The Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds (MARVAC) is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2021, recalling the association’s founding in 1941.
MARVAC introduced RV and camping shows to the Metro Detroit area in 1966 with the original Detroit Camper and Travel Trailer Show. The event is the third-longest running public RV show in the country.
“We were not there when Henry Ford and Thomas Edison took their glamping vacations in 1914 and introduced the idea of car camping,” MARVAC Executive Director Bill Sheffer said, “but we have been promoting the benefits of it ever since.”
Sheffer has been a MARVAC member the past 25 years.
The first Detroit Camper and Travel Trailer Show was conducted at the Detroit Artillery Armory on 8 Mile Road. Shows also have been conducted at Cobo Hall and the Pontiac Silverdome, and the event was the inaugural show for the Novi Expo Center.
“Michigan offers natural beauty that is unrivaled by any other state, and there is no better way to experience Michigan’s natural wonders than through the joys of camping,” said Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “We congratulate MARVAC on 80 years of encouraging RV travel as a way to experience the beauty and diversity of Michigan’s destinations, and thank them for serving as a longstanding partner to Pure Michigan.”
Statewide event are being rescheduled for 2022 because of the pandemic but the MARVAC RV and Camping Show is scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 31 at Suburban Collection Showplace.
“Our membership is quite excited and looking forward to the return of the shows,” said Darren Ing, show director and director of MARVAC. “For many of our campground owners and RV dealerships, these shows are an important way for them to connect with consumers shopping for units or accessories, or looking for places to take their RVs on vacation.”
