4XNews
3nd Quarter : fALL 2011
A quarterly publication of the Indiana Four Wheel Drive Association
9th Annual Camp Riley 4XKIDS DAY
By Scott Sperling, Camp Riley 4XKIDS Day Event Coordinator On Saturday, July 2, 2011, members from 5 clubs convened at Bradford Woods for the 9th annual 4XKIDS Day. Those clubs were: 4WTF, Iron Horse, Mud Turtles, JPFrog/MOJO and Fat Boys Jeepers. The event allowed the 4X enthusiast to take both campers and counselors at Camp Riley on a trail ride throughout Bradford Woods. The camp is located on the 2,500 acres of Bradford Woods, north of Martinsville, Indiana. This year 100 counselors, one quarter of whom come from outside the U.S., and 100 disabled campers were in attendance. Those disabilities include Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, or Down Syndrome. The event allows campers to slip into an open top vehicle, this year all Jeeps, and ride without any worry of a handicap. Each camper gets to feel what it's like to ride up and down hills with the wind blowing in their hair. This year the route was expanded and, with the humidity within reason, the extra time out was appreciated by all. Prior to the start of our busy day, Jimmy and Doc with Mud Turtles furnished lunch that included BBQ pork, potatoes, hot dogs, corn, plain pork, kraut, and ice cold beverages. What a great way to start the day - Awesome food guys!!!! As a bonus to this year's event, Troy McCormick and Mac Spainhour from Indiana Outdoor Adventures was on hand to film and interview some of those in attendance. They were there for over half the day filming and making themselves at home. The event should be aired sometime in November. After a brief driver's meeting with Cecille Domingo- Director, Therapeutic Recreation for Bradford Woods, the drivers took a practice run through the course. From there we headed up to the main parking lot to "get the party started". Once all the jeeps were in place, the campers and staff members greeted and entertained us with a quick camp ditty. Then the event was officially started by the familiar call of “Ladies and Gentlemen – START YOUR ENGINES!” The noise is awesome as we all revved our engines on cue! One of my favorite times of the day.
ifwda.org
The campers and counselors were taken on a “trail ride” that day. Our route took us all over Bradford Woods. The "OFFICIAL" route went over paved roads, gravel roads, down to the scenic lake, through woods and over a couple of bridges. The rides lasted about 30 minutes each and ended with smiles, hugs and high FIVES. At the end of the ride everyone was given a limited edition event shirt. Twenty dozen t-shirts were printed up for everyone in attendance, and for the shirt sponsors. Betsy, Debbie and Deb were busy handing out shirts while Cheryl and Dee offered cups of cold water to the campers after their ride. Thanks ladies!!! At closing ceremonies, the campers delivered their "THANK YOU" cards to the drivers and workers in attendance. Each card was worth its weight in gold and was one of the main highlights of the day. A check in the amount of $2500.00 was donated to Camp Riley, thanks to the event shirt sponsors. Iron Horse 4x4 donated $500.00 too, as an added bonus. The money will be placed in a restricted account for a future outdoor camp project. The 2011 4XKIDS Day sponsors are listed below: - Randy and Jo Brooks Foundation - West End Bank - HI-LIFT Jack - Hoosier Container - Fat Boys Jeepers - Joliet Mud Turtles 4x4s - Meyer Distributing - 4WTF - Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association - Iron Horse 4x4's -J&T Concessions - Jasper Group - Central Indiana Chapter of ASPE - BCW Supplies - Ruffriders - Clover Patch - Robin D. Henry - Mark Keener Additional goods and services donated to this event include: Scout Graphics – printing and donation of event shirts Doty Graphics – printing of event stickers Mud Turtles – hosting both lunch and dinner meal. Next year will be our 10th year. Time to “pull out all the stops" and make it one of the best yet. Will you be there?
Inside This Issue • MZ • The Ranch
• Swap Meet • Superlift
• Letter from the Editor • Hello from Prez
• Red Bird Newsletter • Nominations
everyone together to break bread and tell tales of the day’s event. I felt it worked out well; we were able to start prizes and raffle giveaway while everyone finished up eating and getting a piece of pie. Our Warn Winch winner was John Sauter. We also want to thank our dedicated sponsors – Nick Gramelspacher - Meyer Distributing, Tom Franklin – Hi-Lift, Max Dollinger – MOAB off road, Tony West – Bushwacker Body Gear & Brian Sleicher - WARN Winch our MC & Auctioneer, so please keep these guys in mind next time you need bling or upgrades on your rig. Also we have a few people behind the scene – Dale Doty of Doty Graphics for providing great prices on our new event window decals and Ron Mattox of SG Trading Post for great prices and awesome artwork on the tee-shirts. THANKS guys :) We hope everyone had a good time and save the date August 3 – 5, 2012! Let me know your thoughts – always looking for ways to improve. Maciej Zurawski served on IFWDA Board as Environmental Affairs 2007-2008. He was shot in a home intrusion and left paralyzed. IFWDA donated a total of $429.05 to help MZ buy a wheel chair and others needs he may have.
