It is early yet in the event, but already Alumapalooza appears to be a success.  Everyone here seems to be having a massively good time.  The mayor of Jackson Center has invited us to be in the town parade on Sunday.  The president of Airstream has made it clear he expects us back next year.  The town’s businesses seem to be happy with the people we’ve brought to Jackson Center (the local population has increased 20% by our presence).  And best of all, we have not been wiped off the field by thunderstorms.

Every day we have been threatened by thunderstorms, and every day we are getting lucky, as terrifying storms pass just north or south of our location.  Today started with mild fog in the morning again, but by 9 a.m. a gusty rainstorm crashed down and soaked everything.  We could see a strange line in the clouds overhead a few  minutes before it happened (see photo at left), and I’d been watching the weather radar, so we had time to go around and warn everyone to take in their awnings.

This happened while sKY and slaDE were leading a quiet yoga class under the main tent.  In mid-storm, Brett had to turn up the volume on the microphone just so they could be heard over the torrential rain.  But they remained calm and rode it out, stretching and breathing with their class of 30 or so people.

That was just a warm-up for what lay ahead, as it turned out.  The midday was quiet, with very successful presentations by Bert Gildart, Dale Schwamborn, and some of the service center staff.  Since only a dozen trailers were expected, we decided to skip registration and just let people self-park.  (New arrivals met us later at Happy Hour to get their credentials.)  This felt a lot better for all of us, and we actually had time to relax a little and drop in on some of the seminars.

Alas, it was not to last.  After  Happy Hour another line of storms developed on the horizon, and these appeared to be so severe that Jackson Center sounded its tornado siren.  I dashed to the Airstream to load up the latest weather radar and turn on the weather radio.  The radar picture was not good, but the worst of the storms broke to the south and again we dodged a bullet.  This gave us a light and sound show to watch, but not much rain.

We’ve since been told that if a tornado was likely, the Fire Department will come by and order an evacuation.  The Airstream Service Center is our safe haven in such an event, since it is sturdily constructed.

And here’s the evidence of how happy everyone is:  most people thought we had a very nice day.  Between storms it was sunny and hot, and the seminars were well attended in the shade of the big tent.  Folks were flying kites, riding bicycles, touring trailers, taking pictures, petting dogs, visiting downtown, holding parties under their awnings. Everyone was full of compliments and smiles.  I heard a lot of laughter.

Still, we had some stress.  I was called out to solve an electrical problem in Row 2, then there was a water leak in the generator area, and then a truck got stuck in the mud created by the water leak.  All of us were running around solving problems half the day, so we still ended up tired and sweaty.  Just as I was contemplating heading back to the Airstream for some down time, slaDE and sKY invited us to try their brand of partner yoga, called yogaFLIGHT.  That turned out to be a perfect antidote for our working stress.

Eleanor was the first willing victim, and you can see what slaDE got her to do! Eventually we all tried it, Eleanor, Lisa, Brett, and me.  It’s a great program and we hope to learn more about it from our new friends.

The evening program was Sean & Kristy Michaels, showing some of their great Airstream videos from The Long Long Honeymoon website — another big success — and then we wrapped it up with a trio singing The Alumapalooza Anthem as composed by Kirk McKellar.  Brett, Kirk, and I sang it to the tentful of attendees … a one-time only performance.  You can see and hear that glorious spectacle here.

Tomorrow we are expecting another 50 trailers.  It will be another full day and we’re looking forward to it!

We’re in a “Jackson Center daze,” caused by overwhelming activity.  It’s as if today has been a compression of three days.  My day started at 3:20 a.m. when I was pacing around the Airstream unable to sleep. Today was our first official day of Alumapalooza, and my mind was full of things we needed to do.

I got back to sleep an hour later, and Eleanor and I slept fitfully until 6:00.  We finally gave up thoughts of rest and got busy prepping the Airstream to relocate from the Terra Port to the rally field, just north of the assembly building.  I had thought I might need to be very quiet as I worked, but it seemed that nearly everyone was also up and getting ready to go.

