Issue 135 Campground & RV Park E News

Recently I had a few days off and traveled to the Carolinas staying at Campgrounds in North Carolina and at Hotels in South Carolina.

I must say it was really enjoyable staying in cabins at the campgrounds apart

from the night I forgot the cabin had a heater!

In South Carolina we opted to use the coupon books found at rest stops and set about finding a Hotel in Charleston. It was here my brain switched to marketing mode- my first thought was

why aren’t campgrounds included in these coupon books? How many camper nights are being lost to this method of marketing? Sure, Campgrounds would Continued Page 2

Continued from Page 1 have to discount just like the Hotels but as the saying goes a bit of something is better than all of nothing!

expected but the $1.50 fee for use of a safe (I wish I had that need) along with a $1 Destination Marketing Fee got me thinking.

The industry has been and still is going through tough times and tough times call for action, pro active thoughts and ideas that may just have results that will help turn the industry around.

Why doesn’t the Campground Industry fall into line here?

Gas prices are the next obstacle and a major factor why campers will stay relatively close to home.

Campgrounds should turn the negative into a positive with some lateral thoughts on marketing their property.

Unfortunately, most will sit on their hands and blame the government or the economy or anybody else within range.

I have raised the question many times on who markets to the consumer.

Same old answer, not enough funds.

Talk about an opportunity to be pro active and fix this anomaly! No doubt there will be hurdles to jump over here but slowly, state by state, lawmakers and campground owners could work together and start a “Destination Marketing Fee” of their own.

Comments invited.

My next thought came about when I got my account at the Hotel. Sure, the account was what was quoted but nobody told me about the extra charges hotels are obliged to charge.

Obviously taxes are par for the course and to be

http://www.stockmarketsreview.com/realestate/2011/03/10/is -buying-an-rv-park-worth-the-investment/

Dennis Macready Editor

I will be attending the Northeast Conference next Monday and Tuesday in Sturbridge and will publish a report in the next issue.

This means next week's issue won't be published until Wednesday night.

Editor

By Art Lieberman BULLETIN: Last week we reported to our readers that the Federal Reserve had instituted a regulation which would place a cap on the bank charges allowed on debit card transactions, leading to a response from several large banks that they would cap the transactions themselves at $50 or $100.

To be clear this was a part of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and was an Amendment during last minute negotiations over the House and Senate versions of the reform bill, proposed by Senator Richard Durban, D-IL. The Durbin Amendment is intended to keep rates charged to consumers, at rates that are “reasonable and proportional” The Amendment doesn’t affect community banks with assets under $10 billion dollars, but dramatically effects “Tier 1” banks such as Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and a few others.

As we stated last week, these new regulations would only allow a 12-cent transaction fee, which is a 70% reduction in average debit card interchange rates from the average 44cent interchange assessment.

Opponents of the Fed’s proposal state the new caps go too far and are neither reasonable nor

proportional. Proponents say that the caps, which amount to federal price controls, will benefit consumers because retailers will eventually pass through these saving to consumers.

But several economists have predicted that the new regulation will have the opposite effect. The number of people who keep money in a checking account to utilize their debit cards will shrink substantially. Banks will not be able to utilize the funds maintained in checking accounts, called “float”, and therefore will end the free or low-cost checking which has become prevalent in the recent past. The economists argue that if consumers are the engine that drives the economy, then credit and debit cards are the lubricant.

Smaller banks, however, would be unaffected by the Fed’s new regulation.

There are many which are “acquiring banks” who buy directly from Visa, MasterCard and Discover and also from the Debit Networks, that won’t be affected since they are not “Tier 1” banks. Woodforest Bank is one of them. But smaller banks and credit unions are also objecting fearing that they will be forced to reduce charges in order to stay competitive.

The clock is ticking. The final rules are scheduled to

be in place by July 21, 2011. These new regulations are, not unlike the new 1099W law, receiving a lot of attention in Congress, in businesses and on Main Street. There are pressures to create regulations which help the economy grow – but one has to question – is this the way to do it?

Art Lieberman is the President of MCPS for Campgrounds and, along with Deanne Bower, is the Producer of the Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo II, which will begin on 11/11/11.