1 broken axle, 1 bent tie rod end and 1 roll over By Annette Wheatcraft, IFWDA Special Events Director
It is always good to see old friends and even better to meet new friends. It’s another year at The Ranch/Wilstem! We did have some excitement pre-event during trail clean up. I heard someone broke an axle, and then someone else bent a tie rod end and another one had a roll over – wow, what a way to start! Our numbers were down just a little from last year but real nice group size to work with on the trails. The Ranch had some spring storms go through and then a tornado made quite a mess. I have never seen it this bad before. We would like to thank everyone who came out and help with trail clean up and a special THANKS to George, Nancy & Ronny Thomas for all they have done – organizing and giving up so much time to get the trails in shape for this special event. We still need to do more clean up before Jeep Jamboree in October so get a hold of George Thomas or me to volunteer to help. This year we decided to move the date up to first weekend in August so the members with kids could attend before school started and it must have worked; we had more kids this year than last year. Also we decided to include Saturday dinner so we could get
Upcoming Events October 6, 2011 Jeep Jamboree @ French Lick, IN October 22, 2011 Red Bird Haunted trail weekend @ Dugger, IN October 23, 2011 IFWDA Meeting @ Red Bird Dugger, IN November 5,2011 Toys 4 Tots @ Interlake, IN
November 12, 2011 Toys 4 Tots @ Haspin Acres November 25, 2011 Redbird night run @ Dugger, IN December 3, 2011 Toys 4 Tots @ Attica, IN
See you on the trail.
The Ranch
By George Thomas The Ranch at the Valley of the Springs is located near French Lick, Indiana and the home of the French Lick Jeep Jamboree. For you Jeep owners you can go to that for around $300 per person in October while the trees are changing, and it is really beautiful. Or you can go in August when IFWDA hold its event for less than $100 plus lodging at either event. There are some really nice trails there and you can enjoy a nice couple of days riding trails at either event. At the Jeep Jamboree we have trained Trail Guides who will do their best to keep you and your vehicle safe. Some of them also guide the IFWDA event along with some from other clubs within the association. For the most part we do our best to keep you safe, especially in the stock and near stock classes. When you get into the built up classes then you are into a different game. You should know your limitation and what you can and can't do with your vehicle. You should know what you can do by your experience. Don't get in over your head if you care about your vehicle. This is a great place to wheel and is only open a few times a year, along with some clean ups. At clean ups it's not all work and no play. We have a job to do and that is the first priority then we need to pre-run all the trails to make sure they are ready. That's the fun part. Still you are expected to do any repairs as needed. Clearing trees from the trail, improving a rut, cutting back bushes, whatever it takes to get the trail ready. We want these events to be family friendly. We encourage you to bring the kids; they are the future of our sport. Our sport helps promote a family closeness and the proper ways of doing things. Yes, there are a lot of adults and they do adult things liking having a few and sometimes don't watch what they say. But all in all, it is a good time for everyone and they do try to be good around kids. We don't allow drinking on the trails or while driving on the property. All the state laws apply just like driving on the streets or any other event. There is lodging available on the property and motels and resorts close by. There is an indoor water park in French Lick; there is also a go cart track for family fun. They are also putting in putt-putt golf and lazer tag, I hear. So there are plenty of family things to do in the area. There is also golf courses, resorts and casinos for the adults. There are motel rooms as low as $39 per night near by. Not to mention lake and state parks, too, not far from Holiday World. Plan your vacation next year and try to attend one of these events. These event offer a chance to meet some great people and develop a friendship that could last a lifetime. They offer some pretty good meals at a fair price. IFWDA isn't making money off of them, just trying to provide a service for you. Most meals are optional except the Saturday night dinner. They want everyone to attend that as the evening prize drawings and raffles follow. It is a chance to review the thing you did that day, share photos and videos, and meet new friends. This event was moved to the first weekend in August because of schools opening sooner. With the economy the way it is IFWDA has had to cover some of the expenses because attendance is down. Not that they mind doing that but IFWDA membership is also down. What is being requested is please ask others to join your club and IFWDA. Plan to attend the IFWDA event. Remember it is only once a year, first weekend in August. Save that to show your support to IFWDA. Most of the other areas and off road parks are open all year, or most of the year. Try to plan your trip and/or events around that. Also while club rides are fun, I believe in sharing the fun. Please ask other IFWDA clubs to join in the fun with you.
