The Escapade is now over and it was a great success. Just as always happens there were a couple of people who had medical issues but both are now on the mend and heading for home. There were also a couple of attendees who had RV breakdowns but those too are now well on the way to being resolved! Today is the warp-up and final packing of everything and a few HOP attenders and staff members remain on the grounds, but by evening the numbers of us will be quite small and soon nobody will remain from this gathering.

Bob & Molly Pinner did a wonderful job again, just as they have for the past 5 years and be assured that the coming Escapades are in good hands with Duane & Jean Mathes taking over and we look forward with great anticipation to March of 2017! The team is already in the formative stage to move forward and to make the 57th Escapade even better so start to plan now.

Think Tucson, March 19-24, 2017!

Escapade was great! Thanks to all!

Escapade was great, Bob and Molly and all their helpers have done a wonderful job as usual.

This is the first Escapade we have attended in years and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Though it seemed smaller than those we remembered in the past we felt it was better. We weren't overwhelmed with choices in the seminars, never had to make a decision as to which seminar we wanted to attend. The entertainment was great. We missed some of our regular vendors but we don't even know if they are in business anymore.

I am always impressed by the parking crew and how well they all work together. The efficiency of the parking is always amazing.

We had a sat. dish installed while we were there. We had planned to have it done when we were at our winter park in Phoenix but the price was the same and the vendors at Escapade are all so well experienced. The time we were scheduled for overlapped with the opening ceremony. We mentioned this when we scheduled and he showed up over an hour early just so we could attend. That is service!!! All the vendors we dealt with were great, another great reason for attending the Escapade.

My only wish is that Duane and Jean continue what Bob and Molly started for us this year is letting us know where future Escapades will be so we can plan to attend.

Keep up the good work.

We also enjoyed the Escapade. It is so good to see "old" friends that we have met on the road in various parts of the country. A special thanks to Bob & Molly for another job well done. We came away from the Escapade satisfied that we had learned a few new things, met some new people, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Looking forward to Tucson.

  On 8/1/2016 at 4:46 PM, SWharton said:

We missed some of our regular vendors but we don't even know if they are in business anymore.

There are always some vendors who come because of the location and others who don't come due to location. I think that Tucson had and will have more vendors because there seems to be more RV vendors in the west than in the far northeast, but that is just a guess on my part. I do know of two vendors who I'm well acquainted with that didn't come to VT because of the distance.

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I am always impressed by the parking crew and how well they all work together.

On behalf of John M. and Rodger H. who lead the parking team, all of the 20+ team members, and the security team which I'm part of, we do very much appreciate the kind comments. John & Rodger have lead that team for several years now and they also have some very experienced team members. This was only my third year as a part of the security team, while two of my assistants have several more years than I and it was my privilege to replace Bob Williams as the chairman of that team. All that I will say is, just wait to see how well we work next March in Tucson, where we have done the job before!

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My only wish is that Duane and Jean continue what Bob and Molly started for us this year is letting us know where future Escapades will be so we can plan to attend.

As great a job as Bob & Molly have done, I have absolute confidence in Duane & Jean as they take the reins from them. It was my privilege to have been close enough to observe the interplay between those two couples and the smoothness of the transition was something to behold. In Tucson the role of the two couples will be reversed with Bob & Molly there as assistants to Duane and Jean so you can be confident that the successful record of Escapade will continue. The work involved in serving as Escapade directors goes far beyond what even those on staff ever see and requires talent, drive, and motivation, all qualities that both of these couples have clearly displayed. Bob & Molly are moving to a well earned rest and they have clearly found the right people to step into the position.

Escapee members should have no doubt that Escapade leadership is in good hands and that future years look very bright!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that X-scapers also had their first Escapade event this year and from all that I observed it was also a great success. Travis & Melanie Carr were the leaders of that event as they have been for most of the X-scaper program. They also have great plans for expanding and improving that part of the program so if you happen to fall into the younger, or still working membership, have no doubt that there will be even more for you in Tucson than there was in Essex Junction!

Edited August 4, 2016 by Kirk