Ma Make-A-Wish Clowns at Mothers' Day Convoy 2009

It's Saturday night before Mother's Day, Carol And I load up the Airstream with bare essentials to head for the Annual Mothers Day Convoy for Make-a-Wish. We arrive at the lot at Burle Industries where tomorrow early am <4-6> Trucks will fill this lot. We arrive at 11 pm and head for bed after setting up.

I awake at 5 am to the sweet noise of them Diesel Trucks sneaking in the back entrance of Burle. The food tent is even up and serving coffee & breakfast items. The Convoy committee is setting up all the stands for the crowd thats coming!!! It sure is a beautiful morning 60-70* today is the weather forcast. Truckers are parking,polishing,putting banners on their trucks and registering for the Wish Child to ride with them today...a 27 mile Convoy from Lancaster thru Ephrata and back to Burle.

There are games for kids & adults also.. bounce castle, dunk tanks, face painting, Music on stage , Clowns everywhere!!, Food>>>you name it it's here..French Fries..Hamburgers..Pork sandwiches, Chicken Bar-B-Que,Turkey Hill Ice Cream...Etc. It is nice to see Wish Families here and enjoying time with the kids...Grand Parents Too...

At Noon we have a moment of Silence for those Wish Kids that have left us this past year..6 of them..There is 180 Stars on the Wish Truck in their memory for the past 20 years.

Then there is a BIG GROUP picture of the Clowns...45 of them this year!! Lots of color in this shot. Then It's Time!!!! Line up the Clowns to head out on the Highway...we have 7 vans full of Clowns, we even have a Looooong Limo to carry some clowns. It's 1:30 , Time to start The World's Largest Convoy of Trucks.

We travel 27 miles passing people sitting along the highway..on the bridges, in their front yards, porches, back of pick-ups, sitting in the high grass on the banks, there are people everywhere.... It takes us over 1 hour to reach Ephrata, they are waiting for Us ..Trucks & Clowns & even a few Fire Trucks ( I counted at least 20), We are a Loud bunch of Kids...over 100 Wish Kids also rode in the truck cabs blowing those AIR HORNS!!! and SIRENS!! The convoy lasted over 3 hours, I know we brought SMILES to the Wish kids, but we also saw thousands of Smiles along the Route! The Clowns collected $$$$$ along the route with Buckets & Stickers for everyone.....

Thank-You to All who donated!!! This all goes to making Wishes come True...Well this ends our 20th Convoy and is a Memory in my Heart forever. Just Check out my Photo Album and you will see those Thousand Smiles!!!!!!!!!!! Carol and I arrive home by 7 pm and crashed to bed by 9pm ( I ain't as young as I used to be 20 years ago, Just young in HEART!!!) God Bless......AirstreamHobo.... Obie & Carol

http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/MakeAWish2009Convoy#