per membership number for the calendar year. After July 1st, the dues are$5.00 for the half year For this you will receive four news letters so you can be aware of the rallies and activities of the chapter. Watch “OZARK RAMBLINGS” for all the details!


Please make your check payable to Ozark Chapter # 17, and send it to:

Cheryl Roberts
P.O.Box 900
Farmington, Ark. 72730
479-461-7590

SKP Hugs and Safe Travel Miles Cheryl Roberts Chapter 17 Treasurer
-------------------------------( copy or tear off and return with your payment )---------
Dues are $10.00 per membership number per calendar year.
Please make your check payable to Ozark Chapter #17 and send it to the address above.

Date____________
Names________________________________________________SKP#__________

(information below is only needed for changes to your address or new members)

Mailing Address_______________________________________________________________________
City / Town_____________________________________
State_____________
Zip Code________-____
Telephone ( )___________________
E-Mail___________________________________________

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HISTORY OF OZARK CHAPTER 17 Ozark Chapter 17 started as a rally initiated in 1979 by Lester and Gladys Gerber. This was before anyone in the present chapter had joined the group, but it has been rumored that back then Escapees camped beside the Indians who were still camped along the shores of Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas at or near Lead Hill. During those early years before Escapades came into being, the Lead Hill Rally was operated out of Rainbows End. As the Escapades came into being, this new event required so much of the time of the Escapees Leaders at Rainbows End that the Lead Hill Rally had to be released for local members to run. In 1986 Joe Tenpenny attended the rally and officially gave birth to Ozark Chapter 17. As Joe looked out over the crowd gathered by the lake, he spied Don Loomis and Lou Unfried and asked them to come forward. Joe promptly appointed Don as president and Lou as vice-president—and Chapter 17 was born. Many great years followed that fateful day. Lead Hill is a COE Park and by present day standards is not large. There were 130 rigs in attendance on that glorious day, and they were doubled up on all the spaces in the park. Such doubling would not be permitted today, but things were more lenient then. Door prizes were easier to come by and more elaborate in nature. Large fruit baskets and lots of tickets to the music shows at the up and coming music Mecca of Branson, Missouri were the norm. As the Escapades grew, attendance at the Lead Hill Rally began to fall. Lou Unfried was president in 1987 with Edith Curtis serving as secretary. This Fall Rally is well remembered by those who were there for the Pig Roast held in the park by a restaurant in Diamond City, Arkansas. Three days of smelling that pig roasting was almost as good as eating it down to the last bone. The first Spring Rally was held in 1987 at Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth, Missouri with 20 rigs in attendance. The Fall Rally was held at Lead Hill each year until 2001. Due to space limitations, cold wet Octobers and more modern rigs, the Fall Rally will henceforth be held in places selected by the Chapter Officers and the Wagon Master. The Spring Rally is also held in locations determined by the Officers and Wagon Master. Rally requirements have changed with more members preferring hookups and the need for closed in shelters with sufficient electricity for food preparation and group gatherings. In 2000 a Fun Days Rally was held by the Chapter in July. This Rally is patterned after the National Fun Days. The first one was held at Linn County Park at Lake LaCygne, Kansas. Ozark Chapter 17 covers Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. The chapter has active members in all those states plus many members from outside the area. Yes, times have changed, the membership has changed, but the fun, fellowship and friendship remain the same. Escapees are great people ,and Ozark Chapter 17 has some of the best. Every Escapee is invited to attend a Chapter 17 Rally. By Lou Unfried and Marlene Pinkstaff

The 20th Aniversary of Chapter 17 was held at COACHLIGHT RV in Carthage, MO on OCTOBER 4th through the 8th 2006. We had 42 rigs and 72 people attend and a good time was had by all.

The 25th aniversary rally of the chapter was held Oct. 12-15, 2011, at Cedar Oaks RV Park in Grove, Ok. We had 28 rigs there, with slide shows of past rallies along with VCR's to swear in new officers and many stories being told of past rallies.

Upcoming Rallies and Events