MT Airy Rally
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:56 am
Southeast Bus Nuts and Eagles Spring Rally
May 10 – 14, 2017
For those that didn't attend, you missed a fun rally in Mt. Airy, North Carolina! John & Tara Mellis, Tom & Karen Hamrick and Mike & Kathy Mingus hosted and did a terrific job! The Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy was a quiet, scenic place for the 31 buses, motor homes, etc. that attended. It seemed like every kind of bus conversion was present; Flexibles, GMs, Vanhools, MCIs, Prevost, Neoplan and of course Eagles. We were so happy that Judy Killingsworth was feeling better and that she & John were able to join us!! Judy has faced many trials over the past months. She is an inspiration to all of us to "never give up"!
Mr. Airy is home to a Granite Quarry that began operation in 1889 and is still operational today. The Quarry is 7 miles x 4 miles and somewhere around 6,000-8,000 deep. There is enough granite to last hundreds to thousands of years. The World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. is made from this granite. The granite has been used in other memorials and buildings as well. It was very impressive!
We learned that Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins, born in Thailand in 1811 lived in the Mt. Airy area as adults. The conjoined twins married sisters and together fathered 21 children! Their story was so interesting and we had a chance to tour the house that they lived in.
The first evening of the rally we were treated to John Mellis' "famous sausage fajitas" followed by a few brave souls who entertained us with Karaoke. The 2nd day started with a gathering for coffee and doughnuts. We then headed to downtown Mayberry. There are many things in this small town that were the inspiration for the Andy Griffith show. Andy was born & raised in Mt. Airy so his input for the show was from many of his childhood memories. Floyd's Barbershop was one landmark that was in the show. A relative of the "original owner Floyd" operates the barbershop today. Eric Brown got a famous haircut at Floyd's. Most of us had lunch at the town's oldest eating establishment and another landmark that was in the show, the Snappy Lunch restaurant. It is home to the "famous pork chop sandwich" which was very tasty! Some then rode up "Fancy Gap" to visit the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. The scenery in that area is worth the drive. A potluck dinner was on the agenda that evening and as per usual, there were plenty of delicious dishes to choose from. After dinner we played a "Bus Nuts Lost On The Moon" game. It seemed that some of the Southeast Bus Nut members were better at the game than us Eagles!
The 3rd day started off with coffee and doughnuts. We then drove to the beautiful Shelton Vineyards in Dobson for a winery tour and lunch at the vineyard's Harvest Grill restaurant. Dinner that evening was at the Cody Creek Depot Restaurant in Dobson. It was a breathtaking place with a covered bridge, a lighted gazebo and beautiful landscaping. The restaurant was huge inside and we were seated and served without delay.
The 4th day began with the hosts serving us pancakes, sausages and "eggs in a bag". The Southeast Bus Nuts had a business meeting then some proceeded to Lou Kirk's place in Hillsville, VA for a tour. Lou provided wine and snacks as he told them about the availability for lots in the area to build a nice home and room enough for a bus barn too! Some of us ladies opted to "go shopping" downtown. We browsed the Mill Creek General Store that is a fun place of Amish foods, bulk foods, a fresh deli and hand-made furniture, cards and other miscellaneous items. We indulged in ice cream cones and sat outside in their hand-made large wooden rockers that were very comfortable. We then proceeded downtown and enjoyed browsing in a few t-shirt and novelty stores. A delicious catered chicken dinner was served that evening and we bought tickets "by the arm length" hoping to win the "pot of money". Sadly I didn't win, one of the Southeast Bus Nuts did. Miscellaneous prizes were also handed out.
The 5th day most everyone said their goodbyes and headed down the road. We opted to stay one more day. We browsed an antique store downtown, had an "ice cream fix" and dinner at an old fashion diner that served only hamburgers, French fries, cokes and milkshakes.
I think everyone had a good time, met some new friends, caught up with old friends and enjoyed all of the planned activities. I say "thank you and a job well done" to the hosts!
