GOSHEN —
The self-styled “Recreational Vehicle Capital of the World” will have that title showcased this week as thousands of dealers from across the region converge on Elkhart County for the fifth annual RV Open House.
Originally begun five years ago by RV manufacturer Forest River as a smaller, company-only event, the annual open house has since grown to include nearly ever RV company in the area in what has become one of the biggest centralized RV sales events of its kind.
Beginning Tuesday and running through Thursday, the RV Open House is strictly reserved for dealers in most cases and generally not open to the public. Instead, the event focuses primarily on giving dealers their first real look at all the new and improved offerings from area RV manufacturers that may grace their showroom floors in the coming year.
Among those with plans to participate in the event this year is RV manufacturing giant Thor Industries, whose displays will be located exclusively on the property of Elkhart’s RV Hall of Fame.
“We have over 300 units at the RV Hall of Fame,” said Bob Martin, president and chief operating officer of Thor Industries. “We have products from all of our divisions: Keystone, Dutchmen, CrossRoads, Heartland, Airstream and Thor Motorcoach. So we’ll have separate displays for each of those and then one larger Thor Industries display.”
As with most RV Open House shows, the Thor show is strictly by-invitation-only, though that didn’t keep Martin from anticipating a huge turnout for this year’s event overall.
“We’re expecting well over 2,000 people in a three-day period,” Martin said. “We’re actually anticipating larger crowds than previous years. If you drive down C.R. 6 in Elkhart, there are even more displays this year than last year. As we’ve spoken to dealers throughout the year, we’ve found that we have more registrations, and I know that some of the dealers that weren’t able to make the open house last year are planning to attend. So we’re looking at this as definitely bigger and better than ever before.”
The same seemed to hold true over at fellow RV manufacturing heavyweight Forest River, where officials within the corporation put forth a similar prediction of huge crowds this year.
Forest River will host a majority of its displays in and around the grounds of the company’s Dynamax facility on C.R. 6.
All in all, the company plans to display as many as 600 units during the three-day event, with representation from each of its various business units such as Palomino RV, Shasta and Primetime Manufacturing. And as with previous years, shuttle buses will be made available to shuttle dealers between the various RV displays.
In addition to Thor and Forest River, many other area RV manufacturers are also looking to get in on the action during this week’s open house.
Included among those manufacturers slated to make an appearance are Topeka-based Starcraft RV Inc., which will be displaying 35 towable models from its 2013 towable lineup at 2702 Ada Drive in Elkhart, just off of C.R. 6.
Also planning to participate are RV parts suppliers Lippert Components Inc. and its sister company Kinro Inc., who will be hosting their own dealer open house beginning Monday and running through Thursday on Glenview Drive in Elkhart.
EverGreen Recreational Vehicles LLC of Middlebury will also make an appearance with plans to unveil its new 2013 Sun Valley travel trailer at its display site on Executive Parkway near the entrance to the RV Hall of Fame.
Also getting in on the mix is Shipshewana-based Venture RV, which will be displaying its new line, the SportTrek lightweight travel trailer, at its display location just south of the intersection of C.R. 6 and C.R. 15 in Elkhart.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Troy Andrews, left and Nate Daeger, right, of Livin’ Lite RVs direct a towable RV into place while setting up for this week’s trade show at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart. Sam Householder
RV makers ready for annual open house
- Local News
-
-
Dozens treated after school buses collide
NORTH WEBSTER — A crash involving four Wawasee Community School buses Wednesday resulted in more than 50 injured students, according to Kosciusko County police.
-
Fitness Fridays begin at Parkview LaGrange
Looking for a way to “jump start” your weekend activities? Leaders at Parkview LaGrange Hospital invite the public to join them every Friday at 4 p.m. for a 2-mile walk around the hospital’s half-mile walking track.
-
UPDATE: Wawasee bus driver, some students taken to hospital after crash
SYRACUSE — A crash Wednesday afternoon involving four Wawawsee Community School buses has sent 25 children and a bus driver to local hospitals for treatment. The crash occurred on Ind. 13 near Clark Marina, which is between Wawasee Middle School and the North Webster town limits.
-
FIT FAMILIES: Hospital or home, which setting is best for delivering a baby?
It would be difficult to find a birth topic more emotionally charged than home delivery. Women and men of all socio-economic, educational and professional backgrounds tend to have strong ideas about home birth vs. hospital birth.
-
Shipshe Event Center receives AED
Visitors and staff at the Shipshewana Event Center and Hostetler’s Hudson Museum will have a little extra backup in case of emergency thanks to an automated external defibrillator that is now available on site.
-
Graduation season gets underway tonight
The time has come for local high school seniors to begin turning their tassels. After 13 years of schooling in many cases, the Class of 2013 is ready to graduate.
-
Fifth-graders give ‘State Fair’
NAPPANEE — Fifth-graders at Nappanee Elementary School proudly showed off their work at a state fair held Friday in the school gymnasium. The students have been studying states and the fair was the culmination of their work, which began in March.
-
GOSHEN CITY COUNCIL: Standards defined for future tax breaks
Goshen City Council members took the first step in what could soon be a universal approach to the way tax phase-ins are handled throughout Elkhart County.
-
Locals bend Lt. Gov. Susan Ellspermann’s ear on overregulation
Regulations, taxes and the rebound of the recreational vehicle industry were the topics Lt. Gov. Susan Ellspermann heard were important in Elkhart County during a visit Tuesday afternoon.
-
THE DIRT ON GARDENING: Planting season arrives with color
How do you say perfection?
- More Local News Headlines
-
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
