[A/S] Airstreams shine on

["ganderson35" <g_anderson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040218/NEWS/402180379/1060



More than 500 trailers, motor homes expected at Sarasota rally


By PATTY ALLEN-JONES



patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com


Sarasota is the fourth stop in Don and Lois Elliott's seven-week, 
cross-country camping trip on board their silver van with a 
streamlined silver trailer in tow.

They are part of the annual takeover of the Sarasota County 
Fairgrounds on Ringling Boulevard by a caravan of Airstream trailers 
and motor homes, which have been on the country's highways for more 
than seven decades.

"It's a neat rally; it's a premiere rally," said Don Elliott, 74, 
referring to the 31st annual Florida State Rally of the Wally Byam 
Caravan Club International Inc. "It's clean-living folks having 
fun." 



The club is named after the man who invented the Airstreams, unique 
because of their aerodynamic look and aluminum bodies, 74 years ago.

Organizers expect 550 trailers at this year's Sarasota rally, which 
officially begins today and runs through Sunday. But some eager 
Airstreamers, as the enthusiasts are known, began arriving Saturday 
in Sarasota for the second largest international Airstream rally, 
one of 1,500 annual state, regional and international gatherings. 



 
Zoom 
 
Airstreams line up in front of the Circus Sarasota tent for the 31st 
annual Florida State Rally of the Wally Byam Caravan Club 
International Inc.
 


The campers don't have to travel any farther for entertainment. They 
can attend seminars on refurbishing Airstreams and towing them 
safely, take dance classes or participate in an arts and crafts show.

For the envious, or those just wondering what's inside the silver 
shell, the public can look inside some vintage trailers at least 25 
years old. The open house is scheduled for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. 
in front of the National Guard Armory on Ringling Boulevard. 



The Elliotts, who live in Indiana, own a vintage model, built in 
1976 -- a home on wheels complete with a kitchen, showers, a queen-
sized bed and the family cat, Priscilla.

They purchased it in 1987, the year they joined the Wally Byam Club. 
The couple became hooked after Don attended a rally in Lafayette, 
Ind., while on a business trip.

"They were intriguing to me," said Don Elliott, who runs an 
insurance business. "I got a little bit of the bug when I saw all 
those trailers." 



The couple began this camping trip on Feb. 4, with stops in North 
Carolina, Georgia and Dade City before coming to Sarasota.

Don Elliott, who once worked for the Rev. Billy Graham's ministries, 
said the club's wholesome qualities appealed to him.

"It's a cut above, the people and the organization," he said, adding 
that Airstreamers do not smoke or drink alcohol outside their 
trailers. And in Dade City, 400 people attended church on 
Sunday. "Having worked for Billy Graham, I was not about to join a 
group that was rowdy." 



Herb and Sidra Spies' 19-foot trailer was built in 1963 -- and it's 
still turning heads. No matter where they are people stop by to take 
a look at the interior that includes a four-burner stove, a fridge 
and a tiny bathtub.

"That's what's fun, showing it off and displaying it, and meeting 
people," said Sidra Spies.

The Pensacola couple purchased their RV three years ago from a St. 
Augustine stunt pilot. It was the perfect addition to the 1955 and 
1957 Chevrolet station wagons Herb Spies collected and restored. 



"It was important to get a vintage one because it ties in with my 
old cars," he said.

Byam, Airstream's creator, abandoned a career as a lawyer, magazine 
publisher and advertiser in the 1930s when the travel trailer he 
designed became a hit with Americans taking more and more road 
trips, according to a Web site on Airstreams.

He started making them from plywood, then Masonite. Byam dropped the 
floor down between the wheels and raised the ceiling, allowing 
campers to stand up inside. Chemical toilets, ice boxes, gas stoves 
and water pumps were also added. 



Later, he included technology he learned making aircraft during 
World War II to reduce the trailers' air resistance, and in 1934 he 
named the trailer Airstream.

In 1936 the Airstream Trailer Co. introduced the popular "Clipper," 
an oval-shaped recreational vehicle made of aluminum, causing it to 
stand out on the highways and byways.

There are 21,000 trailers registered in the United States, Canada 
and Mexico, which make up the international club. 



Frankie Worthington of Tallahassee became an Airstreamer six years 
ago along with her husband, Bill, sister Annette Hurst and brother-
in-law Charlie Hurst.

"I like to go and see the country, and you get to see things that 
you can't otherwise see staying in a hotel," Worthington said. "This 
country is beautiful, and you don't know what exists unless you 
travel and camp." 



Last modified: February 18. 2004 12:00AM