I’ll admit it - I’m a camping and RV show addict. I have to go to at least one show every year (almost always 2 or 3) even though I have no intention of buying a new RV for several more years. When I tell most people how much I love to go to camper and RV shows they look at me like I just told them I collect toenail clippings.

My sister-in-law understands my obsession. She has it too. Actually, it’s her fault! She’s the one that convinced me to go camping and who dragged me to my first camping show several years ago (yes my eyes glazed over in pretend boredom when she first asked me).

For me, the best thing about the camping and RV shows I go to is that they are held in January, February, and March when the weather where I live is cold and snowy. Since I can’t afford to spend the winter months in Florida, I escape to camping and RV shows where I can pretend it’s summer and there’s no snow to shovel.

Plus, I love looking at the campers and RV’s on display. Yes, after several hours of wandering through campers and RV’s they all start to look the same. That’s when it’s time to check out the other vendors at the camping shows - the campground displays, the cool new camping products, and the tasty foods (I love free samples!). And, when my feet are tired and sore, I plunk down in a chair at one of the educational/informational seminars at the camping show and hopefully learn something new.

The most fun though is listening to other people at the show as they check out the units on display and make comments to each other. They are always the most interesting inside the big rigs (the class A motorhomes). The most common comment I hear in there is “I’d need to sell my house to buy this.” Boy do I understand that comment.

Although this time of year there are few, if any, camper shows because most of us are now out there enjoying our camping experiences; there will be shows again in the fall and early next year.

Typically most camping shows are held: January, February, March, September, and October. There are a few in April, May, and August; but hardly ever any in June, July, November, and December.

The seventh annual Vermont State Fall RV Show is being held September 6 and 7, 2008 at the Champlain Valley Expo Center in Essex Junction, Vermont.

There will be over 100,000 square feet of RV’s inside and out with Motor Homes of all classes, Fifth Wheels, Travel Trailers, Truck Campers, and Park Models on display, along with pre owned Rv’s, ATV’s and accessories.

Show hours are Saturday September 6, 2008 from 10 am to 8 pm; and Sunday, September 7, 2008 from 10 am to 6 pm

Adult admission is $5.00
Children under 16 are free with an adult

For more information contact Bob Snyder at East Coast Shows, Inc. Phone: 800.542.6017.

Camping and playing games goes hand in hand. Our family’s favorite camping game is ladder golf but we have lots of others we enjoy as well.

One fun board game is called What’s Yours Like. What I like best about the game is that it is fun and different no matter if playing with kids, a group of adults, teenagers, or a group of older people.

A “guess word” is picked and everyone except the person in the “hot seat” gets to look at the word. They all then describe that item to the person in the hot seat but they try to be as clever and subtle as possible to prevent that person in the “hot seat” from guessing too quickly.

For example, the guess word may be “swimsuit.” The clues people may give might be, “mine is tight,” “it’s hot when I wear mine,” and “I hate shopping for mine.”

To watch a video of the game being played, click here.

Click here to see how well you can play the game with a couple sample clues. I’m pretty bad at the game. I played all five sample questions and only answered one correctly.