Truck Camper Show Set
An annual truck camper show is being planned in the Pacific Northwest, starting with a show and rally September 12-14 at the Starkey Station campgrounds in Starkey, near La Grande, in northeastern Oregon. The event will display campers from many manufacturers and provide a venue for other venders. It also will give participants an opportunity to take tours of such Eastern Oregon attractions as Hells Canyon Recreational Area, the historic Hot Lake Hotel, Starkey Experimental Forest and Range and Wallowa Lake.

Information about the event can be obtained from show director Chris Haefer by calling (541) 910-6222 or sending an e-mail to chris.haefer@gmail.com. Deadline for reserving exhibit space is May 15.

Celebrities Adore Airstreams
Actors Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn and Colin Farrell share a love of Airstreams, according to the gossipy Page 6 section of the New York Post. The paper says Pitt owns a classic Airstream 345 motorhome, Farrell has a $120,000 Airstream trailer that sleeps six; McConaughey lives in his $80,000 International Ocean Breeze Airstream at a Malibu RV park, and Penn uses a Safari Airstream when he wants “to get back to nature.”

The Post quotes an Airstream salesman as saying, “Celebrities love Airstreams because they have become American icons with their sleek lines and designs. They are the epitome of cool when it comes to trailers.”

Parks Need Seasonal Workers
Xanterra Parks & Resorts, which holds the concession for lodging, restaurants and gift shops in several national parks, is seeking seasonal workers for a variety of jobs, including maintenance, campground management, accounting, housekeeping, and transportation.

Besides filling jobs for the traditional summer season of June through August, the company is seeking workers who are available as early as May or as late as October. Those hired will range from college students to retirees. Employees may bring their own recreational vehicles or live in dormitories.

Xanterra holds concessions at Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest national parks and Mt. Rushmore National Monument. It also operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Arizona, and the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. For information, visit www.xanterra.com. There is a separate Web site for Yellowstone at www.yellowstonejobs.com.

RVIA Plans Mission to China
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association is organizing a trade mission to China May 14-24 to explore the RV market and participate in the 2008 China RV and Camping Show in Shanghai, May 16-18.

RV industry representatives first visited China last August to begin exploring the potential for selling and marketing RVs in China. The RVIA says a number of Chinese manufacturers have indicated their willingness to form partnerships with U.S. manufacturers to develop China’s RV market. One purpose of the trade mission in May is to educate Chinese government officials on reasons why China should adopt the U.S. standards for RVs rather than European standards.

Thor Sales Increase
Thor Industries, the world’s largest RV manufacturer, has reported $505.2 million in RV sales in the quarter ending January 31, a 3 percent gain over the same period a year ago. The company, which also builds commercial buses, said net income amounted to $21.6 million, up 18 percent from the previous year.

Wade F. B. Thompson, Thor chairman, said the results were helped by improved manufacturing efficiencies, lower warranty costs, higher interest income and a gain on the sale of real estate.

Good Sam Names Favorites
The Good Sam Club, which has more than a million member families, has bestowed its 2008 Welcome Mat awards to businesses that its members have voted as favorites for their customer service and commitment to accommodating RVers.

Winners in various categories this year include Cracker Barrel, Wendy’s, Subway, Dairy Queen, PetsMart, Disney World, the Mall of America, Flying J, Tanger’s outlet malls, Sam’s Town casino and Camping World. Ford was voted the favorite tow vehicle and Jeep was the favorite dinghy vehicle. Members voted the Daytona 500 the best NASCAR event, Florida the best state to visit, and British Columbia the favorite province.