April, 2021
Drinking the Kool-Aid
We knew when we got Tess that the Airstream lifestyle is kind of like joining a cult. There are cheaper campers, there are bigger campers, there are campers that are in many ways, even better campers than Airstreams. We can’t and won’t even try to argue those points. But people who love Airstreams really love Airstreams. And one of the things Airstream owners do- heck it’s even in their Airstream Club slogan- “We Rally Together” . They did some amazing world tours back in the 1950’s and 60’s and continue to do so today. But more often they do a lot of local rallies where a few hundred Airstreams get gather and just- for lack of better words- hang out together.
So when we got Tess we debated how much of the Kool-Aid we were willing to drink. We aren’t exactly loners, we like people, but we tend to be shiniest and happiest when we’re just doing our own thing. But while exploring the Airstream Forum we saw a rally that appealed to us…a place where we could test the waters… a rally that was local and was pretty small. We could see if we enjoyed this whole rally thing….
The rally was held in the small, beautiful town of York, SC and they call it “Silver in the City”. York, like many rural southern towns, was devastated when the furniture and textile industries were shut down and jobs shipped overseas. But like many beautiful small towns they have fought their way back and now the downtown is full of shops and restaurants and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. And once a year, in April, they shut down Main Street to traffic and let 70 some Airstreams park along both sides for a giant party. The locals are invited to tour the campers and join in the fun- the voluntary donations from the Airstreamers goes 100% to a local charity and the small business get a huge influx of people shopping and dining, so everybody wins.
We, of course, decided that even though it was only a 2 hour drive away, we’d add an extra night at a Harvest Host. So we spent the night at Sharonview Mushroom Farms– which was beautiful and a very cool place to stay. Fresh mushrooms and herbs available for purchase of course!
The next day (Thursday) we drove to the staging area just outside of downtown York, where we began to mingle and meet people and begin to learn the ropes. And not really knowing any of the rules, we discreetly popped a cold adult beverage and wondered if that was allowed… well let’s just say there was nothing to fear and these people are there to party – in sort of a classy way!
On Friday at 9am sharp we did a parade through town with lots of people watching and waving. I’m sure there were some aggravated locals delayed by the event, hopefully they forgive us! With drill sergeant precision we were guided to our parking spaces and settled in for a fun weekend!
So the question was, are we rally people? Let’s just say this was a wonderful first experience, and we will certainly do Silver in the City again!
On our way back we decided we had one more night in us, so a quick stop in the very peaceful and quiet (especially after the York party) King’s Mountain campground.
