Vintage Caravan Magazine Issue 37 | Page 5

�EDITOR'S RAVE� W hile most of us are starting to dream about the upcoming summer of rallying ahead of us and many of our trailers are tucked up and winterized, I thought it would be a good time to broach a topic that so often comes up around the campfires of many a successful rally. If there’s one thing we love as much as our vintage trailers, it’s the delight that others take in appreciating them as much as we do. It’s for this reason that we will happily open our trailers up to the pubic at the many ‘Open House’ days at vintage trailer rallies and car shows and other events where we are invited to put our trailers on display. But to do so requires a huge amount of trust on our part and can cause even more wear and tear on our trailers than years and years of road travel and camping. Do not underestimate the potential damage of showing off your trailers. If you intend to display it regularly make sure that your restoration process takes extra care with the structural issues such as the sturdiness of the flooring and framework. When choosing fixtures and finishings, consider things like ease of cleaning and durability. When we featured Ann Kruger’s gorgeous 1959 Aloha “Dixie” on the cover a year ago, she made a real impact with our readers. Not long after this, her flooring collapsed, creating significant damage to the entire structure. Ann was devastated. Having spent all she could do get “Dixie” this gorgeous, there was nothing left to do the essential repairs. Next time I saw Ann at a rally, she was staying in a cabin, not wanting to miss out on the fun and lamenting her “Dixie’s” demise. It broke my heart and so I set up a special GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the repair of Ann’s “Dixie”. So far almost half of the target amount has been raised and all proceeds from the sales of the back issue #31 featuring Ann’s trailer during January and February will also go towards the repair fund. I would love to extend this this offer to anyone else who needs some help getting their vintage trailer restored or repaired due to unforeseen or personal circumstances. I’ve been there myself and am forever thankful to those who helped me, so this is my way of paying it forward. Once we have fulfilled Ann’s wish, let’s move on to the next and make dreams come true, one trailer at a time! Drop me a line and tell me about your story or that of someone you know and care about and we can make it an ongoing ‘Vintage Trailer Magazine Dream Fund’ of sorts. Meantime, if you can spare even $1 towards helping Ann’s dreams come true please donate to her GoFundMe at: www.gofundme.com/ help-ann-fix-her-beloved-glamper Keep warm and dream of spring! Photo by Sandi Whitteker Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/vintagetrailermagazine For more of Lisa’s “raves” and photos visit her Blog: “My Dream Home is Portable” link from the VTM website at: www.vintagetrailermagazine.com vintagetrailermagazine | 3