By Peter Pelland The 47th Annual Convention and Trade Show of the Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association was held from December 6-8, 2010 at the Gettysburg Wyndham Hotel, in Gettysburg. State association conferences vary tremendously in size, attendance levels, and quality of content. The fact that PCOA’s annual conference has a nearly 50-year history is testimony to the caliber of the overall event, the skills of its organizers, and the enthusiasm of its participants.
Any Northern show held in December runs the risk of running into inclement weather, as anyone who attended PCOA’s 2009 event in the Poconos will vividly recall. Although attendees from Western and North Central Pennsylvania reported driving through a moderate snowfall, Gettysburg itself was generally clear, cold and windy. Fortunately, the event was held entirely under one roof, and the new Gettysburg Wyndham Hotel provided an exceptional setting. I am told that few people left the comfort of the
heated bus during a preevent escorted tour of the historic battlefields of Gettysburg National Military Park that was sponsored by Evergreen Insurance. There were 80 campgrounds in attendance, representing over a third of the PCOA membership, in addition to 2 campgrounds from nearby Maryland and 1 from Virginia, along with representatives from both ARVC and the NCA. PCOA’s Executive Director, Beverly Gruber commented, “The convention was a very Continued Page 2