The 2025 Airstream International Rally in Sedalia, Missouri was full of surprises! Upon arrival, we knew this would be a huge event with over 1,000 Airstreams camping at the Missouri Fairgrounds.
Our Campsite-Doug and Belinda
One of our favorite events was the Vintage Airstream Show. They held a parade and then allowed everyone to tour the airstreams. They had to be 25 years old to be considered vintage. It was amazing to see how people had worked so hard to restore them!
We met so many wonderful people, learned about their interests from Ham radios to Miatas. We even reconnected with some of Doug's friends that he knew from high school (...a few years ago). Many Airstreamers were full-timers, but most of the campers were in the same season of life as Doug and me, enjoying retirement!
The Rally had a variety of exhibits and workshops to attend that covered interesting topics for everyone including RV maintenance, cooking classes, and specific hobbies. We attended some of the workshops and even a Bridgerton Tea Party.
Yes, some of the husbands were good sports and sipped on tea, also. Doug was one of them, but he passed on the costume.
There was a contest for best crown/hat, dress, curtsy, and couples. I forgot how to curtsy, so I just 'squat'. Needless to say, I did not win. It was fun to see the different china. Everyone was required to bring their own teacup. The lady next to me from Maryland, told me that her china came from England and her husband's father had brought it back for his wife many years ago. When she asked about my China, I heard Doug almost choke on his little tea cake. (I purchased my china set from Goodwill for a bargain price and yes, it was a good find!). I wasn't about to tell her, especially with my southern accent, so I told her the truth-my china was made in Ohio. It is Salem by Century and it has 23 karat gold trim. I couldn't even look at Doug for fear he would just bust out laughing.
The Winners!
The Katy Trail was easily accessible from the fairgrounds and provided a great trail with shade for riding bikes.
Yes, Airstream folks like their bikes, electric bikes that is! At every event, people on electric bikes showed up in groves. It just goes to show how we all like to get back to our youth in this season of life!
The Halloween Dance was my favorite event. There were some great costumes at the dance and it was fun to see everyone having a great time! Doug dressed up as 'Gilligan; I was 'Mary Ann" and our little dog, Lili, was the 'Skipper'.
As we rode through the campground to the event, people yelled out to us, "Hey Gilligan & MaryAnn! At the Halloween dance, a gentleman commented, "He had always hoped Gilligan and Mary Ann would make it off that island and get married, so we had fulfilled his dream." LOL! Lili tolerated her 'Skipper' hat and even tolerated a little dance with Gilligan.
Looks like Doug may have a new job for the remake of ‘Gilligan’, not so much for MaryAnn.
Some friends from Top of Georgia dressed up like the Tin Man and Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz
Jeff & Deena- from Georgia ( Tin Man &Scarecrow)
Little Red Riding Hood & Wolf
The Sun and Earth
There was entertainment every evening. One
evening included a band and hot air balloons that were tethered to only rise a short distance. They were beautiful against the night sky when lit up!
Another evening included ragtime music and art displays. The final evening included recognizing the organizers of the event and a band.
We spent some time exploring Sedalia. The architecture of the historic churches was exquisite. The steeples and unique stained -glass are features that are just not used in churches like they had been used at the turn of the century.
Most of the churches had been built in the late 1800's. We also saw an outstanding monument at the entrance to the Missouri fairgrounds that depicted life in the mid-west in the 1800's including an old steam locomotive and bronze statues of a cowboy and indian rounding up cattle with a cattle dog.
This was our first Airstream Rally and we hope to attend more rallies in the future. The entertainment and workshops were so much fun, but meeting people from all over the country that share the passion of camping in an Airstream and hearing their stories was by far the best part of the whole experience. If you have the opportunity to attend an Airstream Rally, I highly recommend you jump on that opportunity!
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