‘Winnie B’ club visits Charles City Winnebago site

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Scott and Crystal Griepentrog are originally from Indianapolis, and they’ve also lived in Huntsville, Alabama.

But their permanent residence is wherever their Winnebago Travato takes them.

“Home is wherever the van is,” Scott said.

Sunday night, home was Charles City, as the Griepentrogs and their vehicle were among several dozen other members of the “Winnie B” club — that’s the subset of the Winnebago International Travelers (WIT) club, all proprietors of Winnebago Class B RV models — which includes the Travato and the Paseo, among others. Class B Winnebagos are smaller motor homes built on van chassis.

“Winnie Bs get together for a lot of rallies all over the nation,” Crystal said. “We get together, we have parties, we go on factory tours. It’s a great way to spend time with like-minded people who enjoy traveling and extremely maneuverable vehicles.”

The Griepentrogs said the Winnebago B-class gives them the versatility and flexibility to travel anywhere, such as downtown areas of cities, and “still have our whole house with us on wheels.”

The couple arrived in Charles City Sunday, along with about 90 other “Winnie Bs,” and were able to partake of the local food and local brew at Saint Charles Brewery.

They got up Monday morning for a tour of the Charles City Winnebago plant, where workers are making the Boldt — the newest Class B model — which the Griepentrogs said “had a lot of features that we are slightly envious of.”

“It was a very good tour,” said Crystal.

The Boldt, which is tagged as the “most comfortable B-van ever created,” rides six and sleeps three, with some possible variations.

Winnebago public relations specialist Sam Jefson said Charles City is showcasing the Boldt — a new product manufactured here — to Class B owners.

“This is a growing part of our business and the vans right now are very popular,” Jefson said. “It’s fun for them to see the process of how some of the components of their units are built.”

Jefson said the Winnie Bs toured the Charles City Hardwoods facility as well as the Class B van facility, then were treated to an outdoor lunch, along with Winnebago employees. It’s all part of the Winnebago Grand National Rally, which is an annual gathering and celebration of Winnebago RVs and their owners, taking place all this week in Forest City.

“Typically there are about 900 motor homes on the grounds” in Forest City, Jefson said. “They learn about new product offerings and the manufacturing process. It’s a very informative experience for them.”

Jefson said there are seminars, entertainment and “a lot of stuff going on throughout the week.”

The Winnie Bs stayed in Charles City this weekend and camped by the river. They had some activities and enjoyed the amenities of the community.

“It’s a very fun group. They’re very active and like to do things outdoors,” said Jefson, who mentioned there is also a food drive, and Winnebago was encouraging donations to benefit area food banks.

“We try to do what we can to help out the communities,” he said.

Winnebago employs 140-150 employees in Charles City and also has production facilities in Waverly, Lake Mills and outside the state in Indiana, Oregon and Florida, in addition to its main production lines in Forest City.

“We’re excited to host this event and showcase what goes on in Charles City,” Jefson said. “People attending the Grand National Rally don’t often get to the other satellite facilities.”

On Monday, Winnie-B vans could be spotted with license plates from places as far away as California, Vermont, Texas and Utah. The Griepentrog’s rig, from Alabama, is loaded up with extras, including an internet connection that allows them to work from the road. They said they are able to travel over all terrains and have been able to visit anywhere there are roads.

“We actually put on a rally in Huntsville earlier this year,” said Scott. “It was really fun.”

Last year they visited Lake Mills, they’ve attended the national rally in Arizona, and they’ll be spending the rest of this week in Forest City. They said they enjoyed their stay in Charles City.

“Charles City has very friendly people and a wonderful environment,” Crystal said. “We’ve had nothing to complain about.”

Scott said that when a large group of the Winnie Bs take to the highway together, it’s truly a sight to see.

“It’s quite amazing to go down the highway and see — as far off in the distance as you can — a line of these vehicles,” he said.