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toy in / rallies interest ????


hunkaman

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hi to all, there seems to be very few toyota motor home events, rallies, or toy-ins that i am aware of. does anyone have a list or schedule for these events?  I live in east central ohio ( dover ) , and would love to know if there are opportunities within a few hundred miles from me that i could attend.  also, i was wondering if anyone has actually organized a toy-in.  i thought of contacting our county tourism office and suggesting an event here in dover at our fairgrounds. any one care to offer any related experiences, advice or suggestions for starting an event?? right now it is an intriguing thought. thanks for your interest and help in advance.

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toy ins can be tricky if you are trying to organize one yourself; there seems to be pockets of folks that do it every year but they are in the same select states. There are several that are "traditional" such as Tika's "Midwest" toy in that now ever increasingly is only ever in illinois or wisconsin, but is supposedly for whole Midwest area if you are willing to drive a lot.

I'm from south Michigan on the indy border so when they had one in Indiana i easily went to it. I will not be attending any that require travel through Chicago any more though; just not worth the hassle to me.

 

I also went to one of Tika's rallys  in Wisconsin but the trip was very long for us due to Chicago construction and traffic jams . I'd love to see  one in Ohio or PA but as of yet haven't. I believe there is one in or near Maine that goes every year also.

So if driving a long way through questionable states is ok for you they will be there. Recently I have seen a lot of new blood in the forum from michigan and Ohio.. I think it might be time for us "good ole boys" to throw one; maybe in northern Michigan or Ohio.

 

From what I have seen.. the logistics are fairly simple. Find a campground near an attraction/date such as a flea market, festival, amusement park etc. call that campground and request group rates. this will usually mean you must have a minimum number of campers to achieve discount. once that's achieved. finally post the rally as host in this forum with the details. This is good to do a year in advance and also good to avoid graduation week and weeks like opening day hunting etc for maximum turnout potential. Ive seen them held in summer and fall. if all goes well you will get enough interest to achieve the number of campers to get the discount. Finally you will have the rally and host a day for activity, camp fire, open house where folks can look in each others toys, etc etc and just have fun. Many folks are older and retired, but some have little kids and teens so plan accordingly. Theres usually a toy procession day also where the campers get lined up for photos and a tour through the neighborhood all in a row so that we can get stared at.

 

Edited by Totem
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hey there totem, thanks so much for the reply. your insight is very helpful.  as i've stated before on my posts, i am a newly addicted toyota motorhome  advocate.  these things are great.  this site is an absolute wealth of info. I love the exchanges on all the various topics, and especially if photos are involved. this thought of a toy in or event is  appealing to me for a host of reasons. i think it would be wonderful to have face to face encounters with others owners, check out other rigs, and general fellowship.  where i live in Tuscarawas county, is about 25 miles south of the NFL hall of fame in canton, ohio, just as a point of geographical reference. Our area has a substantial tourist industry due in large part to the amish community. we are off interstate 77.  we are very close to many camping areas, privately owned and state run through Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources and Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. there seems to be a festival every weekend within a 10 or 15 minute drive from Dover.  I thought i would contact the county tourism office and speak with someone there for additional guidance and info. your advice about setting a date one year in advance makes total sense, and offering certain activities during the event helps me.  at this stage i am just thinking out loud, but maybe the info concerning the event should possibly contain links to the areas attractions, lakes, festivals, etc. ? I do wonder if attendees generally remain at the campsite area for the duration of the event, or do they want to travel from the event site to explore local points of interest or attractions, shopping, etc. ? asking this question is in part due to the obvious in as much as i do not think owners of our rigs tow other vehicles as the larger motor homes can. This part of the state is mostly rural with very few public transportation options. another thought/question, should these events be scheduled for weekends or any stretch of days ?  thanks again for your feedback, it is what i was hoping to receive, with the help of others ideas, advice or input, such as yours, i may plant the seed and see how it grows. thanks again totem, and what the heck MICH. isn't that far maybe the future holds a toy-in for two LOL

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The couple rally I attended I sort of got away without needing ground transport. One i just drove my rig over to the downtown area and parked it for a bit using it as my vehicle.

