Rv

pepperb@herald-mail.com With 4,000 miles and 40 hours of videotape under their belts, a "The Today Show" crew that has been trailing a couple on a cross-country trip for the past three weeks ended up in Jellystone Park in Williamsport Tuesday. The recreational vehicle tour, which has taken Jack Leonard, 87, and Marge Leonard, 82, from Phoenix, up the East Coast and most recently to Williamsport, was the brainchild of the couple's documentary-minded son, Mike Leonard, a features correspondent for "The Today Show.

Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to tell the difference between a gadget and a really good idea. Both make their way into the RV industry, but the gadgets often fade away, while good ideas can make a resounding impact on the industry. Fleetwood introduced the Bounder motor home as the first affordable Class A with a raised-floor, basement-storage design, and it launched a whole new segment in the motor-home industry. Likewise, Champion developed the Eurocoach in the late 1980s, and it was the first smooth-side, bus-style Class A with styling and design feature elements that companies still use today.

Long-time campers may be familiar with the Westphalia name as the builders of pop-top VW-van-based camping conversions. Airstream has tapped that company to produce the Westphalia Sprinter class B motorhome based on the new Dodge Sprinter full-size van. Since Westphalia is a German company, many of the Westphalia's features reflect European-style RV design as opposed to typical American-built practice. Naturally, Airstream has a lot of say in the rig's overall design, but the German influence shows through.

SCOTLAND, Pa. -- A Chambersburg, Pa., man who claimed he was armed and refused to leave his recreational vehicle surrendered Thursday night following a seven-hour standoff, according to a Pennsylvania State Police press release. David C. Beam, 52, of 875A Limestone Drive, was charged with aggravated assault and risking a catastrophe. He was taken to Franklin County Jail, troopers said. The incident began at 4 p.m., when Beam stopped his RV in the 3600 block of Main Street in Scotland, west of the intersection with Pa. 997, troopers said.

HAGERSTOWN ? It could become cheaper to stay in a hotel room than to live in your car. The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday discussed passing an ordinance that would allow the city to fine people up to $250 for living in a vehicle if it's parked on public property, including alleys, streets and parking lots. The penalty also could carry up to a 60-day jail sentence. Police Chief Arthur Smith said several business owners in the area of the Washington County Board of Education on Commonwealth Avenue recently started to complain about people living in vehicles.

It could become cheaper to stay in a hotel room than to live in your car. The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday discussed passing an ordinance that would allow the city to fine people up to $250 for living in a vehicle if it's parked on public property, including alleys, streets and parking lots. The penalty also could carry up to a 60-day jail sentence. Police Chief Arthur Smith said several business owners in the area of the Washington County Board of Education on Commonwealth Avenue recently started to complain about people living in vehicles.

As I brought the first piece of vacation luggage out to my family's RV, I couldn't help but worry when I heard a rumble of thunder. I'm a superstitious person by nature. I don't like seeing black cats. I avoid ladders. I worry about all the stuff that common sense tells me not to worry about. Yet, here I was - worried. I thought to myself, "This trip stinks. Already. I'm not going to have any fun. " The idea was this: My aunt and uncle from California would fly to Maryland, along with their three kids.

It's hard to picture a group of famous opera singers traveling with their accompanist around the United States in an RV. But that's exactly what members of The American Tenors are doing. Nathan Granner, one of the founding members of The American Tenors, said he and fellow members love touring in their RV, which will make a stop Tuesday, Nov. 8, at The Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown as part of the Hagerstown Community Concert series. "It's like a tour bus, except it's an RV - so it's much cooler," he said laughingly during a telephone interview from Kansas City, Kan. "We can sit on the sofa and sip our freshly ground, insanely gourmet coffee and watch the world go by. And we can stop anytime we want or not stop.

Last week's question On the Thanksgiving holiday just past, what were you most thankful for? That I still have a job. - 43 votes (24 percent) That I and my family members have our health. - 96 votes (55 percent) That I didn't buy that boat, big-screen TV, RV or other purchase that I'd be having trouble paying for now. - 8 votes (5 percent) That I work for the government, which never goes out of business.- 11 votes (6 percent)

2006 was a terrific year for tourism, and 2007 is predicted to be very strong for the leisure and hospitality industry. As reported last month, hotel occupancy was about the same as last year's record pace; importantly, local hotels reported a 5 percent increase in revenues. The outlook for 2007 for hotels is strong, with a new Homewood Suites by Hilton anticipating a late-spring opening. SpringHill Suites by Marriott opened last month, and is the first Marriott-flagged hotel in Western Maryland.

