Owning a Winnebago motor home will get you into clubs that are for Winnebago owners only and give you the opportunity to make a lot of friends. One of those clubs is camping in Albert Lea at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds this weekend.

Bill and Dorothy Pomerson of Albert Lea are helping host the Winnehaha Club Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Winnehaha Club is for the entire state of Minnesota, and people from all over the state came to camp. Other states also have Winnehaha clubs.

“We always meet the second full weekend of the month,” Dorothy said.

The club meets in different areas in Minnesota, and the organizers of the events find special things for the guests to do. Dorothy worked closely with the Albert Lea Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to find things to do over the weekend.

Members of the club will have a luncheon at Zion Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Visitors also like to check out local garage sales or go to casinos. The group at the fairgrounds will be visited by an officer and a narcotics dog on Saturday. Also popular are tours of factories or businesses near camping places wherever the club meets.

The club meets in spring and summer, though many of the couples continue to drive their Winnebagos the whole year. Bill and Dorothy are fans of the Winnebago because of how it’s made and the quality.

“Winnebago makes most of their own components,” Bill said.

The Pomerson’s 2004 Itasca Meridian motor home is 36 feet long with two sliders, which are basically extensions on the side of the motor home. They like the social aspect of being a part of the Winnehaha Club.

“We make a lot of good friends,” Dorothy said.

There will be about 20 motor homes at the fairgrounds this weekend. Many of the people camping put a lot of miles on their motor homes. Another club to be in for Winnebago owners is the Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club. WIT organizes caravans of about 20 motor homes and drives long, scenic routes in the U.S. and Canada. One man camping on Thursday said he had been on four caravan trips.

“It’s about the camaraderie and the friends you meet,” Dale Johnson said.

Johnson is from Burnsville and has owned a Winnebago for five years. All of the owners talked about how much they loved Winnebagos and all the people they meet going around the U.S.

Another owner, Don Cowden, of Arizona, said he took his time finding the right motor home. He liked that the manufacturer of Winnebagos will fix them if needed, and he said out of all the motor homes he’s driven he liked Winnebagos the most.

“As long as you’re having fun that’s what it’s about,” Don Cowden said.