Continued Page 2

HERKIMER, N.Y., April 19, 2011 – With more than 40 inches of annual precipitation and three times as many cloudy days as sunny ones, upstate New York seems like the wrong place to determine the extent to which people

can satisfy their energy needs with solar energy.

But Dr. Renee Scialdo Shevat argues that it’s actually an ideal place, since most of America has a similar climate. And she hopes to prove it with the

energy production and consumption data she collects from the nation’s first “Solar Kolony,” which she is establishing this week at the Herkimer Diamond KOA campground in Hekimer, N.Y.

Continued from Page 1The “Solar Kolony” is a collection of three fully furnished “park model” cabins, which will be available for rent throughout the camping season. But unlike the “Kamping Lodges” that are available at other KOA campgrounds, Dr. Shevat’s units are powered exclusively by solar panels with a backup propane generator.

“We’re hoping to complete the installation of our ‘Solar Kolony’ in time for Earth Day on April 22nd,” Dr. Shevat said, adding that she is already receiving reservations from consumers who want to rent the environmentally friendly units.

Herkimer Diamond KOA installed its first solar

powered park model cabin from Phoenix, Ariz.-based Cavco Industries last May. But the unit was so popular with campers that Dr. Shevat decided to install two more of Cavco’s solar powered park models this month, thus creating the nation’s first “Solar Kolony.”

But while many consumers will be enticed by the novelty of spending the night in the nation’s first “Solar Kolony,” Dr. Shevat is eager to study the Kolony’s energy production and consumption data, which she plans to share with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The park models that Dr. Shevat purchased to create the Solar Kolony have been equipped with energy saving lighting and

appliances. But no one knows, at this point, whether it’s more cost effective or green to use a propane generator to produce backup power to recharge the Kolony’s batteries or simply to tap into New York’s existing electrical grid, given the relatively low cost of electricity that’s available between midnight and 6 a.m. “This will be one of many questions we hope to answer during the coming year,” Dr. Shevat said.

Beyond this, she said, campers who spend the night in the “Solar Kolony” will also have a chance to learn about other green building and living practices.

The 400-square foot units, each of which sleep six, are all unique, but still have one thing in common: green technologies. Some of the units feature bamboo flooring, LED lighting, recycled axels and tires, recycled lumber composite

decking, on-demand water heating, energy efficient heating and air-conditioning as well as a complete assortment of eco-friendly cleaning and bathroom products, including coreless toilet paper that leaves no cardboard core at the end of the roll. Even the units’ Amish-style furniture has been manufactured from recycled milk jugs and recycled hickory wood.

Storage tanks are also being set up to capture rainwater that falls on the units so that it can be used to irrigate an organic vegetable and herb garden. Park guests will be encouraged to pick vegetables and herbs from the garden during the summer months and to use them in their cooking while they stay at the park.

“Our guests will not only have an opportunity for a great camping experience, but the dwelling itself becomes an educational tool,” Dr. Shevat said, adding, “My hope is that our guests not only come to enjoy our park and our ‘Solar Kolony’ with friends and family, but come away inspired to live a greener lifestyle.”Herkimer Diamond Mines KOA Kampground Named

Kampground of the Year

I can’t say enough about the impact that Campground eNews has had on my business.

In the months that I have been advertising with Campground eNews, I

have seen a huge upswing in my client base and when I look at the cost per impression there is no comparison with the other advertising venues that I use.

Campground eNews has provided me with my best return on my advertising dollars. As a new business, advertising dollars are a premium that must return on their investment. Campground eNews has more than met the task. In the few months that I have been advertising with

Campground eNews, I have seen my business take off. I have to credit Campground eNews for being a part of my business moving to the next level.

Pamela

Pamela WrightFocusedWords303.895.1124

Thanks Pamela!Advertising is always very hard to monitor so receiving feedback like this is very welcome! We have some clients who have been with us since issue 1 which, in itself is testimony to the success.Editor Dennis Macready

The Milford, Ohio-based campground chain is the first in the country to join Leave No Trace, a non-profit organization that develops educational programs to help children become better stewards of the environment

MILFORD, Ohio, April 2011 – It takes a plastic six-pack holder 100 years to decompose in the natural environment.