The other rally I hit was 10 miles away from Wisconsin Dells, but I had my electric scooters and wife and I used those quite successfully.

We've used our scooters for numerous trips, even in the big easy new orleans all the way to yellowstone. This summers trip involved our first problem with them. My wife crashed one while our daughter was riding with her while we were getting groceries. My kids knees got scuffed up but they were ok. The smokey mountains were awesome but I will be putting moutain climber sprockets on the scooters before i do that again for more control. its preferable to get a rally location as close as possible to allow bikes, walking etc.

Edited by Totem
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  • 3 weeks later...

My advice-

Decide when you want to have a toy-in.

Call local Campgrounds and see if they can accommodate your estimated group number (they might offer a group discount).

Advertise on the Facebook group (most active outlet for Toyhome owners currently).

Advertise on here to catch anyone who might not be using facebook.

Communicate details and updates out to both here and the facebook group as you get them.

 

I've organized two Toy-ins now and it's literally as easy as planning a weekend with a few friends. Just make sure all your friends and the landowners know whats going on and you will have a great time. Best of luck!

By the way, if Vermont is within your driving distance, I am in the works of planning a Toy-in for memorial day weekend 2017. If you are interested, the facebook page will be more up-to-date, but I will try to keep checking in here with updates.

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" Advertise on the Facebook group (most active outlet for Toyhome owners currently). "

 

Advertise that you will not be home on specified dates on FB? Hopefully you employ a rottweiler or GSD at the residence while gone.

 

.... FB is the most active outlet? then why post here at all? This forum is by far better than FB, where you are targeted financially to be parted with your $ and have 0 expectation of having your data perused by the thought police. I would bet FB is far more frequented by the unscrupulous type than this site. Beg to differ... this site is the best.

Edited by Totem
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I'm confused why you have taken it so personally. Facebook doesn't ask for your home address, so why would it be any worse then organizing a toy-in here? If people want to raid my house while I'm gone, they would still need to figure out where I live don't you think?

And yes, facebook is the most active outlet for Toyhome owners, there is nothing false about that statement.

I post here for a couple reasons. One of those reasons is to keep in touch with folks who refuse to use facebook. If I'm organizing a toy-in, I'd like to advertise to the widest audience possible and not ignore you guys.

If you think this site is far better than the facebook site, there's no one that can tell you different and you have every reason to believe that. By the way, I've never been targeted to be parted with my money. I have no idea how your fear is generated.

I'd like to know what I did to anger you, it seems like you can't come into any discussion I'm in with anything more than an argument.

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If you are blissfully unaware of the mass data mining going on at your expense by facebook, I am sorry to have broken your trance/bubble.

There is plenty of info online about it, but you are free to use it. My opinion of it stays the same and btw there are known cases of people that through the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon have been robbed blind or even murdered because of facebook. I won't be taking that chance. if you have posted photos of your home ever on FB your address is in them; free for all to see and even a computer laymen can pay a site like spokeo to get your info, which Suckerburg happily sells. Honestly, your thinking I have something against you when I am trying to improve your situation is on call, but think what you may. You have recently denegrated this site as inferior to FB more than once in the past few days and it hasn't gone un-noticed is all, and not just by me.

I love your input on things, but look man, I just cant stand the snoring when someones asleep too loudly :)

Edited by Totem
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hey vermonter, thanks for the input, sounds as though you've "been there. done that", as far as getting a toy-in up and running.  i did not think of the face book option. i agree that you would want to reach a wide audience. as i have posted earlier, this is an idea for me right now, i want to do some research locally, and maybe get a better idea of how this may come together for next year. thanks so much for your interest, if this thing begins to take momentum, possibly i could ask to pick your brain ??  I've never been to The Great State of Vermont, ironically, i had planned a late summer trip which involved going through vermont to Maine, unfortunately, my winnie was (and still is ) in the shop for a new roof. a memorial day rally in Vermont would be great. joe from dover

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I'm with Totem. There are over 8 different groups for Toyota motorhomes on FB. Which one are you?

