Twin City Vans

Parts of the following biography were written for the April 1975 issue of the National Street Van Association Magazine when Twin City Vans was featured as club of the month.

Twin City Vans was started in April of 1974 with a handful of people who decided it would be good to have a club of just vans. They started to pass out call cards with their phone numbers on them on the windows of vans they passed in shopping centers, bars, etc. First, they had parties and get togethers at the parks and shopping centers. No meeting or officers were established, just block leaders. There was a lack of organization but the club still existed. Things started picking up when a guy named J.J. from San Diego Vans pulled in. He helped establish a constitution, elect officers, suggested monthly meetings, and organized caravans. San Diego Vans was Twin City Vans sponsor to become a charter club of N.S.V.A. When the club was one year old they had 85 members and were still rapidly growing. At one time, we were the second largest club in the country.

They did more than just party, like put on a Christmas party for an old folks home, help locate lost children using their C.B.s, and participating in a Bike-A-Thon for multiple sclerosis. Over the years since then, the club has supported many worthwhile causes like the March of Dimes, Make A Wish, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and even the Animal Humane Society.

The first truck-in TCV attended was in June of 1974 at Union Grove, WI hosted by Suds City Vans. The club tried to be represented at every truck-in in the midwest. Har Mar mall was the site of their first mvan show and eventually they got together with Thunder Bay Vans to host the 1st Annual Sandpit Party in the fall, but our biggest accomplishment each year is hosting our annual truck-in. For many years it was held at Sunrise Park on the Apple River near Somerset, WI where going tubing was a crowd pleaser. This year we hosted our 26th Truck-In at the Winona County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, MN the weekend of June 8-10.

Club members try to attend the Van Nationals and Council of Councils meeting each year plus truck-ins in Minnesota and midwestern states.

Twin City Vans members were very much involved in hosting the 20th Van Nationals at Beaver Dam, WI as part of the Dairyland Van Nationals Committee. As members of the Heart of America Van Council we had a small part in hosting the Council of Councils meeting in Kansas City, MO in 1994. In September of each year we help host the Corn Belt Van Councilþs annual truck-in.

We believe in keeping the spirit of vanning very much alive and have worked to improve communications to vanners. Three TCV members were originators of the M.O.V.E. newsletter back in 1984 which is still getting vanning news out to almost 100 subscribers, five times a year.

Nancy Bontreger (Cinnamon)