In the meantime, it poses a danger to wildlife.And what about a soda can?Eighty years.Even a seemly benign orange peel can take anywhere from 30 days to two years to decompose.

These statistics may sound trivial, but when children hear this information, they tend to act more responsibly and take better care of the environment.

Children across the country will have a chance to hear how they can be better stewards of the environment while camping at Jellystone Park Camp Resorts.

Last year, the Milford, Ohio-based family campground chain became the first campground organization in the country to join Leave No Trace, a Boulder, Colo.-

based non-profit organization that develops educational programs designed to help children and adults take better care of the environment.

“Our franchisees attended training sessions with Leave No Trace earlier this year, and many of them are now incorporating LNT’s nature based educational programs into their weekend activity schedules,” said Michele Wisher, director of marketing for Milford, Ohio-based Leisure Systems Inc., which franchises Jellystone Parks.

The Lake Monroe Jellystone Park in Bloomington, Ind., was one of the first to implement the program.“It’s been very popular,” said Cheryl Smith, the park’s general manager, adding that she has scheduled nature activity weekends periodically throughout the summer and fall.

Young children typically participate in age-appropriate discussions about the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment. “That’s when they learn how long it takes for different things to decompose in the natural environment,” Smith said, while classes in environmental ethics are offered to teenagers.

“In the environmental ethics class, teens learn about the erosion that takes place when they take shortcuts on hiking trails or the lasting damage that occurs when they carve their names in trees or leave trash behind,” Smith said, adding, “The whole point of this effort is to raise awareness about things we can do to lessen our negative impact on our natural surroundings.”

Other activities include crafts classes in which children make various crafts out of recycled materials, garden activities, in which children plant various trees and shrubs in the campground, and short educational videos, which

parks can show before their regular nighttime movies.

Dana Gabriel, who co-owns the Jellystone Park in Swansea, S.C., said her park has already had Earth Day activities and plans to continue to offer additional nature activities based on the Leave No Trace curriculum. “We do as much education as we can with the kids,” she said. “We tell them, ‘If you pack it in, pack it out.’ And we see that this helps produce tidier campers. They start to feel a synergy with the park and we’ll even start to see kids out there picking up after each other.”

Industry E News LLC, publishers of Campground & RV Park E News are set to release Issue 5 of their consumer magazine, GetawayUSA.

The magazine, aimed at getting more people to go camping and RVing has had good acceptance since releasing issue 1 to a data base of 66 million public opt in emails.

This issue features New Mexico, Kentucky, North

Carolina and Arkansas with stunning photography combined with editorial and features pertaining to the camping and RVing lifestyle.

New Berlin, PA – “Visibility is how you promote your product or service to campgrounds!” So says Art Lieberman, Producer of the Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo II, which will be held on the Internet beginning on November 11th. “It is how my company MCPS for Campgrounds has attained name recognition within the campground industry. We are members of over a dozen state, regional and the National Association of campground owners, have exhibited at dozens of live trade shows and will continue to do so, I write a weekly column for the Campground and RV Park E-News and do two free webinars a month.”

“So when someone new and unique exhibits at shows we attend, we want to discuss the possibility of them exhibiting at our Virtual Expo. Such was the case when we saw Solar LED Innovations, Inc. at both the Pennsylvania Campground and the Northeast Campground shows”

The company, using the trade name “Solargoose”, markets products which are charged by a small solar battery, making them not only unique, but green. The battery can charge a host of products such as flashlights, signs and even cell phones when no electricity is available.

“I was so enthusiastic about their products,” said Deanne Bower, the Expo’s co-producer, that I actually purchased the “Starter Kit” at the NCA. Imagine my surprise and delight when I solicited them to participate as exhibitors at the Expo and Tom Chorman, the company’s CEO decided, instead, to become a Silver Sponsor.”

