The Western Sunsetters 2024 Fall Rally was held in the beautiful prairies of Alberta. The fields, trees, and rolling hills were aglow with fall colors. Our group campsite area included the private use of a large Grill Shack /Clubhouse Building and Kitchen at Prairie Junction RV Resort in Stettler.
Our Western Sunsetters Stettler Rally welcomed members from:
- As far north as Nunavut.
- As far south as California.
- As far west as Vancouver Island.
- As far east as New Brunswick.
- As well as from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
- Nine couples were attending their very first LTV Travelers Club Rally.
30 LTVs in total were registered for this rally.
Day 1 – Thursday
After settling into camping spaces, members came to the Grill Shack to register. They were also invited to sign up for optional local tours, bike rides, golfing, volunteer assistance, a show-and-share of gadgets and tools, or an LTV show-and-tell “Open House.”
A “chili bar” group meal was served in the Grill Shack. Afterward, we played a “getting to know each other” mixer game. Due to heavy rain, we had to cancel the planned outdoor bonfire social time. Some members did, however, sit around two different propane fire pits under the Grill Shack’s covered porch. Others visited at tables inside the warm and dry building.
Each day started with muffins and coffee/tea in the Grill Shack. Thank you to one of our Rally Coordinators, Katherine, for volunteering to bake all the muffins and loaves for each morning’s coffee get-together. In addition to baking, Katherine also grew each type of berry or garden vegetable featured in the baked goods that were available for members to enjoy.
Day 2 – Friday
Following the morning coffee/muffin get-together, members enjoyed a presentation by Kaimee of the Stettler Board of Trade. In addition to sharing highlights of what Stettler has to offer visitors, our guest speaker and her helper gifted each LTVer with a bag of local coupons, small gifts, and brochures. Following this presentation, we had a raffle ticket draw for a set of LTV-branded dishes and an outdoor propane fire bowl donated by Guarantee RV in Calgary.
We then played a second “getting to know each other” activity and an “LTV Experiences”-related Bingo Game. This game got everyone up, moving around, meeting, and talking to each other as they sought van owners who matched Bingo square details. Completed Bingo sheets were dropped in a marked box for prize draws later in the rally.
The remainder of the day was open for attendees to engage in activities of choice. Some took the opportunity to explore the local shops and sites. Others took small group walks, bike rides, or golf.
Thank you to one of our Rally Coordinators, Brian C., who kindly offered club members rides to any place they wished to visit. His rally ride trips were much appreciated by members who happily joined with others to “Ride Share” to venues of interest.
A dinner of smoked pulled pork, an array of fixings, local Alberta grilled corn, and an ice cream sandwich dessert was served. Thank you to several Travelers Club members who helped to shuck the corn and to Terry D. and Gordon W., who manned the outdoor grill in the rain to cook the fresh corn.
Following dinner, completed Bingo sheets were drawn for prizes donated by LTV, western province RV vendors, as well as from a few LTV-affiliated individuals.
After the prize draws, one of our Travelers Club members, Gordon Toombs, a professional photographer, provided a mini photography workshop as he shared projected images of some of the photos he had taken in the past and explained tips for capturing superior images.
Following the photo workshop, many members stayed in the Grill Shack to visit while others sat under the outdoor porch roof to enjoy visiting around the propane fire pits.
Day 3 – Saturday
After coffee and muffins in the Grill Shack, several attendees took in the province/city-organized “Alberta Cultural Days” activities offered around the community. Many club members spent time at the “Stettler Town and Country Museum.”
The museum was highlighting the contributions of early Swiss settlers. Attendees were treated to a free grilled hot dog lunch, Swiss sausage and bread tastings, Swiss cheese on baked potatoes, and gifts of Swiss chocolate and pens. Many demonstrations highlighted farming tasks and farm animals, Swiss musical performances, and storytelling. Burmese mountain dogs and puppies at the museum entrance were a hit with everyone. A passport stamp opportunity was offered to visitors, and a prize was given for a Swiss watch. One of our Western Sunsetters Travelers Club members, Gordon W., was the lucky winner of the watch.
The Stettler Regional Fire-Rescue also hosted visitors for Alberta Cultural Days. Several of our Rally attendees visited the Fire Station, where they were welcomed to enjoy complimentary grilled burgers, chips, and beverages before watching demonstrations of some of the rescue tasks that Firefighters engage in. This included firefighters demonstrating various rope decent control methods after first climbing to the top of a very tall tower while wearing full rescue gear, including heavy equipment hooked to their belts. Afterward, some of our Western Sunsetters members accepted the challenge of climbing up and down the same tower without carrying heavy gear.
Later in the afternoon, most of our Western Sunsetters group gathered at the Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions stop in our campground to board the train.
Our group was soon seated together in our private train car. The five-hour tour included views of various prairie landscapes, live entertainment, and an onboard “Charity” Train Robbery.
Following the robbery, the train stopped so passengers could watch a staged Western Shootout. After resuming our journey, we soon arrived in Big Valley.
Passengers disembarked to explore the historic train station, visit an amazing tool museum, and visit a grain elevator. They also did some local shopping and enjoyed a hearty and delicious Buffet dinner in the local Community Centre, which was included in the price of the train ticket. The trip home included optional entertainment in the Bar Car and views of the prairies.
Day 4 – Sunday
Morning coffee and muffins were enjoyed in the Grill Shack while members shared their experiences with Driveway Hosts and Harvest Hosts on their journeys in their LTV. Rob shared about 2025 Western Sunsetters Rally plans in progress. He then projected an LTV-created video in which Willy from LTV visually and orally walked viewers through winterizing an LTV. He demonstrated each step while inside and outside an LTV coach. Paper copies of the Winterizing SOP that LTV staff created and posted on the LTV website were available to interested Rally attendees.
Later in the day, many attendees took either a morning or an afternoon Tour of the P&H Elevator and Feed Mill. This Elevator is no longer in use but is in working order, thanks to the help of many volunteers through the Stettler P&H Elevator Preservation Society. This is one of Alberta’s last Elevator/Feed mill complexes. Every Travelers Club member who took this tour returned with high praise about their experience. They shared that this was an exciting and educational tour and highly recommended it to anyone who had not yet taken it.
If not taking in the elevator tour, members took advantage of opportunities to walk, hike, bike, golf, shop, visit with other members in or around the Grill Shack, or tour the museum.
Later, some LTV owners opened their coaches for the LTV Show and Tell. Other members brought transportable favorite or novel gadgets, devices, tools, etc., into the Grill Shack to share with interested Club Members. Social time at the Grill Shack preceded a pizza supper, which included watermelon for dessert.
Members visited each other either in the Grill Shack, in chairs around the propane fires under the porch, or in lawn chairs around a wood-burning fire in the fire pit beside the Grill Shack.
Day 5 – Monday Morning
Members gathered for a final social gathering while enjoying coffee, muffins, and watermelon slices in the Grill Shack. Several people took the opportunity to visit each other further before packing up to head home or on further journeys in their LTV.
We sincerely thank our hosts at Prairie Junction RV Resort and all the attendees who assisted with setting up and cleaning the Grill Shack.
Written by: Linda and Rob Clark
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