Summary of 2009 Winnie GNR?

Mark (FrontRangeRVer) posed this question in the GNR thread ... those who were at the GNR, please chime in and let us know how you enjoyed it, favorite/least favorite seminars, service experiences, thoughts about the 2010 models on display, favorite/least favorite dining experiences, etc, etc.

BTW - I removed the sticky from the two GNR threads and locked them.  They have drifted down to take their rightful chronological place in our board.

We were first timers so it was all new to us. We attended most of  the technical seminars and went away with something useful from all of them.

Lee (wife) took the women's driving course - her instructor was a  female ex truck driver. She got to drive a branny new 40 ft diesel pusher. Lee got a lot out of the course.

She builds miniature room boxes that are also night lights. She won first place in her category !!

There were rumors that the Lodge was going to close after the GNR but I have no idea if that's accurate.
We and three other couples went there for dinner the Friday before GNR and it took three hours for our meals to show up. We were told that they only had one guy cooking (one long term guy had walked off the job earlier that day) and the cook had only been employed there for a few days. I think service was better after that but we didn't go back.

We went to the Branding Iron for ribs one night and they were okay. Being a native Texan I am very partial to Texas style BBQ sauce though and their sauce didn't quite make it for me. My Yankee friends thought the ribs were good.

The big band and dixieland jazz groups were great IMHO.

We looked at  a few of the 2010 models and noticed that many of the floor plans  are getting rid of most of the carpet and replacing it with other types of flooring like tile and linoleum. A couple of the DPs only had carpet in the bedroom and under the driver's captains chair.

I had a windshield replaced and the roof edge re-caulked in two places. The windshield seems to be fine but the tech should have replaced about three more inches of caulk in one place. If I press on the roof edge it pulls away from the gutter rail a little.
I am awaiting a call back from the service adviser about whether they will send me a complimentary tube of the caulk so I finish the job myself. Since I am now in NH for a month and can't get to the factory so they can honor their work warranty that seems to be a fair solution to me.

We stayed in the SD row and met some really nice people.
However we joined the 365ers while we were there and have a lot in common with them, so when we go to another GNR we will stay in their area.

All in all we enjoyed the experience and want to go again.

Clay L said:

There were rumors that the Lodge was going to close after the GNR but I have no idea if that's accurate.

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That would be a shame IMO, but it does appear they want out of the restaurant part of it.  Winnie used to own The Lodge, but spun it off sometime in the past

We went to the Branding Iron for ribs one night and they were okay. Being a native Texan I am very partial to Texas style BBQ sauce though and their sauce didn't quite make it for me. My Yankee friends thought the ribs were good.

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You can't imagine how thrilled we are to be living again in the land of great BBQ and great TexMex

All in all we enjoyed the experience and want to go again.

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Great report - thanks for taking the time to let us know how it went for you!

Thanks Clay for the report!

By the way....BBQ here in Colorado is pathetic (we miss Joe Allens in Abilene TX!), there is no such thing as "skirt steak" here to make fajitas, and if you go to a good "TexMex" restaurant, they serve green and red tortilla chips because they look authentic. 

This was our second GNR. Both my wife and I had a great time but we both were a little let down by the whole thing. The highlight for us was the State Row party. It was bigger and better than last year with a ton of interesting and creative items being served.  Most of 2010 models were prototypes with a MSRP that hasn't been determined even at this date. The seminars seemed to be informative but it also seemed to be less of them and a lot of them were only present once. They also had Pampered Chief, and some sort of Holistic / Aroma Therapy seminars with I personally thought strange. A good number of them were just actually  a guided walk through of of various models. I went to the two hour maintenance seminar and it quickly just became a question answer forum with various owners asking specific questions about their particular model.  The salvage shop is closed and they said they would have a junk tent but it never materialized. Instead, they took one end of the WIT store on the side of Friendship hall and and had a few items just randomly appear there from time to time, mostly fabric and corrian cut outs.
  We had a great meal at the Branding Iron (Prime Rib night) and enjoyed the fish fry at Clear lake. Had pie at Sally's and some great sandwiches at Shooter's Sports Bar (a really great place to eat). Everyone who served us was friendly and helpful. They all seemed to be very happy to have us there. The local news said the GNR brings up to 4 million $ to the local economy. We hope it helps the great folks of Forest City hang in there until things turn around.     

Indy Itasca said:

The highlight for us was the State Row party. It was bigger and better than last year with a ton of interesting and creative items being served.

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Funny how word gets around about which state row has the best goodies  ;D

This was my 7th rally and I and my group agree it was one of the better ones we attended. The entertainment was good for all ages. Comedian Jimmy Travis had everyone laughing hysterically as he did before. He did have new material or we all forgot from five years ago. He is funny though if you just heard him last week.  The bonfire was a nice new event this year and had quite a gathering round the fire.  If you missed the hamburger cook off you missed a very fun and tasty event.

It was nice this year having the new coaches in the center of the grounds. That made them more accessible throughout the day to everyone. Of course this was not possible until the last few years of late because the grounds were full of attendees.

There were many of the same seminars and most of technical ones were held more than once. Daily in the pavilion (seminar B) one of the new coaches was featured in a seminar given by the designers and planners of that coach. It was interesting to hear how they go about planning a new model from start to finish. I know a few people looking for a new coach said they particularly liked being able to "pick the brain" of the builders.

The car parade was held again and although there were not quite as many cars as last year, they were fun to look at and drool over.

Winegard had a party too in the white tent one eve and gave away one of their portable dishes and several wingman antennas. Of course I didn't win.

There were not as many people in the merchant/craft rows as in other years, possibly victims of the economy.

I noticed Bob Olson, CEO, on the grounds very visible, talking with people every day.

Heritage Village next to the rally grounds held some special event this year in addition to the ones held during Puckerbrush.

I did not go to the Lodge to eat but heard about the horrible service, which isn't new. I personally haven't eaten there in a few years because of the same issues,so can't comment on the food. I do totally agree with the comment about Shooters. Great food and great service. A couple of people who used to work at Winnebago now have Shooters and are doing a very good job with it.  Whenever I was there it was always quite busy but the service was very good.

I know we all miss the surplus store. I heard it has come and gone through out the years so some day may be back again.

They announced next year the theme will be Hollywood legends. Saw many people dressing the theme this year so looking to see what next year will bring in costumes. Hope you all can make it.

Good review Olive...thanks!

olive said:

I know we all miss the surplus store. I heard it has come and gone through out the years so some day may be back again.

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Sorry to see it disappear, but they weren't very realistic in pricing many items. 

We enjoyed the Puckerbrush in downtown FC and also Heritage Days.

Thanks for taking the time to record your experiences!

FrontrangeRVer said:

Thanks Clay for the report!
if you go to a good "TexMex" restaurant, they serve green and red tortilla chips because they look authentic.   

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Now that there is jest plain pitiful !