The thunderstorms hit us hard last night, and the field was slick with wet grass and clay.  Our Airstream got into position easily enough (the Mercedes has all-wheel drive), and Brett’s Argosy 28 motorhome managed well enough, but artist Michael Depraida’s giant commercial box truck with dually rear wheels (pulling a 30 foot Airstream Classic) slipped badly and ended up digging a long furrow.  Fortunately we had a tractor on standby and it easily hauled Michael’s trailer into position.

The sky stayed deeply clouded in the morning as the trailers began to arrive, with fog on the distant fields and a chilly light breeze.  It felt like it would never warm up, but just two hours later the sun was out and we were looking for shade.  This changeable weather — typical for Jackson Center in June — duped me so that I forgot to put on sunscreen. Big mistake.  By the end of the day my feet were burned between the sandal straps and my ears were scorched.  Brett also looked like a boiled lobster.  The only good part about it was that the field dried up nicely by mid-afternoon, so we didn’t need the tractor any longer.

We parked about 65 trailers today, which is roughly half of what we are ultimately expecting.  The Airstream folks have been very supportive, which made our work easier.  Airstream’ president Bob Wheeler dropped by the Happy Hour and thanked us publicly, and he even read a little limerick of his own creation.

Brett, Lisa, Eleanor, and I were hustling all day long to get people parked, answer questions, solve problems, and set up equipment.  Tim and a few helpers went around the field and got all the electrical and water connections set up for the arriving trailers.  But the real job of the day was dealing with the unexpected.  There were plenty of problems to solve:  About half a dozen trailers didn’t follow the directions and ended up coming in facing the wrong direction.  The dumpster didn’t arrive on schedule (we’ll get it tomorrow).  I accidentally scheduled a talk for Wednesday when it should have been on Thursday.  Many of the pre-printed badges we made a week ago turned out to be missing — apparently the result of a software glitch.  We found some nasty potholes in the field that needed marking with yellow paint.  But those problems were relatively minor.  Everything else worked out fine, including getting water and electricity to the trailers.  And most importantly, everyone seems to be having a great time.

The last two years of producing the Vintage Trailer Jam have taught us that there are two essential tools for this sort of work: bicycles and radios.  The mountain bikes allow us to quickly move from place to place, even over rough terrain and between trailers, which makes “gofer” work much easier.  The radios kept the whole team updated.  A loaned Gator (a 6×4 all-terrain vehicle with a cargo bed, kind of like a little pickup truck) helped us move stuff around, too.

The entire Airstream company is feeling the impact of Alumapalooza this week.  Bob Wheeler says everyone is charged up from having us all here, which I can believe. You can’t look at all the people roaming around, and all the trailers coming in, without at least a little tinge of excitement.  I understand that the Service Center lobby was inundated with people today.  The 2 p.m. tour got about 35 people, which is a pretty large group.  It’s only going to get busier from here.  We expect an additional 12 trailers on Wednesday, and about 50 more on Thursday.

My last major obligation today was to give a talk about “full-timing,” which turned into more of a ramble by me about all kinds of random things relating to Airstreaming.  I showed a few dozen slides and answered questions, and it went pretty well.  After that, the four of us who made up the core team debriefed each other (that’s code for “a bitch session about all the things that went wrong”) and having unburdened ourselves, we all felt better and vowed to have an even better day tomorrow.  I can tell you for certain that sunscreen and a better hat will be a key part of the day’s preparations.

Everyone else is still outside, since it is quite warm and pleasant as the sun sets.  They’re talking, meeting up with old friends, eating dinner, sharing desserts, and settling in.  We’ve retreated to the trailer to shower off the day’s sweat and catch up on email.  Tomorrow promises to be a really big day, and I am hopeful that we will all get a good night’s sleep… Alumapalooza 2010 is under way!

At long last, here we are in Jackson Center, Ohio, the home of AIRSTREAM for over four decades.