Recently we made a trip to Superlift Off Road Park in Arkansas. Great place and wonderful area. Think this is going to be an annual event for some. Some folks have already got a few years in on it. Listen to the talk and if it is something you can plan on attending you are more than welcome to join them. When other clubs hold events, try to attend. If you attend theris and show them your support, maybe they will return the favor and support your events. When you are planning events or trips let others know. Invite them to join you, but do it early and often. If you wait till the last minute some just can’t make it. If you do it too early they forget then last minute can’t get ready in time. If you keep reminding them and let the excitement build just maybe they might make it. Remember as much as everyone would like to, nobody can attend everything and with this economy some can't attend anything. Just do what you can when you can. Don't let hard times keep you from enjoying our sport or visiting with friends. If you can't afford to fix your ride right now, I know seats are always available with someone. Let them know and see what can be worked out. We hope to see you on the trails real soon!
Supper Lift Off Road Park
Hello Out There in Four Wheel Drive Land
Thought I might talk about some great wheeling adventures. Memorial Weekend we went to the Super Lift Off Road Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We had a total of 7 Jeeps from 4 states in our group of Fatboy's Jeepers, from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. We went for the mostly mid range trails, had a great trail guide and did some awesome trail riding. We stayed at a really nice camp ground just a short distance down the road from the park. However, the park also offered camping. They had a special on tent camping. What was normally $10 per night was offered for $10 for the event. Admission was $55, which included 1 year’s membership to the park, or $30 for members for 5 days of wheeling, This was a wonderful time with some great friends. I hope we can do it again sometime.
This is your Prez thinking out loud. Are you willing to share your 4x4 knowledge and expertise with the less knowledgeable? Are you willing to help create lasting memories for the less fortunate? Are you willing to help our great club grow and do good things for our communities?
By: George Thomas
One of the other great springtime rides is Rompin At The Ranch, a Fatboy's Jeepers adventure. Unfortunately, it had to be cancelled this year due to local area flooding around the French Lick and Paoli area. While at the super lift ride I got a phone call telling me the Ranch was hit by a tornado. Lots of trees down and 1 cabin was damaged. I tried to get over there to check it out but I had some truck trouble and a Jamboree at the Badlands to get to, so it took me another week to get there. They are working hard on clearing the down trees. We have arranged some clean ups so everything should be ready for the August IFWDA event. That is one great event and I hope you plan on attending. The Badlands Jeep Jamboree was really special this year. Lots of late model Jeeps and probably three fourths of them were first timers. For some it was their first off road experience. We made sure they had a great time and invited them to join IFWDA and join us in other adventures like the Ranch Trail-ride and Camp-out. I also invited them to come to the French Lick Jeep Jamboree. These are tough economic times but some folks are still finding ways to have a great time and enjoy our sport. I hope to see you at some of these events. There were also trail clean ups At Redbird and Interlake on National Trail Day. Hope you were able to support Indiana DNR and visit them. Please try to plan some club events or get a group together and enjoy these great wheeling places. Also keep supporting your local area places and plan some group trips to the nice parks in other nearby states. Keep our favorite sport going. Tread lightly and leave the area nicer than you found it. Great wheeling and hope to see you on the trail soon!
Letter from the Editor By: Emma Dryden
As many of you know this is my last newsletter. I started as a senior in high school and now I am a senior in college. Over the past four years I have been proud to be your newsletter editor for IFWDA. At times it was challenging, but I always felt great about the way it looked when it went out to everyone. There have been many changes since I started and I would like to think they have all been improvements. I would like to thank all of those who have helped me over the years, especially George Thomas and Dee Bubel. George believed that I could do this even though I was still in high shool and always contributed to every issue I published. Dee provided a lot of support and guidance. I am sure that many of you don’t know it but she looked over each issue and printed them up until she left the BOD. So a big THANK YOU to both of them as well as everyone that contributed. As they say, a newsletter is only as good as the articles that are in it, which means this newsletter would not have been possible without all of you, your articles and your photos. So please support the new editor and send in your articles. I will be whenever I get a chance to go on the trail.