The company’s website www.solargoose.com offers many products that were not present at the campground shows and their 7 LED flashlights can be customized with the campground’s name for sale in stores. They can be reached by phone at 484-639-4823 or by e-mail at tom@solargoose.com

The Expo which is conducted entirely on the Internet has also received completed applications and payment from sponsors Leisure Interactive, Checkbox Systems, Pelland Advertising, MCPS for Campgrounds, Best Parks In America and from exhibitors Campground Automation, Evergreen Insurance and Leavitt Recreation and Hospitality Insurance. David Gorin & Associates is now the Presenting or Platinum Sponsor of the event.

The Producers are seeking marketing reps to solicit suppliers for booth and

sponsorship participation in the event. It is a commission-based opportunity. The Producers may be reached from 10-4, Monday thru Friday at the below telephone number.

“David Gorin & Associates Presents - The Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo II” is scheduled to take place on 11-11-11 for 2 days and

another 60 days in an on-demand status. The producers may be contacted by calling 877-901-EXPO (3976) or by e-mail at campvirtualshow@yahoo.com. Their website (currently being updated) is www.outdoorhospitalityexpo.com. Pelland Advertising maintains the Expo’s Webpage.

CAMDEN, Ohio -- Preble County, Ohio, authorities are investigating the stabbing of a 41-year-old woman at a private campground.

Lori Blaylock was treated for non life-threatening injuries at McCullough-Hyde Hospital in Oxford, Ohio, after she reported the incident at 1:45 a.m. Friday.

Blaylock was allegedly stabbed in the chest by her boyfriend, 41-year-old Brian Bates, inside a trailer that was parked at Deer Run, a campground just south of Camden. Blaylock reported to police that Bates threatened to set fire to the trailer in which they live.

Bates reportedly fled from the trailer when sheriff's

deputies arrived at the scene. Police captured Bates nearby the trailer and discovered he had a serious self-inflicted wound on his left wrist.

Bates was airlifted to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. At 8 p.m. Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said she couldn't release any information about Bates' condition.

Police said Bates was intoxicated and had to be tased in order to be transported to the hospital.Investigators will forward information to the Preble County Prosecutor's Office for review of possible felonious assault charges on Bates.Article: www.pal-item.com

Famous Candy Company’s Touring Bus Will Visit May 7-8WILLIAMSBURG, VA (April 14 , 2011) – The world famous Jelly Belly Candy Company’s touring bus will be making a special appearance at the Williamsburg KOA Kampground May 7-8, with fun family activities planned throughout the weekend. Jelly Belly’s Touring”Jelly Bean Experts” will share insider secrets to the making of Jelly Belly jelly beans - the iconic candy that spread sweetness around the world during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. At the Williamsburg KOA stop, Jelly Belly will offer tastes of their newest flavors, and invite the more

daring to take the challenge to taste “BeanBoozled,” the wacky line of weird and wild flavors from “Skunk Spray” and “Pencil Shavings” to the delightful “Top Banana” and “Coconut” flavors. There will be plenty of prizes for the kids, and the Jelly Belly Team will be hosting a cupcake decoration demonstration

from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday May 7 at the KOA, located at 4000 Newman Road in Williamsburg. Guests will have the opportunity to learn how to create beautiful spring cupcakes with delicious Jelly Belly products. Jelly Belly jelly beans are currently made in 92 flavors, and the most recently released flavor is Honey Bean. Known for jaw-dropping flavor profiles that hit the mark, the company also makes 100 more fine confections such as licorice, jells, gummies, seasonal sweets and chocolate covered treats. Additional information is available at JellyBelly.com or the Jelly Belly Hotline (800) 323-9380. Become a fan at facebook.com/jellybelly.

