To say the 61st Escapade was a success would be an understatement.
Although, high fuel costs might have kept our attendance down some, those that came were treated to an incredible week. The smiles on attendees’ faces told the story of the fun they were having.
Over 1,000 attendees came together just outside Nashville in June for Escapade, the largest gathering of the Escapees RV Club community. Many of those in attendance have been coming to Escapades for years, and, like most years, over half of the attendees were first-timers. The week was packed with seminars, socials and nightly concerts to keep everyone busy morning ‘til night.
Each morning, everyone had the chance to start their day off in Hospitality, with free coffee, donuts, and conversation. For those wanting to get their heart rates up, both line dancing and yoga were presented. Wednesday morning, a Cupcakes-for-CARE auction saw cupcakes selling for upwards of $100, bringing in over $3200, which was donated to CARE. Throughout Escapade, more than $5250 was raised for CARE through various fundraising actions, showing the generosity of this Escapees community.
Every evening people danced and sang along to a great selection of bands from Nashville and the surrounding area. Country, Bluegrass, and Rock-n-Roll were all featured, and folks seemed to really enjoy themselves and the talent on stage.
Our own talent show, Escapade’s Got Talent was a big hit as well, proving once again that there’s an abundance of natural talent within our membership.
Monday morning the educational seminars of Escapade kicked off. The seminar line-up was quite extensive. Attendees were able to chose from a wide array of topics pertaining to everything from maintenance of their RVs, ways to volunteer throughout their travels, to healthy living, and everything in between. All in all, 65 seminars were provided over four days.
The vendor market was hopping each day as folks shopped and were educated on the latest innovations in RVing, both in products and services. For those in the market for a RV, RV Country provided an assortment of new and used RVs for sale.
As always, RV Country’s happy hour was a popular place to be each afternoon. This year, Winnebago joined in the fun with a great happy hour of their own on Tuesday. The mood was festive as people waited to sample incredible small plates, created by a gourmet chef.
Kidscapade was in full swing. Escapees’ youngest members were well represented at Escapade. They got to participate in a lot of fun activities, designed just for them, and made connections with other RVing kiddos.
What happens at Escapade doesn’t necessarily stay at Escapade. Seminars and focus groups provided invaluable information for going forward in the RV lifestyle. New friendships made throughout the week will hopefully grow over time, and the memories made will last a lifetime.
For those who have not had the opportunity to attend an Escapade yet, the 62nd Escapade is just around the corner, promising to be another amazing event. It will take place in the sunny southwest city of Tucson, AZ March 19-24, 2023.
We hope you’ll join us and be a part of the Escapees RV Club’s 45th anniversary celebration!