On this site we have moderator's and safety protocols built in. On FB, the originator has total control of the site. Some groups have as few as 17 members.

One group I looked at had the originator standing next to a funky Toyota motor home holding a semi-automatic handgun and smiling. Not a group I would want to join (was that you?)

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Gun porn is so over-rated. that picture Fred saw probably went straight into a DOJ database to send its owner to a fema camp when the time comes. Much better to never let anyone know what guns you own; that's your private right under the 4th, why violate yourself with it on FB, especially when people can use the GPS coordinates in the photos to pin point their origin, and target you for theft or prison for not turning in your weapons to be melted down.

I'm pro 2nd amendment but would rather shoot myself then "pose" with weapons for a "tacticool" photo.

Bragging up guns with pictures on FB is for morons, thugs and fools and often leads to unwanted attention from authorities.

I get peoples enthusiasm for supporting the second amendment but wearing pants around your ankles posing with your glock next to a Toyota motorhome isnt exactly the best way to get your point across... which is exactly why i like this forum. Haven't seen a photo like that yet.

 

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On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 7:03 AM, Totem said:

 

Because we respect your privacy here. Even our private message system protects your email from other members. They only have access to that if you send it to them directly. But some people respect privacy and some don't, even the ones proclaiming the loudest about it. Yes it was very nice of you to send me your old mirrors so I could replace some broken ones but Googling my house and literally walking down my street was an invasion of my privacy. I saw your later comment on this site that you saw the motorhomes in my driveway. There was probably a return address on the box but it never crossed my mind to make note of your address or do any such thing. We all have the ability to snoop and sneak with the tools available online but what kind of person does that make us. No different from that government you love to hate. Stop your preaching

Linda S

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I have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. google earth?  I have never literally "walked down your street".

Ive never been to your house...but you did give me your shipping address...which if you are upset about that, that's on you not me. So you are mad that you gave me YOUR address and then shipped you what you asked me to? Really?

 

As mentioned, I am in agreement with Fred Heath, and in this case clueless on what the crap Linda is saying above. Perhaps she could further explain.

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22 hours ago, fred heath said:

I'm with Totem. There are over 8 different groups for Toyota motorhomes on FB. Which one are you?

On this site we have moderator's and safety protocols built in. On FB, the originator has total control of the site. Some groups have as few as 17 members.

One group I looked at had the originator standing next to a funky Toyota motor home holding a semi-automatic handgun and smiling. Not a group I would want to join (was that you?)

I have never flaunt pictures of my guns online. The guy you are thinking of was reported and eventually I believe he chose to remove the picture. Unless you are seeing a different picture than I am remembering. 

 

To answer Totem again: If I have ever made a comparison of the facebook group to this forum, it was only to echo what others have said that I agree with. I'm only being honest, and I've never said anything negative about this forum. There are a lot of great features about this forum, unfortunately the members are what make a forum and in comparison the facebook page isn't tainted by any over-opinionated narcissistic members. If there are problematic members, they get dealt with. That is why the facebook page is thoroughly enjoyed by more people, with a lot of them having left here with the same opinions. People don't like negativity, and tend to go where the drama is few and far between. Unfortunately, and at no fault of the moderators or functions of this forum, this page has been trashed by repeat offenders and people get fed up with it. My comments about this page might not go unnoticed by anyone, but that works both ways. And there's people here who have years of reputation that aren't going unnoticed. Give respect, get respect. It's a simple concept.

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so which of the 8 facebook "Toyota motor home groups" do you belong to? Are you the originator of your group? How many members do you have? What makes your group better than the other 7?