The May 6-8 weekend also doubles as one of two KOA Come Kamp & Care with us weekends at the Williamsburg KOA. Campers staying as paying guests on Friday, May 6 will receive a free night of camping on Saturday, May 7. Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend also serves as a major fundraiser for KOA Care Camps for children with campers. KOA campers staying at the campground will have the opportunity to donate funds to KOA Care Camps, a network of 44 specialized camps throughout North America that provide a free, quality summer camp experience for children dealing with cancer. To make reservations at the Williamsburg KOA, go to www.KOA.com or call 800-562-1733.

BARABOO, Wis. — Devil’s Lake celebrates its 100th birthday this year as a state park — Wisconsin’s loveliest, largest, geologically unique and most popular, with more than 1.8 million visits last year.

The spring-fed, roughly mile-long lake, measuring 47 feet deep, is unlike anything east of the

Rockies. It’s part of the south range of the Baraboo Bluffs, a quartzite up-thrust. An ancient river cut a gap where the lake now lies, and the 500-foot-high bluffs of quartzite that surround it were dumped by the retreat of the last glacier some 12,000 years ago.

How the lake got its name is much debated, but it most likely was a botched

translation of various Native American names that meant Spirit Lake.

Visitors come from every state and from three miles up the road in Baraboo, where we natives consider the park our backyard playground.

Chicagoans have been flocking here for more than a century, even before the

Chicago & North Western Railway reached the lake in 1873. Summer excursion trains from Chicago brought as many as 2,000 people a day. These days, visitors must drive, bike or hoof it. The lake is the centerpiece of a park stretching over 10,000 acres of hills, vales, woods and fields.Full Article: www.suntimes.com

I recently purchased a smartphone which came complete with a four page 1”x3” instruction booklet that consisted of 4 pages, two of which were in Spanish. This got me to thinking about how, instead of making the guests life easier, we make it difficult for them. Let’s take a look at some of the places where we can simplify our guest’s lives.

Website – Take a look at your website through a guest’s eye. How hard is it to find the rates page? If I don’t know what your rates are, it is very likely that I won’t call and ask, I will just move on to the RV Park down the road.

Are there current pictures of your RV sites? One thing that is guaranteed to get you bad press is that the pictures of your sites look beautiful when in fact that only applies to one site and it has a long term RV on it. Be honest and it will gain you fans.

Do you have outdated material on your website? If I find a rates page that has 2009 in bold letters, the first impression is not good. Let’s face it, for many of us, the website is the first impression of the park.

If you don’t have online reservations on your website, can I find a phone number to call? Is it an 800 number? If the phone number is a long distance call, the impression is that

the park will probably be charging for things like cable, electric, wifi, etc. instead of including the cost in the site charge. I like to know how much I am going to spend upfront so that I can plan the budget.

Check in—Do you try to get me to my site as soon as possible? If I have been driving for several hours I just want to get set up on the site so I can sit down and relax. I don’t want to stand at the front desk waiting to check in and answering a million questions.

Do you escort me to my site or just hand me a map and wish me luck? Being escorted to a site can impress me with your willingness to go out of your way to make sure I get to my site easily and without worrying about hitting trees or going into the wrong site.

Concierge Service—Do you have a well organized area for things to do and see while I am with you? Or is it something that is there only because you heard it would be a good thing to do? Make sure any area brochures are current and get rid of the old ones. The problem of using menus for restaurant suggestions is that they quickly become outdated. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard neighboring guests talking about going to a recommended restaurant

only to find that it is out of business, the prices have changed drastically or what was once a nice dining experience has turned into a fast food joint.

Do you have someone at the desk that is familiar with the area and ready to make suggestions for me? If you use workampers, you may find that not all of them are good at directing me to the highlights of the area. If you can’t afford someone to act as a concierge, then make sure that everyone behind the desk knows a few things to recommend.

Checkout—Is your checkout time clearly stated on the guests receipt? Does your front desk staff make sure to state what the checkout time is? By letting the outside staff know who was checking out that day, they can stop by and chat with me, make sure I enjoyed

my stay and ask if there was anything I needed before I checked out at 11am (or whatever time your checkout is.)

