What's a Hoot?
Newmar Hoots is a loosely-organized group of Newmar owners who gather annually for a week of fun and comradeship. There are no defining papers, officers, elections, dues, bank accounts, or membership cards. If there is a secret handshake, it is a very well-kept secret, as no current Hoots have made mention of it.
Our events are planned by a steering committee, made up of volunteers who come together to share ideas about what would make a fun gathering. There is an old piece of paper that suggests what facilities we may need for a week-long roost, and we generally allow it to guide us as we go about selecting a new venue. One of items on that paper calls for a Newmar dealer to be located close enough to bring some new coaches for our perusal. That dealer typically provides lunch on one of our days, and we called them our sponsor. In spite of our loose structure, we have survived and evolved. We have now held eight Hoots gatherings, all in consecutive years, and our ninth and tenth are in the planning stages. We previously financed our outings by negotiating for some free sites from our host RV park, usually four free sites, which the recipients paid for in cash to a temporary account (usually the left front pocket of the acting volunteer treasurer, who was known by the group to be well-versed at addition and subtraction). Then came 2020, the year when we found wearing masks to be the new fashion. With it came fears of airline travel and hotel stays. RV sales skyrocketed, RV parks became crowded, and free RV sites in desirable parks became rare. And, Hoots continued to survive and evolve. In 2020, our roost was in South Dakota, where there was not a convenient dealer/sponsor. Brett Davis of National Indoor RV Centers, stepped up for the sponsorship role. He agreed to bring coaches for us to ogle and possibly purchase, and to buy our lunch. Ultimately, he was unable to provide the coaches because of his agreement with Newmar, but he still showed up and he still bought lunch. That very evening, someone said, “Hey Brett, how would you like to become the official Hoots sponsor?” And he said, “Sure.” And Freightliner said, “Me, too!” Evolution works in interesting ways. Our sponsors have now agreed to provide a number of meals, as well as some evening entertainment and active participation in our tech sessions. The HOOTS steering committee is working closely with NIRVC and Freightliner make the 2021 HOOTS program one to remember. See more details on the Hoots 2021. Upcoming Events
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Join Us At Our Next Gathering!
Our Annual Rally Includes
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