FARMINGTON – More than 225 campers are expected to settle in for the weekend for the annual spring Samboree for the Maine Good Sam Club today through Sunday at the Farmington Fairgrounds.

While the 19 Maine chapters of the Good Sam Club plan to spend the weekend enjoying the camaraderie of fellow campers, a variety of activities, and, of course, food, the weekend is not limited to just Good Sam members, State Director Sandra Bowie of Yarmouth said. Bowie is the first female state director for the club and organizer for the weekend event.

Any recreational vehicle campers are welcome to join the activities and camp at the fairgrounds this weekend, she said.

The club enjoys two Samborees, she said, this mini-Samboree held the first weekend in June in Farmington, and a larger one held at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds the first weekend of September (“Samboree” plays off the word jamboree).

This is a special year for the club, she said. It’s the 35th anniversary of the Maine Good Sam Club and a celebration is planned for its September Samboree.

The club, she said, started 40 years ago when a handful of RV owners put “good Samaritan” bumper stickers on their rigs so fellow RVers would know they could get help on the road. From there, it expanded, she said. Members spread the word and soon the Good Sam “smiling face” decal was in demand.

The club works to keep RVing safe and enjoyable while providing savings for members through club-endorsed benefits and services, Bowie said.

The 19 chapters will hold fundraising activities over the weekend. Money that’s collected will be donated to local charities. The chapters will have raffle sales, craft sales and flea markets this weekend.

A silent auction will also be held, she said, with money that’s raised being donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

Other activities planned for this weekend include craft instruction, cribbage and horseshoe tournaments, and entertainment provided by Side By Side, Debbie Myers and Adrienne Bowie, she said. American Legion Post 28 will provide a baked bean supper for the campers and one chapter will offer a pancake breakfast.

Wagon Master Elsie Cebulla of Shapleigh, who instructs campers to the sites of the individual chapters, said Good Sam members from as far away as Alabama are expected for the weekend. While more than 225 campers are expected, that number probably will at least double in terms of the number of people who will camp at the fairgrounds this weekend, she said.