A "Coast to Coast" national rally, based on individual local rallies in one or more places in their own states, so that people could get to the events, and more importantly could AFFORD to be at the events, so that nationwide people could get together for it, instead of it being exclusively available only to folks with deep pockets, and the vacation time to be there.

If you think about it, if everyone who wanted to come to the national rally we had, ACTUALLY SHOWED UP - it could easily have been a nightmare. Think of the parking hassles alone...

This brings it down more to the level of a single day side-trip, and I think would go a long way towards promoting chapter G2G's. Highlights from the day could be posted in a dedicated thread. BEST OF could become an artical for the FTE main page. We could easily come away from it amazed that we had done it...

And any and all types of events could be the center of each chapters "Rally". A truck show, a rodeo, a family picnic around a lake, you name it.

If we figure on late spring, or early summer as a baseline for planning, then each chapter could start thinking about where to have it, what it might take (Do we need stickers? Do we need t-shirts? Do we need hats?), who wants to go - and a sign-up thread could be useful there.

The actual date can be worked out among all chapters, and may not necessarily have to be the EXACT same day. How the International Chapter might work it out is anybodies guess....

But if there are some FTE'rs or just FORD TRUCKS out Fred's way, it may actually be an international event in scope before it is all said and done.

And going about it this way - THAT CAN HAPPEN!

At this point it is a Proposal, but Ken has said though he can't spare the organization or time right now, if enough people get interested in this idea, he would not discourage such activeties.

In fact, if the international chapter has significant interest in it - that would really make it an FTE WORLDWIDE RALLY wouldn't it? That would be a definite scoop on everybody else out there with other sites.

THERE IT IS, the grand scheme. What do you think?

PS: One last - why have it all on the same day? What is a rally after all... An event taking place over time, isn't it?

If the individual "Rally" meets are spaced over several days or even weeks, it gives people time to absorb it, instead of it all having to happen at once. And an already existing event on the calendar can then BECOME the rally, without having to massage anything much at all.