ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — At the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island this weekend, RVs littered the floor for the annual RV and Camping Show.
"So my job is when you come to look for an RV, to match you up with that RV that meets your wants and your needs," said Campers Inn RV Matchmaker George Lipcsak.
Camper's Inn RV is an RV dealership with dozens of locations nationwide and was just one of several brands represented at the show that run from Feb. 24-26.
RVs prices fluctuated at the show, some costing nearly $15,000 and others having an MSRP of over half a million dollars. And while not everybody has that much money, Lipcsak said he's helped many families find RVs that suit them best, and especially so since the pandemic began.
"COVID, believe it or not, has been very good for the RV industry," Lipcsak told News 8's Collin Riviello. "A lot of people, because of COVID, wanted to get away from everything and get away from everyone. So camping afforded them that opportunity."
Like for 43-year-old Rock Island resident Brady Baerwaldt and his wife, 41-year-old Catherine Colle, who said after five years of researching different campers, they're finally ready to make the big financial jump.
"We come here every year and look at them," Baerwaldt said. "And I think we're ready to pull the trigger this year."
"We're making it a priority to be a family and then do things as a family, more so than we were really able to in the last couple of years," Colley added.
The couple has two children, one aged 10 and one aged 3. Colley said the pandemic has made her and her family closer than ever.
"We shop and meal plan, and we don't eat out really anymore," Colley said. "So it's forced us to be more healthy. It's forced us to think about what can we do together that's not necessarily getting on an airplane or staying in a hotel."
A thought they're hoping leads them to memorable family moments.
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