By: Rob Robbins, IFWDA President
If your answer is ‘YES I CAN’, then get off the couch and get involved. As you read our E-vents and Newsletter, you’ll see throughout the state, IFWDA and our individual clubs have many worth while charities; food drives and ride-alongs for the less fortunate. Plus, events throughout the year that need coordinated. 324, that’s how many members we are up to. 16, that’s how many good people I have on my board. 13, the number of clubs we have in the association, of which we are lucky to get half of to send delegates to our quarterly meetings. So if you get my drift, we have maybe 10% doing 100% of the work. So instead of asking what our clubs can do for you, the better question should be “What can I do for the club?” The best place to start is to set aside just 4 days a year to attend our quarterly meetings. I don’t think that is too much to ask. I, personally, have been helping out for over 20 years and have found it very enjoyable. Along the way I have made many good friends and had a lot of fun, not to mention a few dents and broken parts. I would not trade these experiences for ANYTHING. Come see what you’re missing and you will not be sorry. Happy Trails and keep the rubber side down.
Redbird Newsletter The Redbird Foundation would like to give a HUGE thanks to Hi Lift for putting on Redbirds biggest event! Hi Lift donated a lot of time and money and we cannot commend them enough for being such a big support to Redbird and the Foundation. A big thanks goes out to the DNR and park staff for having Redbird in great condition for the event and their continued effort to better the park! A big thanks also goes out to all that attended and showed your support for Redbird, there were well over 100 rigs and over 350 people in attendance. The Redbird Foundation sold a large number of our new shirts and stickers which helps support the park and the Foundation. We hope to see you all back for the upcoming night ride on Labor Day weekend! Come on out and enjoy a weekend of camping and wheeling! Our events for October will be D.I.R.T Days on Oct 8th & 9th and the "haunted trails" night ride on Oct. 22nd & 23rd. IFWDA will be having a meeting at noon in the maintenance building on Oct. 23rd which is the Sunday of the Haunted Trails night ride. The Redbird Foundation would like to extend an invitation to anyone wanting help shape the future of the park. Foundation meetings are held the last Sunday of every month and we are always interested in new ideas and bringing new faces into the group! No special skills are required....just a desire to see the park get even better than it is today. We currently have a need for people with experience in writing grant applications, secretarial skills, trail design and maintenance. If you would like to help contact ...... Vic VanGilder, President Redbird Foundation. Ph. 812-240-0283 anytime. See ya on the trails!
OFFICERS
Nominations
By: Scott Sperling A nomination committee was created at the August Board meeting to help fill the upcoming vacancies in the positions of Vice President (Patty), Treasurer (Sandy), Special Events (Annette), UFWDA delegate (Gus) and Newsletter Editor (Emma) for years 2012/2014. Max Soliday and Scott Sperling will be contacting each member club as to potential candidates and recommendations for these positions during the month of September/October. A full report will be made by the Nomination Committee at the October meeting on Sunday- October 23, 2011 at Redbird SRA Maintenance Building. Please coordinate exact times with IFWDA publications. All nominees running for office must either be physically present at the meeting when nominated or when elections are held; or, must have filed a letter of intent with the nomination committee agreeing to fulfill the duties of the office nominated for. If you have interest in becoming an active part of the IFWDA Board of Directors, please contact Max or Scott at the address listed below. Duties of Officers: Vice President – The Vice President shall assist the President. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence. The Vice President may be assigned special tasks from time to time. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall receive all moneys; issue receipts; make bank deposits; and write all checks. The Treasurer shall be allowed to pay expenditures to $100 until such time as the Treasurer is bonded. At that time, the Treasurer may approve single expenditures to $500. The Treasurer may elect to submit expenditures to the body of Delegates for approval prior to payment. The Treasurer shall maintain a complete and accurate bookkeeping record of the Association. The Treasurer shall cause the books to be audited as required by the Board of Directors, but at least annually. The Treasurer shall be bonded, at Association expense, in an amount equal to the annual budget or liquid assets, whichever is greater. 1. A minimum of three (3) persons should be authorized to conduct the Association's financial business (sign checks, make withdrawals), by completing the appropriate signature cards required. The two additional people permitted to sign on IFWDA accounts should meet the following criteria (listed in descending order of importance): 2. None of the signers may be related. 3. The signers should be from different clubs.