Anyone can go into facebook and start a group. I'm concerned with who has access to my account information. Seems there are 7 other groups that prefer to maintain their own site(s).

This is not a personal attack on you. Maybe you should try to consolidate all your groups under one banner. This would make the collective whole a recognized forum.

Edited by fred heath
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1 hour ago, Vermonter said:

I'm only being honest, and I've never said anything negative about this forum. There are a lot of great features about this forum, unfortunately the members are what make a forum and in comparison the facebook page isn't tainted by any over-opinionated narcissistic members. If there are problematic members, they get dealt with. 

I am a little confused. Note I just came across this post by accident and had no idea such a "conversation" was going on.  I might be missing some context. If so, forgive me.    Am I seeing things, or do you state in one sentence you "never said anything negative", and then in the next sentence seem to infer that this forum is "tainted by narcissistic members."  Seems to be some contradiction there.

I will note that "narcissism" is often judged solely by someone's opinion. In this case, your's?  Or did some judge and jury somewhere come down with that decision?  I will note that I have many times witnessed people  defending accurate statements they have made and been then been called "narcissists."  I certainly have.  

You also mention . . " If there are problematic members, they get dealt with.  "  So I've got to ask.  If you have a select few who use power to judge other's behavior and cast them out when those select few deem necessary - that too could easily be judged as narcissism.   In my opinion, I know for sure (at least in my own mind) that there is a narcissistic "judge and jury" at the yahoo Toyota group with Mr. Turtle presides. I still have a copy of the email he sent me basically asking me to show why I am worthy to be there.  I pretty much told him to "stick it" as I'm sure he remembers.  That because I called part of an air-suspension system an "air bag" and was then told I was wrong. I guess at that point I was supposed to acquiesce for the "good of the many?"  No thanks.  Facts are facts and those with few often get upset with those who know many.

One thing I like about this forum is this.   Note this may of changed.  A few years ago I was contacted by someone who has something to do with running this place and was told that there is an effort to never eject anyone (I guess unless a crime is involved).  I like that way of doing things since none of us are perfect.  I also know that communication via a keyboard and not face-to-face can lead to many a misunderstanding.

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5 hours ago, Totem said:

I have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. google earth?  I have never literally "walked down your street".

Ive never been to your house...but you did give me your shipping address...which if you are upset about that, that's on you not me. So you are mad that you gave me YOUR address and then shipped you what you asked me to? Really?

 

As mentioned, I am in agreement with Fred Heath, and in this case clueless on what the crap Linda is saying above. Perhaps she could further explain.

refresh your memory

Linda S 

Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) · Report post

I saw one of these style adds once listed in craigs michigan with an address in georgia. I went and did a google earth on the address and panned the camera to the address; it was in the biggest hillbilly ghetto ever. The redneck equivalent of southside Chicago gone wrong. there were one legged chickens in the picture circling a beat up trailerhome that was overgrown with elephant grass and trees literally growing through the roof and out of the trailerhome. of course the googlemaps pictures had no toyhome in them; at least not like Lindas address does :)

My address in googlemaps must have an old flyover; still no motorhome in my photo.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Totem
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On 2016-10-10 at 6:17 PM, jdemaris said:

I am a little confused. Note I just came across this post by accident and had no idea such a "conversation" was going on.  I might be missing some context. If so, forgive me.    Am I seeing things, or do you state in one sentence you "never said anything negative", and then in the next sentence seem to infer that this forum is "tainted by narcissistic members."  Seems to be some contradiction there.

I will note that "narcissism" is often judged solely by someone's opinion. In this case, your's?  Or did some judge and jury somewhere come down with that decision?  I will note that I have many times witnessed people  defending accurate statements they have made and been then been called "narcissists."  I certainly have.  

