Beneath the shade of retractable awnings, the inhabitants of a small petroleum-fueled city feasted on cookouts and lazed away in lawn chairs yesterday. Synthetic grass rugs, hanging plants and a pelican lawn ornament added a homey touch.

They also geared up for bean-bag baseball, fine-tuned their microwave oven cooking skills, sought ways to soup up their 40-foot homes on wheels and broke into the chicken dance.

"We're like a little community here," said John Breisch of Reading, Pa. "We can literally park anywhere they let us and make it our home."

Hundreds of motor coach enthusiasts are assembling at the Richmond Raceway Complex this weekend for the 17th Great Eastern Area Rally.

Filling an 80to 100-gallon fuel tank may sting, but it's well worth the expense, they say.

"I had to mortgage my two kids to come on this trip," joked Betty Gray Faber of Henrico County.

The event, held for the first time in Richmond, is sponsored by the Family Motor Coach Association's Eastern Area Motorhome Association and is expected to draw between 450 and 500 motor coaches and 1,500 people from nine states, the District of Columbia and Canada, said rally master Otho Tew Jr. of Supply, N.C.

To qualify for membership, the vehicle must be one where the operator can go from the driver's seat to the living quarters without going outside, he said.

"I like traveling, and when I'm ready to go down for the night, I've got my own bed and my own bathroom and my own food," said Tew, a retired Air Force veteran. His motorcoach features a washer/dryer combination and a home entertainment system.

The members-only event, which began yesterday and continues through Sunday, offers educational seminars on topics ranging from American history to the technical aspects of engines, brakes and other motor home components.

"I want to go to the one where you can take nine pieces of clothing and make 27 outfits," said Judy Faulkenberry of Kershaw, S.C.

Eastern Area Vice President Judy Czarsty and her husband, Steve, became "full timers," those who live year-round in their motor home, shortly before retiring from their respective jobs as a U.S. Government Accountability Office auditor and a business professor at the University of Mary Washington.

"We looked at the motor home as our escape from all the responsibilities of the work week," Judy Czarsty said. "We'd get into our motor home on Friday and we'd go somewhere."

This weekend's schedule of events also includes a Red Hat Society luncheon, musical entertainment by bands and an Elvis impersonator, a grilling cook-off and an animal blessing.

Christie Addy of Lexington, S.C., enjoys the ability to travel with Buster Brown, her 7-year-old "chiweenie," a Chihuahua-dachshund mix.

"One thing, as opposed to traveling in a car and having to stay in a motel, is you take everything with you," she said.

"The most important thing is you know who slept in the bed last night," said Arthur Lambert of Andrews, S.C. "And you'll meet the nicest people you'll ever want to meet."
Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or mmartin@timesdispatch.com.