April 2020 - Streamin on the Harbor Georgetown SC

Photo above: The South Carolina Coastal Airstream Club is in high spirits at the welcome reception hosted by Georgetown mayor Brendan Barber and senior town official. The mayor (center rear) is wearing a honorary blue beret and holding the Airstream Drive street sign. Photo by Chris Fox

From the very first time that we heard about Airstream downtown rallies, sometimes known as “Silver on the Street,” we were curious, excited, and eager to participate in such an event.

After wintering in the Florida Keys and in the Panhandle, our plan was to return to Virginia in time for spring. A post caught my eye on Facebook about the South Carolina Coastal Airstream Club (SCCAC) plan to repeat in March 2020 a successful event they had held the previous year in the low country harbor town of Georgetown, SC.

Without hesitation I called rally organizer Henry Knight and expressed my desire to join in this event. Henry reminded me that the rally was open initially to SCCAC members and, space permitting, the rally would then be open to other folks, so I was effectively on the waiting list!

Georgetown, South Carolina, epitomizes early colonial life in the South. Founded in 1729 and located on the Sampit River, it was a port of entry and dominated the rice and indigo trade. Today the Historic District where the rally is parked boasts over 40 notable period houses and a dozen churches, temples, and lodges along with older Federal buildings.

A couple of months later I received confirmation from Henry Knight that we were on the final list and delighted to start receiving meticulous planning details and arrangements for the our group of 40 Airstreamers. The last message was reminding Airstreamers that they should prepare for 3 days and nights of dry camping, so come with fully charged batteries, full fresh water tank, empty gray and black tanks, and a smiling face.

Early March we left Cape Canaveral in perfect weather and arrived in Georgetown in what can only be described as a two-day monsoon of horrendous proportions. Even under these weather conditions we were amazed to arrive at the Carroll A Campbell Marine Complex staging area for the first overnight to find 40 airstreams already parked and anxiously waiting for the first evening organizational meeting, happy hour, and the welcome dinner provided by rally sponsor Bojangles, all in a downpour!

Even though Henry had organized this event the previous year, I was still very impressed with the meticulous military style planning that goes into marshaling and staging 40 airstreams, starting with the Thursday night dry camping assembly at the marina. The following morning, fortunately bright and sunny, we inserted ourselves into a very specific pre-assigned Airstream sequence (red numbers very important!) and were marshaled along the lengthy East Bay Park road where the convoy halted to install our flags before our 9:30 am ceremonial cruise down Highmarket Street with its canopy of live oaks into Georgetown. Local folks were on their doorsteps waving as we drove our Grand Entrance along the Main Street! The final marshaling, requiring patience and cooperation, got us into line two abreast on Dozier Street, which had been closed down. From that point, we were summoned individually into the central Historic District area and escorted by golf cart to our final assigned location, all carefully calculated to fit each participant’s Airstream length. I’m glad to say that the three Georgetown streets that were closed off were all quite level and no adjustments were needed to get rigs setup. Our towing vehicles remained with the Airstream and happily were not needed for the rest of the weekend!


Map of Downtown Georgetown SC Historic District showing the approximate location of some 45 Airstreams taking part in the 3 day rally.

So much for the hard part, the organizational prelude! From this point on from noon Friday, we were able to relax and enjoy Georgetown and the downtown activities through Sunday noon, straight out of our very own front door on Orange Street. Early Friday evening we gathered in the Francis Marion town park by the riverfront where the mayor, Brendan Barber, welcomed and introduced the Police Chief and the town administrators. This was truly a major statement by this South Carolina community putting out the red carpet to welcome visitors who are spending time and money downtown over a three day weekend. A conservative estimate suggests $15,000 was injected into the local economy from this Airstream rally.

Part of the SCCAC outreach was a generous $1,880 collection from members in support of the local Miss Ruby’s Kids, a non-profit early literacy program serving families living in Georgetown County. The Francis Marion Park reception area also featured a brand new Airstream 23 foot Globetrotter from John’s RV of Lexington SC that was open to the public throughout the weekend.

Saturday most Airstreamers opened up their rigs for a busy two-hour open house which actually lasted much longer than planned. Many local residents took time to visit our silver homes and talk about their hopes and dreams of enjoying a future RV lifestyle. Several past Airstreamers visited and talked about their past camping experiences with a palpable nostalgia for the silver bullets they once owned.

The SCCAC club members welcomed us in their midst and we shared meals and drinks with friends we had met on previous Alaska and Cajun caravans. New friends and acquaintances extended our greater Airstream family. We checked out as many restaurants as we could including River Room, Big Tuna and Graham’s Landing. We stocked up on treats and gifts at the Indigo Bakery and chatted with the team who put together custom Airstream cookies that went into our official Georgetown welcome bag.

Bringing forty Airstream rigs to downtown Georgetown really brings the town alive and it’s a win-win situation for the SCCAC folks and for the town businesses and community. The idea of a downtown rally is for Airstreamers to energize downtown and in the same vein enrich business and community activities. With five museums, 14 restaurants within a couple of blocks and dozens of shops and businesses close by, this was the lively and effective revitalization boost for Georgetown.

Downtown rallies are the perfect way to enjoy a short weekend rally. They are just right for working families who have limited time. They gather a wide range of folks with different backgrounds and different ages, without committing to a lengthy caravan or traveling to distant locations. Similar Silver on the Street rallies have become regular annual events in Havana, FL, York SC, Farmville VA and Brownwood, TX.

It goes without saying that the downtown rally takes a huge amount of organization, and my hat goes off to Henry Knight who put this together with numerous advance special planning trips to Georgetown, working with the local town council, administration, and the Georgetown Business Association to make this event happen. The devil is always in the details, and Henry knows exactly how to plan for success. As Henry said, “Our mission was to come with a positive attitude and in turn have a positive impact on business and on the residents of Georgetown. I think Wally Byam’s mission would be the same and I think we made him proud. The Airstream Club has a positive impact wherever we travel.”

Thank you Chris and Gina Fox the official photographers for this event, who made available drone photos and selected shots from their collection - therivetedfox.com. Thanks to Jennifer Olsen for the Orange Street photo. You can check out this link to a video of Streamin on the Harbor event.