Do you make me come back into the office to checkout or is it an automatic process? By making it automatic, you allow my husband, who wants to leave at the break of dawn, to be hitting the road without any interruption.

Guest Comments—Do you make it easy for me to let you know how my stay went, solicit any suggestions for improvement, or let you know of any problems that I found with the park? I appreciate being asked for my opinion; however, please don’t make your comment sheet a two page survey. Just ask for the

Continued

pertinent information and then let me know that you read my comments.

If you are an ARVC member, do you take advantage of your free Guest Reviews? This is a great way to contact me after I have left the park and remind me that you are interested in my input about my stay.

Reminders—Do you send out a newsletter on a regular basis? This doesn’t have to be every month, even pre-season and post-season will work. The point is to keep your park’s name in my mind. It is very frustrating to have stayed at

a park that I really liked and then not be able to remember the name of the park. This is especially true when I have stayed in an area that has a lot of RV resorts such as Florida or Arizona.

How about sending out a postcard on the anniversary of my stay saying that you hope I remember the great time I had and that I will come back to visit again soon?

These are just a few of the things I have run into over my RVing life that were frustrating and irritating. I’m sure that you are currently doing the most you can to make your guests comfortable and happy, but

it doesn’t hurt to stop and review every once in a while. The last thing you want to do is to frustrate and irritate your guest because I can guarantee that they will be more likely to give you a bad review online, will not recommend you to their friends and will even let strangers know that your RV resort is not one that is guest –centric.

FocusedWords is a company dedicated to helping you promote and market your campground to RVer’s everywhere, using printed materials, press releases and social media. Be sure to follow Pamela on Twitter: @rvstops and @FocusedWords. Check

out her blog at FocusedWords.com/blog.

Pamela has now made her database of Group contacts available to you. For more information, email her at pwright@FocusedWords.com.

Continued

Pamela Wright

Harrells, NC (April 1 3 , 2011) – Combining forces to offer RVing consumers a learning resource for using and maintaining their RVs as well as discovering interesting RV destinations and delicious dishes, RV Education 101 www.RVEducation101.com and RV Cooking Show www.RVCookingShow.com aim to help RVers become RV savvy in more ways than one.

RV Education 101 is the premier provider of educational videos, books and RV information and is also the producer of "Mark’s RV Garage", an internet television how-to series teaching RVers the ins and outs of RVing. The RV Cooking Show, part RV travel guide, part cooking class on wheels, widely available across the internet on a number of popular RVing websites as well as the RV Cooking Show site, shares information about not-to-be missed RV destinations and shows RVers how to create fantastic destination-related dishes in their own RV kitchens.

“It’s a great fit for both of our audiences. There’s more to RVing than the RV itself," said Mark and Dawn Polk, co-owners of RV Education 101. "We want to offer technical information

but we also want to provide relevant information on the entire scope of RVing. The joint venture with RV Cooking Show is a great way to help educate consumers about many aspects of RVing and for people new to RVing to see firsthand what it’s all about.”

“Partnering with industry experts such as the Polks is a tremendous benefit to our audience. Their experience in RV know-how paired with our traveling and dining expertise serves viewers a well-rounded diet of RV smarts,” remarked Evanne Schmarder, producer and host of the RV Cooking Show. “We are absolutely delighted to be associated with RV Education 101 and Mark’s RV Garage.”

Dawn adds, “RV Education 101 is the industry's voice on operational and safety

issues and RV Cooking Show is the industry’s voice on must-see destinations and location-related food preparation in the RV kitchen. RVers are hungry for both categories – travel and meal planning/preparation along with RV knowledge and information.” Go to www.RVEducation101.com and www.RVCookingShow.com for more details

Evanne Schmarder

Mark and Dawn Polk

http://www.jumpingpillowsusa.com/

BILLINGS, MONTANA (April 18, 2011) - The 2011/2012 edition of the annual Kampgrounds of America Directory includes nearly 500 examples of cutting edge Microsoft Tag technology, and that was bound to draw attention from technology experts around the world.

