Vintage trailer rally in Petaluma offers glimpse of bygone era

The 7th annual West Coast Vintage Trailer Rally has taken over Petlauma's KOA campground this weekend, offering a glimpse backward in time for many who remember camping in the 'tin cans.'|

If you head to Petaluma this weekend, you may think you took a wrong turn and went back in time.

The 7th annual West Coast Vintage Trailer Rally has taken over the KOA campground off Old Redwood Highway along Highway 101, with restored trailers and 'Tin Can Tourists' sporting their 1950s, '60s and '70s campers.

'The lifestyle … it's a simpler time,' explained Penny Cotter of Santa Cruz, who with her husband, Charlie, organizes the annual get together, being held for the third time in Petaluma.

'We all come together for the same thing,' said Kellie Cronin of Santa Rosa, 'the love of trailers, simple things, vintage stuff.'

Cronin is passing down the love to her grandson, Dayton Michael Castrillo, who at 7 months old has logged his third trailer rally already.

The event runs through Sunday, with an open house and yard sale Saturday, where the public can tour several of the 120 lovingly restored trailers, which range from the late 1940s to the 1970s and maybe a few newer ones. The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and lunch can be purchased at KOA.

Festivities started Friday afternoon with a caravan through downtown Petaluma, prompting some double-takes from al fresco diners and window shoppers.

'We were just sitting here and we saw all these nice trailers out here,' said Omar Estrella of Petaluma, who popped out of Risibisi to ask one of the drivers what was up.

'I saw this cool Woody pulling an Airstream earlier. Very impressive.'

The Tin Can Tourists is a worldwide organization committed to the preservation and celebration of classic trailers and motor coaches. Originally organized in Tampa in 1919, it died out mid-century and then was renewed in 1998 as an all-make-and-model vintage trailer and motor coach club.

The group holds annual gatherings in Florida and Michigan with regional rallies throughout the U.S. There are regional representatives in Canada, the Netherlands, France, Australia and Japan.

Vintage trailer enthusiasts typically start off slow, said camper David Kappadahl of San Ramon, whose family of four, plus dog Radar, were spending the weekend in Petaluma.

They are staying in their 1964 Shasta camper, restored in an 'atomic' theme from the 1960s. A photo of President John F. Kennedy is on the kitchen wall, period green, yellow and orange place settings on the dining room table and green geometric upholstery reminiscent of the Jetsons on the seats. Photos of Star Trek and American astronauts hang on a wall.

The 'tin canners' tend to be a friendly lot, inviting strangers in to take a look at their restoration projects.

'Most of the people want to go back to when they were camping with their parents,' Kappadahl said.

His wife, Dawn, and kids Evan, 16, and Dawnika, 13, started with a vintage popup trailer a few years ago, then upgraded to a larger teardrop trailer.

'It becomes a natural progression,' he said. 'It becomes addictive. You end up pining for other kinds.'

He and his wife, both tall, restored their Shasta to include a king-size bed and a tight but efficient bathroom and shower.

Paul Lacitinola of Elverta shows off his green 1948 Vagabond, which he's restored to about as close to original as possible, including the wood paneling throughout and the vintage flooring.

Nearby, Carolyn Phillips and Debbie Birdsall, next door neighbors in Danville, worked Friday afternoon to set up Phillips' 1955 Kenskill, which she essentially rebuilt.

She bought it for $50, saving it from the dump, and remodeled it to a comfortable space-efficient trailer, with a bathroom.

'It was in such bad shape when I got it,' she said. 'But now I look at it and say, 'I built that.'

'It's very rewarding, like remodeling a house. The electrical, the plumbing, everything,' she said. 'It's very satisfying, on a small scale.'

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.

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