Lin Schell
May 10 – 14, 2017
For those that didn't attend, you missed a fun rally in Mt. Airy, North Carolina! John & Tara Mellis, Tom & Karen Hamrick and Mike & Kathy Mingus hosted and did a terrific job! The Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy was a quiet, scenic place for the 31 buses, motor homes, etc. that attended. It seemed like every kind of bus conversion was present; Flexibles, GMs, Vanhools, MCIs, Prevost, Neoplan and of course Eagles. We were so happy that Judy Killingsworth was feeling better and that she & John were able to join us!! Judy has faced many trials over the past months. She is an inspiration to all of us to "never give up"!
Mr. Airy is home to a Granite Quarry that began operation in 1889 and is still operational today. The Quarry is 7 miles x 4 miles and somewhere around 6,000-8,000 deep. There is enough granite to last hundreds to thousands of years. The World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. is made from this granite. The granite has been used in other memorials and buildings as well. It was very impressive!
We learned that Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins, born in Thailand in 1811 lived in the Mt. Airy area as adults. The conjoined twins married sisters and together fathered 21 children! Their story was so interesting and we had a chance to tour the house that they lived in.
The first evening of the rally we were treated to John Mellis' "famous sausage fajitas" followed by a few brave souls who entertained us with Karaoke. The 2nd day started with a gathering for coffee and doughnuts. We then headed to downtown Mayberry. There are many things in this small town that were the inspiration for the Andy Griffith show. Andy was born & raised in Mt. Airy so his input for the show was from many of his childhood memories. Floyd's Barbershop was one landmark that was in the show. A relative of the "original owner Floyd" operates the barbershop today. Eric Brown got a famous haircut at Floyd's. Most of us had lunch at the town's oldest eating establishment and another landmark that was in the show, the Snappy Lunch restaurant. It is home to the "famous pork chop sandwich" which was very tasty! Some then rode up "Fancy Gap" to visit the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. The scenery in that area is worth the drive. A potluck dinner was on the agenda that evening and as per usual, there were plenty of delicious dishes to choose from. After dinner we played a "Bus Nuts Lost On The Moon" game. It seemed that some of the Southeast Bus Nut members were better at the game than us Eagles!
The 3rd day started off with coffee and doughnuts. We then drove to the beautiful Shelton Vineyards in Dobson for a winery tour and lunch at the vineyard's Harvest Grill restaurant. Dinner that evening was at the Cody Creek Depot Restaurant in Dobson. It was a breathtaking place with a covered bridge, a lighted gazebo and beautiful landscaping. The restaurant was huge inside and we were seated and served without delay.
The 4th day began with the hosts serving us pancakes, sausages and "eggs in a bag". The Southeast Bus Nuts had a business meeting then some proceeded to Lou Kirk's place in Hillsville, VA for a tour. Lou provided wine and snacks as he told them about the availability for lots in the area to build a nice home and room enough for a bus barn too! Some of us ladies opted to "go shopping" downtown. We browsed the Mill Creek General Store that is a fun place of Amish foods, bulk foods, a fresh deli and hand-made furniture, cards and other miscellaneous items. We indulged in ice cream cones and sat outside in their hand-made large wooden rockers that were very comfortable. We then proceeded downtown and enjoyed browsing in a few t-shirt and novelty stores. A delicious catered chicken dinner was served that evening and we bought tickets "by the arm length" hoping to win the "pot of money". Sadly I didn't win, one of the Southeast Bus Nuts did. Miscellaneous prizes were also handed out.
The 5th day most everyone said their goodbyes and headed down the road. We opted to stay one more day. We browsed an antique store downtown, had an "ice cream fix" and dinner at an old fashion diner that served only hamburgers, French fries, cokes and milkshakes.
I think everyone had a good time, met some new friends, caught up with old friends and enjoyed all of the planned activities. I say "thank you and a job well done" to the hosts!
Lin Schell