Microsoft Tags are small printed "bar codes" that offer a bridge between

printed materials and the internet. Readers simply use a downloadable online application to "scan" the Tag with their smart phone. Their phone then takes them directly to the link associated with the printed tag. Microsoft Tags in the KOA Directory were recently featured in a video segment broadcast online in March from the South by Southwest Technology Show in Austin, Texas. You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g2BtyGJe_dA

In the case of Kampgrounds of America, Microsoft Tags are printed next to each of 475 campground listings, offering consumers a direct link to additional

information about each campground, including a full array of photographs, as well as current campground "hot deals" and area attractions. Soon, the Tags will allow campers to book their KOA reservations easily via each campground's mobile-friendly website. "We're very proud that Kampgrounds of America was able to print more Microsoft Tags than any other single publication in the brief history of this

technology," said KOA Vice President of Communications Mike Gast. "It offers us yet another way to enhance our communication with our camping guests, and make their experience with our campgrounds just that much easier and rewarding." Also new this year is a downloadable digital PDF KOA Directory, now available at http://www.koa-directory.com/koadirectory/201112#pg1.

Clean coal is a hot button issue getting hotter as the debates about EPA proposed regulations and clean energy ramp up to near fever pitch in political and economic considerations. The United States uses 21 million barrels of crude oil every day, much of it imported and all of it expensive. At the same time we sit on enough coal to fuel the country for a century or more at a much cheaper cost.

Other facts in the equation: half of our electricity is produced in 400 coal fired power plants located in 46 states. The American Lung Association asserts that six in ten Americans, 176 million people, breathe unhealthy levels of polluted air. 386,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants, including toxic metals, are put into our air by these plants every day. These include arsenic, lead, mercury, dioxins, formaldehyde, benzene, radioisotopes and hydrogen chloride.

Processing coal into liquid form and using it like oil

creates pollution and uses much energy. It would require 120 million tons of coal each year to replace just one million barrels of oil per day. The conversion process needs heat at 1000 degrees to convert the coal to gas before it is cooled into a liquid state. The energy, water and emissions involved in this process create as much of a problem as the converted coal solves.

Adding to the problem: water quality in the 17 states with coal mines is compromised badly, according to EPA studies, for miles and miles in all directions. Some methods of mining coal, such as blasting off the tops of mountains, also invite criticism. So: cheap energy with environmental hazards or safe but expensive energy? Many argue for various shades of gray, insisting that safer and cheaper ways of processing coal or protecting against the emissions are on the way.

Bottom line: more expensive electricity.

By Larry

CROWLEY, Texas, April 19, 2011 – The Texas Association of Campground Owners will host its annual spring conference and tradeshow May 1st to 3rd at Guadalupe River RV Resort in Kerrville.

“We’re expecting a big crowd, much like we had last year,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO, adding that the organization’s conference and tradeshow is the largest of its kind in the Southwest.

The conference will feature eight educational sessions, including:

Maximizing Employee Potential & Bursting Your Bubble: These sessions will be led by Lori Severson, a motivation training consultant who has consulted for numerous companies, including the Walt Disney Company, Leisure Systems, Camp Snoopy, IBM, TRW, the LeRoy Butler Foundation and the Gilbert Brown Foundation in addition to serving as executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners.

Utilizing Guest Surveys and Feedback & Dealing With Negative Online Reviews: These sessions will be led by Bob MacKinnon, a Certified Park Operator and campground industry consultant who developed the GuestReviews online survey program, which is widely used throughout North America’s campground industry.MacKinnon spent 30 years with the Walt Disney Company, handling everything from resort and theme park management to marketing and human resources.

The Legislature and You: Ron Hinkle, TACO’s legislative consultant, will explain the extensive legislative work TACO is performing on behalf of campground owners. Hinkle has worked in various capacities both inside and outside the Texas legislature for nearly 30 years. Hinkle served as Sergeant at Arms and Legislative Division Director for the Texas House of Representatives; then became assistant government affairs director for the Texas Chamber of Commerce as well as a legislative liaison for the Texas Public Utility Commission.