Art can be reached at MCPS at 877-858-9010 or at Campground Expo at 877-901-EXPO (3976)

New this year we put on a murder mystery starring William Henderson (newly inducted Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer) as Ricky and Judy Butcha – WACO president as Lucy. Trouble at the Tropicana – the characters are from left to right Tiffany Pargman- Indian Trails Campground, William Henderson, Judy Butcha Duck Creek Campground, Lisa Black Golden Frog, Dawn Button from Evergreen Campsites, John Anderson from Bean Town Campground, and Scott Grenon from Tunnel Trails Campground.

Mr. Bud & Jim Button are jailed – Wade Elliot from Utility Supply came to the rescue – The jail and bail fundraiser was used to raise money for the WACO PAC fund.

Waco had 178 booths filled with interesting items for our campgrounds to purchase! Jim Kersten of Hidden Valley RV Resort was the $1500.00 match me winner!

Jim’s purchased from the supplier drawn and won $1500.00 in cash.

We had all kinds of celebrity dealers – Rob Shutter

Bill Schroeder

Rainbow Midwest: Sponsors choose their spots to get in front of WACO customers We kept the campground & some supplier children & teens entertained throughout convention. Our kids kamp program allows our members to go to all the education and visit the trade show while their children have fun at the kamp. This year more than 75 kids attended.

Our 2500 sponsor put on a great casino night.

Gilbert Brown Green Bay Packer Nosetackle – heads to the money machine. Jim Button from Evergreen Campground challenged campground owners to match whatever amount of money Gilbert came out with. He was the champion and retrieved $424.00 in 45 seconds.

11 campground owners matched the challenge and raised $4664.00 for WACO!

It might be a sad day for bookstores, but it’s a great day for readers. According to the Association of American Publishers, ebook sales rose 115% in January beating out both paperback and hardcover sales in the same month.

Paperback sales in January were dismal, dropping to 39 million, well below ebooks’ 69.9 million sales figure.

Adult hardcover books pulled in $49.1 million which is an 11.3% drop.

The only kind of book beating ebooks were trade paperbacks which pulled in $83.6 million.

Marketers have long used ebooks as a reward in return for a potential client’s email address, but now that people have shown they’re willing to buy ebooks, why

not look at ebooks as an opportunity to bring in some income.

Start brainstorming from two different directions.

First, think about what kind of ebooks would be helpful for your customer.

You sell camping gear, then how about an ebook with the best little known campgrounds in the US? The second option is to think about your own skills and how those translate into an ebook. If you’re running a successful business of any kind, people will pay to find out how you did it. Do you overcome great odds to get where you are?

Inspirational books are big sellers.

Retail is very much about psychology. Numerous studies have been conducted to understand how people shop, what they look for, how much they will pay for it, and why they will walk away if their perception of an ideal shopping experience is not met.

The ability to understand these behavior patterns is the difference between offering a halfhearted retail assortment and offering a true guest convenience that results in profit to your campground and happier campers!

One of the most misunderstood aspects of retail is price.

There are a number of myths out there about how to price retail items that can seriously impact your bottom line.

The MYTH - The 100% markup. Most people assume that 100% markup (also referred to as a 50% margin) is the industry standard.

But this can bite you in two ways: some items should be marked up more than 100% because they are low priced items that move quickly and can sustain the higher retail price.

Other products, if marked up 100% become too costly

and slow the turns on what might otherwise be a popular product if given a lower price.

Instead, aim for a 50% BLENDED margin. This means you are getting a 100% markup ON AVERAGE for all products offered – not on each individual item.

For example, 16 oz bottled sodas can easily sell at $2.00 at most any store in America. But you can purchase sodas for as little as .65 each through Wholesale clubs or local bottlers – so you are actually getting a 300% markup without slowing sales of the product. If you only sold it for a $1.00 you would be forfeiting the tremendous profit potential of one of your most popular items.

Likewise, a pint of chocolate ice cream is a higher ticket item ranging from $3.00-$4.00 depending on the brand. If you mark that up 100% you are looking at a $6-$8

ice cream purchase which is going to slow the movement of that product.

If you lower the markup to say a 50% markup and sell it at $4.50-$6.00, you will sell far more and the sheer volume will make up the difference of the lower price.

The MYTH – Perception of Value. When we price items based on what we would pay for something at Sam’s Club or Super Wal-Mart, we are underestimating what a camper would pay for the convenience of not having to load into their car or RV and drive to the nearest store.

