Once again the Miss-Lou is getting ready to welcome the “Blue Birds” to town. This is our third annual Bayou Blue Bird Rally. It is an awesome event held at the Vidalia RV Park, and this year it’s all happening Feb. 13-19. This year it is hosted by Mark and Lori Rabalais from Alexandria, La., and  Jerry and Natalie Lyles from Natchez. The Blue Bird theme this year is titled “Lovebirds on the Miss-Lou.”

To help kick off this event Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft and Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell have graciously agreed to help welcome the Blue Bird families in making them feel at home here in the Miss-Lou. We are expecting 25 or more Blue Bird coaches to participate in the Bayou Blue Bird Rally.

Blue Bird Wanderlodge is a high-end brand of class A recreational motorhome vehicles. For many years the Blue Bird was in a separate class of motorhomes alongside brands like Prevost and Newell.

In 1963, Blue Bird designed the prototype for the Blue Bird Transit Home, based on the Blue Bird All-American school bus. Built in Fort Valley, Ga., the Blue Bird Transit Home was manufactured by subsidiary Cardinal Manufacturing. In a tour to market the vehicle, Blue Bird showed off the prototype to potential dealers and buyers at a number of campgrounds and RV parks throughout the United States. The Transit Home received little attention until a 1965 article featuring the vehicle was published in House Beautiful magazine; soon after, the company secured five orders fro the $12,000 vehicles.

For 1998, a new generation of Wanderlodge debuted; all versions were produced entirely by Blue Bird. Side by side, the most visible change was the much larger windshield. Wanderlodges were produced with slide-outs as an option to increase interior space while parked. In 2002, all Wanderlodges were produced with slides. Blue Bird coaches are known to be the safest and offer the highest quality and best value in the industry. Boasting on an all steel frame and amenities that rival other high-end coaches. In 2009, Blue Bird manufactured its last coach.

You might ask why is all this information being shared with you. Well, you are in for a treat. The public is invited to come out from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18th and have the opportunity to tour the Blue Birds and see the grand wonder they offer and it’s all free.

So, if you are out and about that week and you just happen to pass a Blue Bird on the road honk your horn and give a friendly wave and welcome them to our small town community.
Natalie Lyles is a Natchez resident and a Blue Bird owner.