Campground Insurance Update: Lance Goff from AVP Philadelphia Insurance

will discuss some of the latest insurance topics affecting campgrounds and how to maximize your coverage. A 20-year insurance industry veteran, Goff has been handling insurance for RV parks and campgrounds for the past 10 years.

Legal Challenges Facing Campgrounds: This session will be led by Casey Erick of McKamie Krueger, LLP, an attorney on retainer by TACO who specializes in defense against allegations of civil rights or labor violations, employment disputes as well as tort and insurance litigation. He also lectures on laws that impact government entities.

21st Century Utilities / Electric Car Charging Stations: This session will be led by Wade Elliott of Utility Supply Group. If you want to learn the latest in electrical hook-ups, changes in electrical codes and generate extra cash by being an electric car charging stations - don't miss this class.

Driving the Experience: Facts and Figures from the

Campground Industry: This session will be led by Larry Brownfield, a senior business development consultant in franchise services for Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA). Brownfield is responsible for KOA’s southwest region, which includes 101 campgrounds.

So You Want To Expand Your Business: This session will be led by Carol and Walter Preble, longtime campground operators who have also worked for KOA in various capacities. Carol spent five years at KOA’s corporate headquarters, initially working as vice president of franchise sales and later as vice president of franchise services. Walter has provided consulting services to KOA and numerous campground operators for business development and campground design.

Playing the Google Game: This session will be led by Matt Taylor and Michael Moore of Texas Advertising. Taylor is a Google AdWords Certified Professional and

Continued

website director for Texas Advertising who oversees the company’s social networking initiatives, while Moore is Texas Advertising’s general manager and account executive, overseeing internal operations and cross-platform marketing.

First Time Visitors Orientation and Creative Marketing Roundtable: This session is designed to help the association’s newest and potential members find what they’re looking for during the show. There will an emphasis on creative marketing - bring your best ideas and share with the group.

TACO’s tradeshow, for its part, will take place at Kerrville’s Inn ofthe Hills River Resort and will feature more than 40 vendors, who will display their products and services at the Inn’s 15,000 square foot conference hall. During the trade show awards will be given to Supplier of the Year and also a Park Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other activities include an opening night Hawaiian luau and casino night with a live band and great food, a raffle with $3,000 worth of computer and entertainment equipment, including an iPad2 and a big screen TV, and TACO’s annual auction, which supports its government affairs programs.

The three-day event will conclude with TACO’s annual awards luncheon, during which time awards will be given for Park of the Year, Website of the Year, Brochure and Rack Card of the Year.

For more information or to register, please visit the TACO show website, www.guadaluperiverroundup.com, or call Brian Schaeffer at (817) 307-0219.

Continued

The Trade Show will be held at Inn of the Hills River Resort

The Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Canyon Lake, Texas is going to be celebrating Earth Day in a big way this year.

Later this month, the Hill Country campground plans to install enough solar panels to heat its 1,000-gallon hot tub.

“We believe these panels will help us reduce our propane consumption by 80 percent and that the investment will pay for itself in less than a year,” said park owner Larry Jones.

Jones has also installed new 640-square foot insulated cabins with 6-inch thick walls, dual pane windows and steel doors and pressed wood siding that requires a fraction of the maintenance as standard wood-sided cabins.

Last year, Jones installed high-velocity hand driers in the park’s bathrooms, and wound up saving a lot more than paper. “It saves in clogs because people aren’t flushing paper towels down the toilet,” he said. “It

also reduces our maintenance time because we don’t have to constantly refill paper towel dispensers or go to the store to buy them. Having electric hand driers also saves us on storage, since we no longer have to have storage space dedicated to paper towels.”

Jones, of course, has a lot of company when it comes to green initiatives, since Jellystone Park operators across the country are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint.