This is true even in cases when there is another store with lower prices within 5 miles!

It is more important that you focus on offering a wide assortment of quality products that entices campers to stay on property than it is to try to compete with local

grocery stores. If you have everything your campers need and prices aren’t set to gouge, they will stay and buy with you for the mere convenience.

But if you undercut your prices because you wouldn’t pay that much for water when doing your weekly shopping, you are undercutting your profit potential!

For more information about how to increase the revenue and profitability at your Campground Store, be sure to attend the educational forum “Optimizing Your Convenience Store for Maximum Profitability” hosted by TRADAVO (www. tradavo.com) at the upcoming CCOA Convention April 5-8 at Holiday Inn Express.

Montrose, Colorado.

Reproduced from CCOA Newsletter.

You put a lot of time and effort into your online presence but do you know how effective you truly are?

It can be tough determining how many listeners you have, how many people stop by your home page on your website and decide to leave before going any further and how effective your Social Media campaign truly is.

There are more tools out there than you can wade through in a day’s time to determine if they fit your needs. I would like to take a look at a few that I have found useful and give you an idea of how I use them.

For my website: I have Google Analytics installed on each of my pages in order to analyze which pages are being read and which pages are being ignored. Along with those statistics, I can also analyze where the visitors are coming from, how long they are staying on the site and from which page they are leaving the site. With those statistics in hand I can now revise the content to try to capture more of their attention.

Along with information on content, I can also tell how people are finding the site whether they are being referred from another site, found me through a search engine, or if it was a result of an email that I sent out.

Google Analytics is free (and free is good in this

case) and easy to install.

Your web designer should be able to get you set up and collecting statistics without any problems.

For my blog: Setting up Google Analytics is a little more complicated for my blog, so I am using the statistics that I get from WordPress (my blog manager.) Along with analytics, I made sure that I was set up for comments from my readers, had a method for people to follow the blog and had an easy method of feeding the blog to the subscribers email.

Without the analytics you aren’t going to know if anyone is even reading what you have taken the time to write.

For Facebook: Facebook has made it easy for us by including Facebook Insights as an analytical package. With insights you can find all kinds of interesting information about your fans. Demographics will tell you not only what your percentage of fans are female/male but also tell you what cities you have the most fans in. This could help tremendously when you are thinking about advertising and where to advertise.

The interactions section of Insights is my next favorite analytic. Here you will be able to determine which of your posts received the

most responses. Now you can begin tailoring your posts to your listeners. If your listeners aren’t responding to your posts on the weather but are responding to posts on activities, which one are you going to post more about?

For Twitter: Like the other venues, you can find any number of sites that will give you analytics for your Twitter handle. One that I check regularly is www.Klout.com.

There has been a lot of chatter lately about how important your overall Klout score really is. The key for me is to think of the score as a way to tell how I am doing on Twitter in comparison to others;however, my Klout score for @RVStops does not define my effectiveness in an absolute sense. It is only an analytic that can tell me where I need to improve and where I am doing well.

I also use Klout scores when I am looking at who I am going to follow since I

believe that a higher Klout score can indicate a person that has a pretty good approach in using Twitter.

Aggregate Analytics: One of my complaints has been that there hasn’t been an analytic program that I can use to pull all of my analytics together in one spot. Google has also recognized this issue and is beginning to address the problem. Their program, Unilyzer.com, brings your Google analytics for your website together with your Facebook Insights and your Twitter account.

Along with giving you nice graphs online, you are able to download and print graphs to show your staff how things are going. Now that I am able to look at everything together, I am getting a clearer understanding of how I am performing online.

There is a small catch to being able to aggregate your analytics. The cheapest membership you Continued

Continued can get with Unilyzer.com after your free 30 day trial is $9 per month. At the same time $9 per month is less than I spend on coffee so I see it as well worth the price. (And by the way, I’m not affiliated with the site and receive no compensation for recommending it to you.)

Now that you have all those analytics together, what do you do with them?

The numbers aren’t going to mean much at first since you don’t have a history to compare them to, but once you begin building a history you will be able to make some decisions based on what you are seeing.

The information you see

during your off season can tell you a lot about how well you are staying in touch with your guest base, whether you are attracting new guests and where you need to improve for next season.

During season, your analytics can help you determine if your social media outreach efforts are working. If you offer a special to your Twitter users, how many of them took you up on the offer?

