Producing Happy Campers
Although an average camping trip lasts about a week, campgrounds spend a lot of time preparing for these short trips.
Denny Quigley, owner of Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest in Harrisville, said preparation of the campgrounds begins two weeks before the season begins.
Its season began April 15 and will end Oct. 31. The campground has 6 rental units and 170 camp sites.
During the time, the camp can only do routine maintenance, so preseason preparation is important.
“We go for the ‘wow factor' when people pull in here,” Quigley said.
To achieve this, the staff at the camp works on landscaping and plants new shrubs. The camp also prepares its pool and does some painting.
But getting ready for new activities begins in the fall. Quigley said the campground completes it brochure and website for the following season during the winter.
Despite the difficult past winter, Quigley said the campground was mostly unaffected.
“We came through the winter pretty good,” he said.
He credited prep work in the fall, including winterizing the campground's pipes.
Although the season begins in mid-April, Quigley said a lot of work goes on during the early season in preparation for the Memorial Day weekend, which he said it the campground's first big weekend.
To attract new guests and retain older ones, the campground is always updating its activities.
“Every year, we try to add some new amenity,” Quigley said.
Todd Wehr, one of the owners of Bear Run Campground in Muddy Creek Township, said the staff begins physical preparation at the beginning of April, but if the weather is nice, they start late March.
Its season also began April 15 and will end Oct. 31. The campground has 20 lodging units and 280 camp sites.The support staff does general maintenance, including remodeling restrooms and making improvements to cabins and the main lodge.About this time the campground makes sure the staff is in place for the new season. Many staff members return each season, he said.The campground always opens for the first weekend of trout season. As such, it has to stock its pond to prepare.However, he said the process really begins in the fall.The owners also evaluate the previous season and look at where they can make changes.“Similar to the way a sports team might,” Wehr said.This involves planning new activities, as well as looking at programs, brochures and the camp's website.The owners usually attend camp seminars at the state and national level to see what is new in the industry and what other campgrounds are doing.Wehr said all of the preparation is worth it when the season starts.“Basically, what we need to do is consider what makes a happy camper,” Wehr said.