Here’s a sampling of green initiatives underway at Jellystone Parks in several cities across the country:

Burleson, Texas: This park is switching from plastic to recycled materials for all of its food service items, including coffee cups, plates, napkins and utensils, said park manager Steve Stafford. www.rusticcreekranch.com

Fremont, Indiana: This park has installed solar water heating systems for

its pools. It also provides aluminum recycling services. www.jellystonesbest.com

Hagerstown, Maryland: This park has received awards from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation as well as the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds for its successful recycling initiatives involving local charity organizations. The park recycles all of its aluminum cans through Star Community, a local non-profit community for people with developmental disabilities. The park also collects plastic and cardboard on behalf of ARC Inc. of Washington County, which works to improve the lives of people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Park owners Ron and Vicki Vitkun have also invested in motion activated lights and programmable thermostats and are exploring the merits of solar power for water heating and power generation. www.jellystonemaryland.com

Horn Lake, Mississippi (Memphis): This park is recycling paper and aluminum. www.memphisjellystone.com

Montrose, Colorado: This park has invested in a computerized system for electronic check-ins, which

save on paper and postage. “We print out a small receipt. That’s all the paper it generates,” said park manager John Barber. www.countryvillagervresort.com

Quarryville, Pennsylvania: Like many campgrounds across the country, the Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Quarryville is located in an area where recycled materials are not picked up each week by the local unit of government. But park owner Beth Ryan pays a private company to pick up both her trash and recycled materials, and she provides bins for recycled waste at each campsite. “We take cans, bottles and cardboard,” Ryan said, adding, “Our guests like it. They are very happy to see that we do recycle. And campers are environmentally conscious anyway, so it’s a positive thing for them.” www.jellystonepa.com

Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania: This park has installed recycling centers throughout the campground, using lumber that was recycled from the park’s previous game room to build them. www.northeastpacamping.com

Leisure Systems Inc., the Milford, Ohio company that franchisesJellystone Parks, is also stepping up its green initiatives, having recently reduced the size of its print directory from 88 to 24

Continued

WAUPACA WI - Brian Miller, the former owner of a Waupaca County campground, pleaded no contest Thursday to one count of sexual assault. Three other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.

At a preliminary hearing, three men testified Miller, 44, gave them alcohol, then

made unwanted sexual advances at what was Kastle Kampground in the Town of DuPont. The campground has since been sold.

Sentencing is set for June 29. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.Article: www.fox11online.com

pages. “It not only saves paper, but the smaller size allows for more directories per box, cutting down on shipping materials and energy used for transportation,” stated Michele Wisher’s, Leisure Systems’ director of marketing. The company is also planning to adopt green practices at campground and travel industry tradeshows by

handing out promotional information in biodegradable plastic or reusable cloth bags. And it’s adding a new “Green Camping” section to their CampJellystone website, which will highlight the company’s partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and the addition of environmental education into its parks activity programs.

Continued

Unlike many other sports, outdoor participation among Americans has remained remarkably stable over the last several years - demonstrating impressive resiliency during challenging economic times.

According to The Outdoor Foundation's topline report, the rate of participation in

outdoor recreation in the United States remained solid in 2010 and at the same level seen in 2008. Nearly half of Americans ages 6 and older, or 137.9 million individuals, participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2010, making 10.1 billion outdoor outings, according to the 2011 Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report.

The research shows significant increases in adventure sports such as kayaking, backcountry camping and climbing as well as slight increases in youth participation among those individuals ages 13 - 24.

Published annually by The Outdoor Foundation, the 2011 Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report 2011 is derived from 40,000 online interviews conducted in January 2011/early February 2011.

Respondents came from a nationwide sample of individuals and households from the U.S. Online Panel operated by Synovate. A total of 15,086 individual and 23,656 household surveys were completed.

The total panel has over 1 million members and is maintained to be representative of the U.S. population. Over-sampling of ethnic groups took place to boost response from typically under-responding groups.

mailto:admin@industryenews.com

mailto:admin@industryenews.com