Another Escapade is behind us and all we can say is Wow! What an amazing event it was. Like all Escapades, the week was packed with seminars, socials and high energy entertainment to fill everyone’s days.
In March, over 950 RVs rolled into the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson for Escapade, the largest gathering of the Escapees community. The air was fueled with excitement as nearly 2,000 people filled the venue for five days of fun, friendship, and education.
Many who came were returning attendees, and yet many more were experiencing Escapade for the first time. The air was buzzing with enthusiasm and the smiles on people’s faces showed they were having a great time.
A special highlight this year was the celebration of Escapees’ 45th anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, attendees had the opportunity to walk down memory lane and view a collection of photographs depicting some of the major milestones throughout the club’s 45-year history.
Each morning, attendees had the chance to start their day off with free coffee donuts, and conversation. 2880 donuts and 318 gallons of coffee were consumed throughout the week.
Many chose to get their mornings started with a yoga class in Central Park.
The generous bidding in this year’s Cupcakes-for-CARE auction saw a dozen cupcakes bring in over $5500, which equates to $458 per cupcake!
For those wanting to kick up their heels, line dance classes were a popular place to spend their afternoons.
This year we introduced Dip-a-Chip for CARE. Contestants were invited to prepare their favorite dip recipe and participate in the competition. Attendees sampled a variety of delicious dips and voted with a few bucks going to their favorites. All proceeds went to CARE.
All in all, more than $10,328 was raised for CARE over the course of the event through various fundraising actions, showing again the generosity of this Escapees community.
Each evening people were entertained with outstanding acts. Folks were dancing in the aisles as Few Miles South brought their unique style of country music all the way from Georgia.
Native Spirit, a Native American dance group enthralled the audience with their beautiful and brilliant costumes, their fascinating storytelling, and centuries old dance styles.
Our Tuesday Night Gig brought everyone outdoors for an evening of dancing to classic Rock and Roll music performed by No Reply.
Once again, our own talent show, Escapade’s Got Talent was a big hit. There’s always a surprise and it’s always entertaining.
Thursday night we finished out our time together with The Big Social, a night of outdoor fun, food trucks, ax throwing and lots of dancing and singing along with Escapees favorite band The Status Crowes.
Monday through Thursday, seminars were in full swing throughout each day. The seminar line-up was quite extensive.
Attendees were able to choose from a wide variety of topics pertaining to everything from volunteer and work-camp opportunities, maintaining their RVs, tips for healthy living, discovering new places to go, how to dry camp and everything in between. All in all, 65 seminars were provided over four days.
The vendor market was a busy place too as folks shopped and were educated on the latest innovations in RVing, both in merchandise and services.
For those in the market for an RV, that option was available too. RV Country provided an assortment of new and used rigs for sale. As always, RV Country’s happy hour was a popular place to be in the afternoons.
Escapees’ youngest members were well represented at Escapade this year and Kidscapade was a very popular place for them to gather each day. They were able to participate in a lot of fun activities which included learning to run a small town, interacting with reptiles and much more. What a great way to make connections with other RVing kiddos!
Xscapers hosted a silent disco party which was so fun they hosted it again for a second night! Silent disco you say? Yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. Everyone wore headphones and danced to music that might or might not have been the same as the person dancing next to them. Let’s just say, it’s something for everyone to experience and those who went had a great time.
Escapade is so much more than an educational event. It’s a homecoming of sorts to those who attend year after year.
Yet for those new to the lifestyle, Escapade brings a world of opportunity for meeting like-minded people and finding ways to connect throughout your travels.
You’re sure to make friends, and hopefully those friendships will continue to grow as time goes on. The memories made will last a lifetime. Everyone seems to remember their first Escapade.
For those who have not had the opportunity to attend an Escapade yet, the 63rd Escapade is already being planned.
It’ll take place in Rock Springs, WY in June of 2024.
