Northern Lights Rally – Marshall, Michigan
Camp Turkeyville RV Resort
July 22-25, 2025

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Rally Masters: Pat Korloch, Ron Mercer, Marcia Bird, and Tom Bird
It was seemingly the hottest day of the hottest year in quite some time, but 10 rigs checked in to Camp Turkeyville on Tuesday(photo 1). One member and guest joined us on Thursday for the show. In all, there were 22 people – 17 members and five guests. Some were so excited for the rally that they checked in early!
Members
Dick & Carole Beauchamp
Tom & Marcia Bird
Mike & Marcia Black
Rod Chubb
Ken & Alice Hamlin
Ron Mercer & Pat Korloch
Mike & Leslie Ostyn
John & Angel Reich and Sam Schroeder
Charlie & Linda Szafran
Guests
Glenn Chubb
Roger Donley
Steve & Carolyn Pecic
Lou Ann Tompkins
While the club has held events in the past at Camp Turkeyville, it was a new experience for most of the attendees. They allowed us to use the clubhouse for our social hours and meals, which was a welcome relief from the weather. Some took advantage of the pool and some rented a golf cart, but all enjoyed the clubhouse the most. The staff was very accommodating and friendly.
TUESDAY
A few souls went to the craft fair at the fairgrounds in the morning and came back with some great items.
Everyone got reacquainted at the social hour(photo 2,3). There were plenty of snacks and drinks. Promptly following the social hour was Taco Night prepared by (mostly) Marcia and Tom Bird. It was so good that most of the meat was gone by the end of the meal. People hung around for a while and socialized for some time before calling it a night.
WEDNESDAY
Today was all about touring Marshall. It day began with Louie’s (a Marshall staple for three generations) donuts and coffee. We then met at the United States Postal Service Museum(photo 4), which is second in size only to the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. We were greeted by Curator Mike Schragg(photo 5). The museum started as his personal collection in 1987 when he was the Marshall Postmaster. With over 2,000 items(photo 6) and much community support, it now is part of a local foundation.
Mike had stories about all of the artifacts and related as many as he could in the 90 minutes we were with him. Items included postage stamps and cancellation stamps, pioneers of mail delivery, mail delivery vehicles, including a Model A truck that he drove in President George W. Bush’s Inaugural Parade(photo 7). He even had photos of Highway Post Offices in converted RV’s(photo 8,9).
The afternoon was “on your own” and most people had lunch at the Stagecoach Inn. The food was delicious and the service was great. Some folks stayed in Marshall to venture into its many quaint shops and support the local community. Unfortunately, many of Marshall’s fabulous and one-of-a-kind attractions were not open on Wednesday.
We could not leave town without dining in the world-famous Schuler’s Restaurant(photo 10,11). Albert Schuler opened his cigar store and restaurant in 1909, which now includes a hotel, banquet facility, apartments, and private event space. Twelve people dined on their prime rib, salads, burgers, soups and chicken tenders. It definitely lived up to its reputation.
THURSDAY
Once again the day began with donuts, coffee, and camaraderie. Before we knew it, it was time to head to Cornwell’s Turkeyville for their lunch buffet and musical(photo 12,13). The buffet included roasted turkey (of course), mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, mixed vegetables, dressing, and dessert(photo 14). If you went away hungry it was your own fault! This is where we were joined by long-time club member Rod Chubb and his son, Glenn.
The musical was “Hit Me with your Best Shot”, a tribute to 80’s music. We were treated to selections by Pat Benatar, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Devo, Culture Club, and more. Even though the cast members were very young(photo 15,16), they were great singers and did the songs justice.
We ended the day with another social hour and dinner. Normally, the club does not provide a meal at rallies, but Turkeyville is not convenient to restaurants, so this event included TWO meals – DON’T GET USED TO THIS! The Sloppy Joe dinner was provided by Ron Mercer and Pat Korloch. There was not much left of this food, either. After dinner 15 hardy souls hung out and played “Screw Your Neighbor”, an easy-to-learn card game(photo 17,18,19,20). Everyone brought four quarters and when they lost all of them they were out of the game. Last man standing won all the quarters. The first game went to Dick Beauchamp(photo 21) and the second went to Linda Szafron(photo 22).
FRIDAY
We gathered one last time for what was left of donuts and coffee. Goodbyes were said, club stuff was packed, the room was cleaned, and then everyone went back to their rigs to get ready for the trip home.
We tried something new at this event – we set up a group text so getting information and schedule updates to all participants was easy and quick and everyone got it at the same time. It was a hit. I hope we try it again.