The Fowler and Wilcox 1962 Layton Trailer
Tin Can Tourists
A Vintage Trailer & Motor Coach Club
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
We have some wonderful friends named Larry and Don who have restored a vintage travel trailer. They have raved to us about a club called the Tin Can Tourists. If it is even half as fun as they described, more people need to know about it.
Here is what we found:
The Tin Can Tourists club is an all make and model vintage trailer and motor coach club. Their goal is to promote and preserve vintage trailers and motor coaches through planned gatherings and the exchange of information.
The Tin Can Tourists club is open to everyone. Ownership of a vintage trailer or motor coach is not necessary for membership.
The club follows guiding principles of clean camps, friendliness among campers, decent behavior and to secure plenty of clean, wholesome entertainment for those in the camp.
They have been meeting for almost one hundred years!
According to their website, the Tin Can Tourists were organized at Desoto Park in Tampa, Florida in 1919. They received the official state charter a year later. The group's objective was “to unite fraternally all autocampers.”
They came up with a clever way to identify themselves. The members soldered tin cans on their radiator caps during the 1920's and 1930's.
Potential members went initiation process that taught included a secret handshake, sign and password. They even had an official song called “The More We Get Together.”
Today, the Tin Can Tourists offer gatherings and rallies throughout the year and across the USA.
We went to Facebook and asked TCT members what makes TCT unique and why members seem to have such a sense of camaraderie?
Larry Fowler said, "We are all on common ground, love or our tin cans, love of the people that attend the events, camaraderie, sharing of stories and food, willingness to help they neighbor and plain old campfire fun. There are no social judgements and no matter what your social economical background, we are all the same. We love to show off our vintage tin cans."
Mary Magness Gaworecki said, "Because we are all like-minded. We all love antiques, vintage things and we love to camp. The vintage camping hobby is growing quickly. Like-minded people tend to bond very quickly. We bond quickly, and become good friends quickly. For most, the rallies are the only way to see people you met a year ago. And it feeds our addiction to this hobby. It's always a thrill to see that rare trailer. TCT is the oldest camping club in the history of recreational camping. It's a good feeling to belong to such an historic group. Feeds the antique, vintage, camping addiction. Yes, it is a disease and it is called Aluminitis. Some folks have it bad, with 30 trailers in their collections and others are just catching the disease while they try to find the one."
David Quesada humorously said, “Why do we enjoy TCT? As the old saying goes, misery loves company!"
Tim Heintz said, "How are we unique? Over the last 96 years of history, we have been instrumental in everything from Billy Graham's first starting to preach at our rallies to even the government trying to pass a bill during WWII for all official TCT members to be exempt from gas rations to help with the economy here in Florida during the war."
Kathleen Coughran jokingly said, "Like most addicts, we can relate to each other's struggles."
For more information about Tin Can Tourists, visit http://www.tincantourists.com/
For information about Official Tin Can Tourist Rallies, visit http://www.tincantourists.com/rallyregistration1.php#.Vb_Q8vNViko
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong. Copyright 2015 Sunny Harbor Publishing. PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: [email protected]
Keywords: Tin Can Tourists, RV, RV club, tincantourists.com, Kathleen Coughran, TCT, Tim Heintz, David Quesada, Mary Magness Gaworecki, Larry Fowler, Vintage Trailer And Motor Coach Club, Family Travelers Magazine, Steven Skelley, Thomas Routzong,
A Vintage Trailer & Motor Coach Club
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
We have some wonderful friends named Larry and Don who have restored a vintage travel trailer. They have raved to us about a club called the Tin Can Tourists. If it is even half as fun as they described, more people need to know about it.
Here is what we found:
The Tin Can Tourists club is an all make and model vintage trailer and motor coach club. Their goal is to promote and preserve vintage trailers and motor coaches through planned gatherings and the exchange of information.
The Tin Can Tourists club is open to everyone. Ownership of a vintage trailer or motor coach is not necessary for membership.
The club follows guiding principles of clean camps, friendliness among campers, decent behavior and to secure plenty of clean, wholesome entertainment for those in the camp.
They have been meeting for almost one hundred years!
According to their website, the Tin Can Tourists were organized at Desoto Park in Tampa, Florida in 1919. They received the official state charter a year later. The group's objective was “to unite fraternally all autocampers.”
They came up with a clever way to identify themselves. The members soldered tin cans on their radiator caps during the 1920's and 1930's.
Potential members went initiation process that taught included a secret handshake, sign and password. They even had an official song called “The More We Get Together.”
Today, the Tin Can Tourists offer gatherings and rallies throughout the year and across the USA.
We went to Facebook and asked TCT members what makes TCT unique and why members seem to have such a sense of camaraderie?
Larry Fowler said, "We are all on common ground, love or our tin cans, love of the people that attend the events, camaraderie, sharing of stories and food, willingness to help they neighbor and plain old campfire fun. There are no social judgements and no matter what your social economical background, we are all the same. We love to show off our vintage tin cans."
Mary Magness Gaworecki said, "Because we are all like-minded. We all love antiques, vintage things and we love to camp. The vintage camping hobby is growing quickly. Like-minded people tend to bond very quickly. We bond quickly, and become good friends quickly. For most, the rallies are the only way to see people you met a year ago. And it feeds our addiction to this hobby. It's always a thrill to see that rare trailer. TCT is the oldest camping club in the history of recreational camping. It's a good feeling to belong to such an historic group. Feeds the antique, vintage, camping addiction. Yes, it is a disease and it is called Aluminitis. Some folks have it bad, with 30 trailers in their collections and others are just catching the disease while they try to find the one."
David Quesada humorously said, “Why do we enjoy TCT? As the old saying goes, misery loves company!"
Tim Heintz said, "How are we unique? Over the last 96 years of history, we have been instrumental in everything from Billy Graham's first starting to preach at our rallies to even the government trying to pass a bill during WWII for all official TCT members to be exempt from gas rations to help with the economy here in Florida during the war."
Kathleen Coughran jokingly said, "Like most addicts, we can relate to each other's struggles."
For more information about Tin Can Tourists, visit http://www.tincantourists.com/
For information about Official Tin Can Tourist Rallies, visit http://www.tincantourists.com/rallyregistration1.php#.Vb_Q8vNViko
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong. Copyright 2015 Sunny Harbor Publishing. PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: [email protected]
Keywords: Tin Can Tourists, RV, RV club, tincantourists.com, Kathleen Coughran, TCT, Tim Heintz, David Quesada, Mary Magness Gaworecki, Larry Fowler, Vintage Trailer And Motor Coach Club, Family Travelers Magazine, Steven Skelley, Thomas Routzong,
|
|
|