That was the RV week that was, May 25–31, 2019

Here are your RV news highlights for the week of May 25 to 31, 2019.

Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said he would rather go to jail than take down the 40×80-foot American flag over his Statesville, North Carolina, Gander Outdoors store. The city has been fining the store $50 a day every day it continued to fly the flag, which violated the city’s size ordinance. Now, thanks to a lot of social media pressure, it appears the city will amend its rules to keep the stars and stripes flying high (and big).

If you”ll be along the Western coastline June 5, plan to stop for awhile for one of the lowest tides of the year. You’ll see critters you don’t normally see. About two low tides typically occur every day with a relatively small difference between low and high. But a few times a year, there’s a larger swing, as is the case now. The lowest tide in San Francisco will be at 7:36 a.m., and 1:01 p.m. in Seattle. Bring kids or grandkids. Click here for details on times in your area.

Monica and Brian Thate left their Riviera RV Park for good on Wednesday, nearly a year after floods in Grand Forks, B.C., devastated the site. The couple can no longer bear running the park, which has been in the family for 22 years, after seeing it inundated in the 2018 floods. “I just feel like every spring now I’m just so worried … because I couldn’t handle it ever again,” said Monica, whose parents ran the park before she and her husband took it over.

If you’re in Oregon right now, you could be in luck. Camping is free tonight (June 1) in many state parks for full hookup, electric hookup and tent sites. Parking is free at the 25 day-use parks that normally charge a parking fee June 1 and June 2, too.

A truck stolen out of Genesee County, Michigan, was found submerged Sunday evening in a lake at the Holiday Shores RV Resort on Goodall Road in Vernon Township, after a truck was spotted in the water at a lake there. The incident was handled as a possible crime scene until the truck was removed from the water and deputies could determine no one was inside.

A pirate radio station is operating from an old motorhome beneath Brooklyn’s M Street subway tracks. It calls itself KPISS-FM. Watch an interesting five minute video about the station, which the owner says is “built on a pun.”

Officials say Cedar View Campground at Nebraska’s Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area is closed so construction crews can complete upgrades to campground amenities. The campground is situated about 15 miles west of Kingsley Dam on State Highway 92 near Otter Creek Bay. It’s scheduled to reopen June 13. Some of the work might not be finished until fall.

Time has run out for folks living in RVs on the streets of Colorado Springs. Today, the city will start enforcing its RV ban, and anyone who parks on public streets could be ticketed or towed. The non-profit group Ecumenical Social Ministries has worked for about four months to help 42 RV owners find a way out, and has raised $19,000 to relocate some in RV parks.

After a six-year lull, tornadoes erupted in the Midwest over the last two weeks as a volatile mix of warm, moist air from the Southeast and persistent cold from the Rockies clashed and stalled over the Midwest. More than 500 tornadoes were reported in May alone. (Source: National Weather Service and AP).

Five RVs burned and were destroyed early last Monday morning at the Whispering River Resort in Walland, Tennessee. Four fifth wheels and one motorhome were involved. So far, nobody knows how the fire started.

Anyone displaced by the recent tornadoes in Missouri is being allowed to camp for free at any state park campground for up to 30 days on a first-come, first-served basis. Those requesting the fee waiver must provide documentation from a governmental or charitable organization certifying they’ve been displaced by a tornado or by flooding in any county in Missouri. For more information about Missouri state park campgrounds, call 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf).

eCommerce software seller Salesforce has a new policy that bans retail customers from using its tech in the sales of a range of firearms, including semiautomatic weapons and gun parts like “multi-burst trigger devices.” Firearms-selling retailer Camping World is a major Salesforce customer that an analyst estimates spends over $1 million a year on the company’s software. Switching to another provider could cost Camping World double that to migrate data, reconfigure systems and retrain employees.

Scenic Park Campground in South Sioux City, S.D., has already flooded three times this year. A portion of the western campground is closed due to the high water now expected to rise again with all the recent rain. While nothing at the campground has been damaged, it’s still creating problems for camping season. Some parts of the campground are still open.