I very much agree with Wallace Venable that the COAA is a fun group.
We hadn't known anything about the COAA until they had a rally in
Muscatine, Iowa.  So we loaded up our Tangley in our Model A Ford
pickup (neither is anywhere near perfect condition) and headed down
to the park where Norman Baker, the builder of the Tangley calliope,
did his open air "cancer surgery."  We were warmly welcomed and we
joined the COAA that day.  No one said we had to join to be there,
but we wanted to be a part of the group.

We would have liked to be at the Living History Farms rally again this
spring but sadly we didn't have the funds to go again.  We have bought
yet another project, a 1912 International Autowagon (the kids weren't
very happy about this situation) but hopefully there will be a rally
again soon that's closer to us.

We have no fancy trailer right now but we are looking to find one to
put both the calliope and the small Wurlitzer band organ we need to
restore in.  For now, we cover our calliope with an old water bed
mattress if it rains.  Some may stick up their nose at us at times
but we don't care -- we are there to have fun and meet new people.

Dick Brockmeyer