By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The organizers of the September 27-29 Airstream camper rally in Brandon want y’all to know they’re in bed by 8 p.m.
“We’re not partyers,” laughed Melissa Corbin of the Northeast Mountaineers Airstream Club (NEMAC), which will bring approximately 20 gleaming aluminum Airstream campers to Brandon for a weekend of fun, food, and friendship on the great lawn behind the Brandon Inn.
The group regularly organizes collective camping trips, but this is the first time it has proposed to “camp” in a downtown. The original plan, in coordination with Brandon town management and the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce, was to have the campers line both sides of Park Street, creating a sort of Airstream promenade for people to walk down and admire the sleek machines. Equally important, it would give the campers a chance to experience Brandon in a more intimate way than if they went to one of the area campgrounds or even Estabrook Park.
But after a moment of pushback from residents of Park Street last month–sparked by concerns about privacy and noise–the rally was moved to the expansive lawn behind the Brandon Inn.
“I was surprised,” said Corbin. “I know what a great group of people we are. But we’re taking it as an opportunity for education. The essence of the rally is immersion. We want to contribute vitality to the communities we visit. And we want to respect our neighbors. We’re a really beautiful community of people who want to get to know other communities in Vermont.”
According to Corbin, NEMAC chose Brandon because of the town’s enthusiastic response to the group’s initial proposal and because of the newly renovated downtown.
“There were 4 towns that were competing to host the rally,” said Corbin, who lives in Winooski. “But we have a lot of respect for Brandon’s resiliency. We’ve seen the evolution of the town over the years. And the town presented a united front. The town managers, the Chamber, the Police Department, the Fire Department. The people there are really engaged.”
The campers will do more than just park their RVs on the lawn. NEMAC has a slew of activities planned to bring the campers and the Brandon community together:
- Friday at 11 a.m.: camper caravan to the Brandon Inn
- Friday at 5 p.m.: lawn games at the Inn
- Friday at 6:30 p.m.: Brandon resident and historian Dr. Kevin Thornton will present his film “Death in the Wilderness” at the Brandon Town Hall. The film follows the story of Brandon resident Frankie Davenport’s efforts to recover her husband’s remains after he died in the Civil War.
- Saturday 2 to 4 p.m.: Creative campsite contest at the Inn. Brandon residents are invited to visit the campers and vote for their favorites.
- Saturday at 6:45 p.m.: Airstream adornment award ceremony behind the Inn
- Saturday 7 to 9 p.m.: Yacht Rock band Pontoon will perform on the stage behind the Inn
Brandon artist Robin Kent has been asked to create unique artwork that will be sold at the Farmer’s Market on Friday, with the proceeds donated to the upkeep of the Brandon Town Hall.
Members of NEMAC will be seen all over town, patronizing shops and restaurants. They’ve been instructed to come with empty fridges, said Corbin. Arrangements have already been made to have pizzas and pastries from Morningside Bakery and brunch at Café Provence. The empty fridges mean that Hannaford and 802 Spirits will likely see an influx as well.
Corbin and her fellow campers are eager to show off the RVs in which they’ve invested so much of themselves, as evidenced by the creative campsite contest. The Airstreams will be tricked out and folks are asked to vote for their favorites. Corbin herself says, “Some people leave theirs in factory condition, but many of us decorate our campers in ways we’d never decorate our homes.”
In fact, Corbin recently commissioned a “wild” custom table for her Airstream from an artist who passed away right after completing the project.
And to those who wonder why these RVs engender quasi-cultish devotion, Corbin points out that not only are Airstreams beautiful, but they also provide a unique camping experience. Unlike many other makes, Airstreams allow “boondocking,” which is basically self-sufficient camping in areas that would be too remote for many other RVs. Airstreams do not require the utility hookups that other RVs do, permitting their owners to camp in remote places.
“My husband and I once camped on the salt flats in Utah,” said Corbin by way of example.
“And it’s not an elitist thing, either,” she added. “There’s a misconception that Airstreams are expensive and everyone who owns one is rich. I work for a nonprofit and my husband is a firefighter. A lot of people who see our camper say, ‘You’re living my dream.’ And we say that dream is a lot more accessible than people think.”