Although it's a few months later than originally hoped, Antietam Fire Co. officials said Wednesday their move to Potomac Avenue in Hagerstown's North End could be completed in three to four weeks. Antietam Fire Co. President Ron Horn said some unexpected costs during the company's $400,000 renovation of the former Four Seasons RV building at 790-800 Potomac Ave. have delayed the process. “We've had to cut a lot of our construction costs out because it was just too costly to stay within budget,” Horn said.

It's hard to picture a group of famous opera singers traveling with their accompanist around the United States in an RV. But that's exactly what members of The American Tenors are doing. Nathan Granner, one of the founding members of The American Tenors, said he and fellow members love touring in their RV, which will make a stop Tuesday, Nov. 8, at The Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown as part of the Hagerstown Community Concert series. "It's like a tour bus, except it's an RV - so it's much cooler," he said laughingly during a telephone interview from Kansas City, Kan. "We can sit on the sofa and sip our freshly ground, insanely gourmet coffee and watch the world go by. And we can stop anytime we want or not stop.

A fire Wednesday morning totally destroyed a travel trailer and two sheds in River Bend RV Park along the Potomac River in Berkeley County, Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Nichols said. An addition to the trailer also was destroyed and two nearby trailers and an outbuilding in the RV park at 3247 Vineyard Road also received heat and fire damage, Nichols said. No one was injured. The owners, whom Nichols said were from Frederick, Md., were not there when the fire started.

A fire Friday afternoon destroyed a motor home parked outside of 11600 Peacock Trail in the Robinwood area east of Hagerstown, fire officials said. "The neighbors called it in," said Dave Fraley, chief of the Funkstown Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. "No one was home. " The cause of the fire was still under investigation Friday evening, but it appeared to have started inside the motor home's kitchen, according to a news release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. Fraley said he heard explosions as he arrived on the scene.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Keystone RV Center in Greencastle held Military Appreciation Day on June 19 and raised $1,225 to donate to the Taylor Lipinski fund to help the 14-year old Hancock girl with her medical bills. Taylor is fighting leukemia. All branches of the military were invited to the event. Any RV unit that was sold that day meant Keystone would donate money to the buyer's charity of choice. The Army and National Guard were in attendance. Sen. Rich Alloway and the Greencastle EMS were also in attendance, to which Keystone says thanks.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department's "toy hauler" does not tote fun and games. Purchased for $33,400 from Falling Waters, W.Va.,-based Outdoor Express RV Inc. about a year ago, the 2008 Wildwood RV, known for its recreational equipment-hauling capacity, is the department's new mobile command center. About $5,000 in surveillance video camera equipment recently installed in the vehicle monitored activities simultaneously in multiple areas of the Berkeley County Youth Fair grounds last week.

SCOTLAND, Pa. -- A Chambersburg, Pa., man who claimed he was armed and refused to leave his recreational vehicle surrendered Thursday night following a seven-hour standoff, according to a Pennsylvania State Police press release. David C. Beam, 52, of 875A Limestone Drive, was charged with aggravated assault and risking a catastrophe. He was taken to Franklin County Jail, troopers said. The incident began at 4 p.m., when Beam stopped his RV in the 3600 block of Main Street in Scotland, west of the intersection with Pa. 997, troopers said.

Hybrid vehicles are all the rage today. A shopper can find almost any kind of personal motor vehicle in hybrid form, ranging from ultra-small economy cars to full-size SUVs and pickups. Those modest-sized hybrids, relatively speaking, could well be joined by some significantly larger cousins: Class A motor homes. Winnebago and Fleetwood are now showing concept-vehicle hybrid Class A motor homes - and these concepts present some exciting new possibilities for RVers. Both the Winnebago Adventurer (www.

Last week's question On the Thanksgiving holiday just past, what were you most thankful for? That I still have a job. - 43 votes (24 percent) That I and my family members have our health. - 96 votes (55 percent) That I didn't buy that boat, big-screen TV, RV or other purchase that I'd be having trouble paying for now. - 8 votes (5 percent) That I work for the government, which never goes out of business.- 11 votes (6 percent)

In July 2001, my husband, grandkids, dog and I left for a trip to Colorado. The first hour of the trip, while riding, I scalded my chest with a full cup of HOT coffee and needed medication. A few hours later, a tire on our motor home went flat. We called AAA. They had trouble finding us and finally arrived 2 1/2 hours later. It was 100 degrees out and we couldn't run the air. After changing it with a used tire, they charged us! They're not supposed to! Second day on the road, another flat tire.