It all started on an October Day in 1994 at the Thousand Trails/NACO Park at Lake Minden, north of Sacramento in northern California. Harry Hemmer and Don Blanchard were standing in front of Don's rig and talking about their Kings. The subject of an owner's club came up. After all, the owners of most of the other makes around had their own club. It was decided to spend the next several months interviewing other King of the Road owners as they met them in the various parks, and see if there was an interest in forming one of our own. Shortly after, Don Mosley began a similar campaign on his own, unbeknownst to the Lake Minden pair. It didn't take long however until someone was contacted by both Mosley and Hemmer. That individual told Don about the parallel effort, and the two groups became one.

Within a year, the first rally was organized and about the middle of November 1995, sixteen King of the Road fifth wheels converged on the Verde Valley in Cottonwood, Arizona. Kings on the Road was founded.

The second National rally was held at the Primadonna RV ResorMay 28, 2007rogram was announced at this meeting, and the effort began to organize local groups to enhance the opportunities to accomplish the purpose of the club. We now have eleven chapters representing regional interests, like the Oklahoma Roamers, Northwest Kings and Great Lakes Kings in addition to one chapter representing a lifestyle interest – the Full Time Kings. May 28, 2007, members have joined together at a every year. In 1997 we met at Lake Texoma, Oklahoma; in 1998 it was in the Napa Valley at Calistoga, California; and in 1999 our rally was at The Wisconsin Dells in Montello, Wisconsin.

In the year 2000, we met at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As we went into the new millennium, just over four years from the founding, we had nearly 600 registered units in the club and 100 rigs in attendance. The 2001 rally was in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The Amana Colonies, Iowa rally followed it in 2002. We met in Tampa, Florida for our ninth rally during October of 2003. Our tenth annual rally was in the heart of Cajun Country in Rayne, Louisiana. The eleventh rally was held in Tucson, Arizona in late October 2005. Branson, Missouri hosted the twelfth annual rally in early October of 2006.

We expect about 90 rigs to gather for the thirteenth rally at Spring Gulch Campground in New Holland, PA from September 16 to September 23, 2007. This location is in Lancaster County -- the heart of Amish country.

The Purposes of the Organization:

1) To promote communications between owners of King of the Road Recreational Vehicles, and between these owners and the manufacturer;

2) To provide a channel through which the manufacturer can communicate product information to current owners and receive feedback data which may assist in improving their product;

3) To provide a forum in which owners can share experiences, problems, and solutions as they pertain to King of the Road vehicles;

4) And lastly, and arguably, the most important, is to promote social interchange among King of the Road owners. Full-timers can meet with once-a-month users and pass along a little of what life on the road is like on a daily basis. Tried and true tips, plus some old fashioned fun. The chapter meetings provide for more of the same in a more intimate atmosphere. Members are encouraged to visit other Chapters if they are traveling in their area, and can arrange to participate in one of the local functions.

Take a few moments to look at our recent Newsletters. These will give you more of the flavor of our organization and more information about what we do and what we are.

What Happens at a National Rally?

The rallies offer a variety of activities. These typically include social events, professional entertainment, a mixture of catered meals, outside group meals, and potlucks, educational and safety seminars appropriate to King owners, member workshops and panel discussions, local tours, golf tournament, craft show, door prizes, auctions, and our annual business meeting. King of the Road, the manufacturer, supports our rally by providing brand new fifth wheels and motor homes for us to view. They send a crew from a nearby dealership to do minor rig repairs and support the cost of the rally by providing a meal and/or a special event during the rally.

We have had between 80 and 100 King of the Road fifth wheels at each of our last four rallies. This allows enough for a comprehensive rally, but are small enough for everyone to get to know everyone. One of our Chapters acts as hosts for each rally. Typically about 15 to 20% of the attendees are first time participants, most of them new members.

Each rally is different, taking advantage of the local environment and the camping facilities. We always have an abundance of events with the emphasis on providing an environment to meet old friends, make new friends, learn about our RVs, promote our relationship with King of the Road and enjoy the local area’s culture and attractions.

We hope you can join us at our next rally.

Last Modified:
October 31, 2006