History of Chapter #6

From “History of the Escapees Club”

Great Lakes Chapter #6

            Once upon a time in the summer of 1983, Jane Campbell, Rose Blythman, and Arlene Naebeck put their heads together and organized a mini-rally in the area of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  On August 18, SKPs met at the Saline City Park in Saline, Michigan.  Also present were the Houldings, O’Henleys, Schlachters, and the Smiths.

            It was decided to meet annually, so Jean Houlding volunteered to organize these meetings.  In the summer of 1984, with the help of Arlene Naebeck, letters were mailed to SKPs in Michigan to invite them to meet at the Houldings’ in Newaygo to plan a September rally that would be held at Henning Park in Newaygo.  At that time, Escapees chapters were just beginning, so Jean sent for information on starting a chapter.  At the September 1984 rally, the Great Lakes Chapter was born.  Fourteen couples attended: Ted and Ruth Browe, Jim and Marguerite Denman, Clarence and June Bolt, Keith and June Fox, Bob and Ruth Hoolihan, Wes and Jean Houlding, Jay and Vi Lattie, Harold and Evelyn Meyer, Carl and Helen Miller, Bob and Ann McMullen, Arn and Arlene Naebeck, Mel and Ginny Paquet, John and Sue Romine, and Shel and Kay Stanaway.

            The chapter was to cover Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  There was some interest in starting an SKP Co-Op, but due to the number of states covered by the chapter, there was no strong incentive.  From the beginning, the main interest was to hold regular rallies.

            Dues were set at $3/year (currently $5/year).  The publication was named Shorelines.  The first elected officers were:

                                    Jean Houlding                        President                                

                                    Ruth Hoolihan                        Vice President

                                    Arlene Naebeck                      Secretary/Treasurer

                                    Marguerite Denman                Historian

            Plans were made to hold three rallies a year with the September rally set as the annual meeting.  It was also decided to send out a chapter newsletter three times a year, in May, July, and October.  The next task was to contact all SKPs in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio to invite them to join the Great Lakes Chapter.

            The rallies in 1985 were held in Union City, Frankenmuth, and Newaygo.  It was at the Newaygo rally that Wes Houlding introduced his famous “corn cooker sweet corn”, which soon became a regular feature anytime he hosted a rally.

            “We have always been known as the fun group among the chapters.  We have never had Squabbles or disagreements.  We have had some great sing-alongs and story-telling sessions as well as some crazy games.  No one who was there will ever forget Jay Nyhuis with a potato between his legs waddling down to dump it in the bucket at the other end, or Butch Salva and Arlene Naebeck passing a carrot between their knees.” (Information supplied by Jean Houlding and Mel McFarland.)

            Thus from February to December 1984, there were six fully established chapters.  In addition, five others were in the planning stage.