You also mention . . " If there are problematic members, they get dealt with.  "  So I've got to ask.  If you have a select few who use power to judge other's behavior and cast them out when those select few deem necessary - that too could easily be judged as narcissism.   In my opinion, I know for sure (at least in my own mind) that there is a narcissistic "judge and jury" at the yahoo Toyota group with Mr. Turtle presides. I still have a copy of the email he sent me basically asking me to show why I am worthy to be there.  I pretty much told him to "stick it" as I'm sure he remembers.  That because I called part of an air-suspension system an "air bag" and was then told I was wrong. I guess at that point I was supposed to acquiesce for the "good of the many?"  No thanks.  Facts are facts and those with few often get upset with those who know many.

One thing I like about this forum is this.   Note this may of changed.  A few years ago I was contacted by someone who has something to do with running this place and was told that there is an effort to never eject anyone (I guess unless a crime is involved).  I like that way of doing things since none of us are perfect.  I also know that communication via a keyboard and not face-to-face can lead to many a misunderstanding.

I'm more than happy to clear that up and I hope that the OP forgives me for bringing this topic farther off course, but being that I was asked a direct question and there are clear misunderstandings, I feel like maybe I should respond.

 

I've never said anything negative about this forum as far as I know. Saying there are bad apples here is not the forums fault, and it has no affect on the value of this forum. It certainly does taint one's experience while here. It's like saying you like Disney world but hate the people you are sitting next to on the rollercoaster. I can't see how that is a negative review.

As far as Narcissism goes, yes I suppose that's an opinion, but an opinion that was guided by an understanding of the medical diagnosis of narcissism. I'm no doctor, so yes It's my opinion. 

You mentioned how problematic members get dealt with and how you disagree with how that process works. Here's the scenario... if you created a place for all to enjoy, with documents explaining how you expect people to treat each other and the understanding that by joining, you agree to those rules...then shouldn't you be allowed to expel someone from the group you created (or warn them) if they are jumping into every conversation calling everyone a racist, bigot, white supremacists, and throwing swears around and generally just making the place everything you didn't want it to become? (that actually recently happened) You don't have to agree that it's ok to make rules. You can think that the admin is a narcissist for being that controlling, but honestly he created it and people agreed to the rules. No one is forcing anyone to be there. But we do all expect that we treat each other with respect. And because of those expectations, it is an awesome group. When someone makes it not-so-awesome, they either get a warning, or if some behavior is completely out of line, they would probably get booted. This rarely ever happens. I've personally only seen it happen maybe once that I can recall, and I think they took it upon themselves to leave because we were all "white supremacists".

I have almost no experience with the yahoo page, so I can't comment on what goes on there.

I've seen the admin for the facebook page reject people's request for banning people. Multiple times he has been asked if he can ban a member. He generally doesn't want to police the page. He expects better from people, and because of the understanding of respect we all have for each other, conversations rarely go sour. If I had to make a comparison between here and there, that is probably the biggest disappointment I have with this forum. Lack of mutual respect. I generally try to keep things civil and I give respect while expecting it in return. We are after all, adults here. I don't jump directly to negativity or snide comments when I disagree with someone, although I may try to propose a different view or opinion. I stop giving respect when there is clearly no expectation of respectful dialogue.

 

" I also know that communication via a keyboard and not face-to-face can lead to many a misunderstanding." - probably the truest thing ever written. Which is why I try to give everyone here the benefit of the doubt if it isn't blatant disrespect. I've never seen someone accused of being entitled, selfish, narcissistic, negative, or even bad-tempered. I'm generally a good guy and I try to add value to discussion wherever I leave a word trail. I'm not saying I'm not guilty of any negative characteristics, but I don't come in here looking to irritate anyone and will gladly make an attempt at mending any wrongs I've done. The last three sentences are about as narcissistic as I care to be.

 

Jde and I have certainly had our fair share of misunderstandings and childish banter, but we got it out, moved on, and it's water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. I am more than happy to give that same respect to anyone here.

If I'm still not being clear, my PM works perfectly fine and there's no need to drag this on in this guys thread anymore than it already has. Please and thank you in return.

 

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