We’re here for Alumapalooza of course.  The event starts on Tuesday, but there’s some advance work to do beforehand.  So today we dragged the trailer down from South Bend (where we just spent three absolutely terrific days of courtesy parking with our friends Dr C and Mrs. Dr. C), and plopped it into Airstream’s own “Terra Port.”

The Terra Port has been our home many times over the years.  It’s a little arrangement of three loops, each with eight full hookup campsites.  Usually these spaces are used by customers who are here for service, although when there is extra space available any Airstream owners can stay for $10 per day.  It’s just a short walk to the Service Center, and the factory tour, and the Wally Byam Store, and the outdoor display for antique Airstreams in the front lot.  People with “aluminum fever” never seem to get tired of coming here.

We pulled in around five p.m. and were instantly surrounded by a bunch of folks who are here for service and Alumapalooza.  Gunny is here, as well as Alice and Tim from Florida, and Forrest and Patrice from Denver.  Brett showed up about an hour after we did.  (All of these people have been subjects of this blog or the Tour of America blog in the past.)  People were waving printouts of the tentative Alumapalooza schedule and asking what had changed since.  Steve L — a serious Airstream Life fan — came over with his ladder and brush and actually washed our trailer, which was beyond unexpected.   (It really needed it.  The front was covered with bug guts.)  Gunny hung around to harass me, as always, and other folks just came to chat.  It feels like the party has already started, and the actual event is still three days off.

This is what makes events tick.  We spent months working on a program of events that includes over 20 speakers, two professional entertainers, live demonstrations, cookouts, and much more — but in the final analysis the quality of the event is driven by the people who attend.  I know personally a lot of the people who are coming, so I know that we’re going to have a great week.

Despite having coming to J.C. many times, we still have not managed to visit most of the local attractions.  That’s because we are always here for business.  We haven’t gone to the Neil Armstrong museum up in Wapakoneta, nor the Bicycle Museum.  We haven’t visited the “Kitchenaide Experience,” The Spot To Eat Diner in Sidney, Indian Lake or Grand Lake St Mary’s State Park.  We did once manage to see the Air Force Museum in Dayton and we’ve checked out most of the small local businesses in J.C., but that’s about it.  This visit probably won’t be any different: we’ve got a full schedule through next Sunday, and then we need to bust out for points east.

Well, very very cool.  I had expected a small turnout to view the vintage trailers on exhibit at the ACE Hotel, but I was absolutely floored by the response of the Modernism Week attendees.  We were only eight trailers (three vintage Airstreams, one new Airstream brought by a local dealer, one Silver Streak, two canned hams, one Spartan, and one other I never did identify).  Despite the limited number of trailers to view, hundreds of people bought wristbands for the privilege of coming inside and talking with us.

Tours were supposed to be at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. but there was really almost no letup, so despite an assistant I recruited, there was not much possibility of a break.  I didn’t mind.  It was terrific to see so many people enjoying the Caravel, and frankly the people-watching was excellent. Modernism Week attracts an enthusiastic design-oriented crowd, so the show was as entertaining for me as it was for them.

I had put up a signboard that explained the basics of the Caravel, but many people didn’t read it.  So much of my day was spent answering the same questions, like a tour guide. Here are the answers:

1. It’s 17 feet long
2.  1968
3. We’ve owned it 7 years.
4. Yes, it was restored, but this is how it was originally designed.
5. No, that’s a refrigerator, not a dishwasher.
6. Yes, we really do camp in it.  (People seemed to think it was like a show car, only taken out for display but never slept in.)

When things finally calmed down I joined some local folks for a quick tour around  the older part of Palm Springs, where the classic movie stars and numerous other famous people lived.  We happened by Elvis’s Honeymoon House, which can be toured, “Casa de Liberace” near downtown, Raymond Loewy’s house, and various others.  Many of the more exotic homes are well-hidden from public view by tall walls, security gates, and extensive landscaping, but modernist design homes are everywhere in this part of town, so there’s no problem spotting great architecture from your car.

Next year, I’m coming several days early so I can enjoy all that Modernism Week and Palm Springs has to offer.  This has been a great event. You can expect to hear more from me about the 2011 event later this summer …