5. In the event the authorized signers other than the Treasurer must conduct any financial business on behalf of the Association; the signatures of at least two of the additional signers are required on each transaction. 6. A permanent standing Ways and Means Committee shall be formed. The Treasurer shall be a member of the committee, along with others who may be appointed to serve. This committee may, at the discretion of the Treasurer, establish a separate banking account for their use. This account will be under the supervision of the Treasurer and the status of the account shall be reported at Delegate's meetings. All those permitted to sign on the account must be bonded if the funds in the account exceed $500 at the end of any calendar year. The Treasurer shall audit the account on a regular basis. Special Events –The Events Chairperson shall serve as the person in charge of an annual event to raise funds and promote recreational four wheeling. The Events Chairperson shall coordinate all IFWDA efforts to this end. The Events Chairperson may select assistants as needed. UFWDA Delegate- The United Four Wheel Drive Association (UFWDA) Delegates (elected) shall serve as the liaison between the IFWDA and the UFWDA. They shall keep the IFWDA membership informed of events and activities at the national level, as well as in fellow associations. They shall serve as IFWDA representatives to the annual UFWDA meeting. Prior to each UFWDA Delegates meeting, the IFWDA delegates to UFWDA shall submit to the Treasurer and to the delegate body a proposed budget for their trip. Normal travel expenses are reimbursed as outlined in the IFWDA by-laws. Newsletter Editor (appointed)- Shall be appointed by the President. Work with member clubs to compile and publish the IFWDA 4XNEWS letter quarterly. The Newsletter Editor shall cause a newsletter or news magazine to be published on a regular basis. The Newsletter Editor shall be in complete control of the publication, and shall accordingly accept responsibility for his or her actions. All officials (elected and appointed) are expected to provide reports at each Association meeting, and to provide articles/reports for each issue of the Association publication.
Rob Robbin President scoutman4614@gmail.com 765-480-0329 Patti Steman Vice-President jeepcrazed@gmail.com Dee Bubel Secretary UFWDA Delegate secretary@ifwda.org Sandy Dryden Treasurer sdryden@rr1.net Ron Mattox Secretary ron@scoutgraphics.com Gary & Kathleen Snyder Public Relations Director grandkasnyder@embargmail. com Annette Wheatcraft & Max Soliday Special Events Directors events_director@ifwda.org Rich Reisz & Mike Hughes Environmental Affairs k5mikeh@gmail.com Ryan Sweany & Gus Kissee UFWDA Delegates Akisseejr@sbcglobal.net rsweany@gmail.com Emma Dryden Newsletter Editor newsletter_editor@ifwda.org Jeff Hughes Membership s30blazer@gmail.com Scott Sperling Communications Director cssjeep@comcast.net
If you would be interested in being considered for any of these positions or have any questions or recommendations, please email Max (max.jeep@comcast.net) or Scott ( ifwdacommunicationsdirector@gmail.com ) by October 17th, 2011. Thanks for your help.
4. The additional signers should be from the Board of Directors, beginning with the President.
ifwda.org
IFWDA MEMBER CLUBS 4 Wheels To Freedom PO Box 342 Shelbyville, IN 46176
Monroe County 4x4 Club 8712 N. Mt. Pleasant Rd. Gosport, IN. 47433
Ruffriders PO Box 83 Goshen, IN 46526
4XFools Offroad Club 1402 Adams Street Urbana, IL 61802
Mud Turtles 1303 Frederick St. Joliet, IL 60435
SWAK- Safe Wheelers of All Kinds 44 McKinley Blvd. Terre Haute, IN 47803
Boonie Riders 4WD Club 7374 E. CR. 700 N. Grandview, In. 47615
North Central Indiana Free-Wheelers 130 N. Elm St. Bunker Hill, IN 46914
Fat Boys Jeepers 6142 Franklin Road Hagerstown, IN 47346
Off Road Trail Rods 68530 US 33 Goshen, IN 46526
Southern Indiana 4x4 Club 173 S East St Crothersville, IN 47229 Seymour In 47274
J. P. Frog Off-Roaders 6840 Norena Court Brownsburg, IN 46112
On the Trail 4WD P.O. Box 632 Oakland, IL. 61943
Did you know? The next IFWDA quarterly meeting is at Redbird on Sunday, October 23rd. We will be serving breakfast at 9:00 am in the maintenance building followed by the meeting at 10:00 am. Please try and attend.
ifwda.org Indiana Four Wheel Drive Association 573 Co. Rd. 700N Toledo, IL 62468 www.ifwda.org