Is your website being used for something more than a place to go to for a reservation? When you post pictures taken during season, are they attracting attention?

You spend a lot of time and effort online marketing your business. Don’t let the analytics control you, but do use analytics to control your online marketing efforts.

Make all that effort pay off.

Pamela and her company, FocusedWords, is dedicated to helping you promote and market your RV Park/Resort/Campground to RVer’s everywhere. Be sure to follow her on Twitter: @RVStops and @FocusedWords. Check out her blog at www.FocusedWords.com/bl og.

Pamela has redesigned her website,

FocusedWords.com, to provide a place for you to tell Rally groups what your park has to offer for their next rally.

Be sure to fill out your park form with your facilities information.

Pamela Wright

Debbie Sipe

March 21, 2011. McLean, VA……….”Parks that have been thinking about affiliating with Best Parks in America may want to move forward quickly to affiliate in the next couple of weeks,” said Best Parks President David Gorin.

“The 2011-2012 print directly will close on April 15th and only parks that are affiliated as of that date can be listed in the next directory.”

In addition to the closing deadline for the directory, Gorin also noted that parks that affiliate with Best Parks in America between now and the end of 2011 will be considered as Best Parks “Founders” and will be entitled to special perks and benefits into the future.

“While Best Parks has experienced significant growth in 2010 and through the first quarter of 2011, building a national brand

takes time and patience and the rewards are not always as fast or as great as one would expect. We know we are absolutely on the right track of establishing an RV park and campground industry brand that says “highly rated parks” to the consumer. To encourage parks to join the Best Parks brand now and work cooperatively to help build that brand, we are planning on a range of special ongoing benefits for these early adaptors. The benefits we’re working on will be of considerable value to the affiliates who

join and stay with us as we go through the growing period,” said Gorin.

Qualifying RV parks and campgrounds can become a Best Parks affiliate in less then 5 minutes by going to www.Bestpark.net. All affiliation benefits and programs, qualifications and enrollment information is found on the website.

Basic Best Parks in America Affiliation is as low as $450 annually. A new tiered affiliation with many new business intelligence information, research, training and marketing benefits is also now available and is described on the site.

Best Parks in America is a national marketing network promoting and marketing America’s highly rated RV parks and campgrounds.

Currently with 78 parks in 30 states, Best Parks is increasingly building consumer top of mind awareness of the quickest and easiest way to find the Best Parks in America.

David Gorin

For information, please contact Best Parks in America at 703.448.6863 or david@bestparksinamerica.com.

The new owners of the Double J Campground & RV Park, one of the area’s oldest campgrounds, plan to double the size of the facility in the next five years.

Larry Fons and wife Elizabeth completed the purchase of the campground on the Interstate 55 frontage road south of Chatham early this month.

It’s a return to Illinois for Larry Fons. He grew up in Kankakee, and now is waiting from his family to complete the move from Florida.

“My family and I have been camping for years,” said Fons. “I’m a Boy Scout, an Eagle Scout, a Boy Scout leader. Two of our three sons are Eagle Scouts. Our family has always been involved in outdoors things.”

The campground opened in 1970 as the Safari and later operated as the Holiday Campground. The most recent owners, Jerry and Jeri Francis, changed it to the Double J about 10 years ago.

Fons, 49, said he will keep the name. The campground is scheduled to open for the season April 1.

Fons said he’d been tossing around the idea of running a campground for at least a decade, while working in computer production and operations.

But he said the search didn’t get serious until the second son was ready to leave high school.

“We developed a list of cities we wanted to live in, and Springfield was kind of the classic town. It’s not a big town, but it’s not a small town,” said Fons, who found the Double J through an online realestate listing. It was purchased with the help of a U.S. Small Business Administration loan.

In addition to doubling the more than 120 camping and RV sites in the next few years, Fons said RV parts and accessories will be for sale. He does not plan to revive the RV leasing and sales business, which was phased out by the previous owners.

Fons said the couple plans to install a basketball court and a second pavilion to be used for community events.

“I want the campground to be a part of the community instead of just a stop on the expressway,” said Fons.

Article: www.sj-r.com

HARRISVILLE, Penn., March 16, 2011 – One of America’s most popular cartoon and TV characters, fresh off his big screen movie, has found a new home at Kozy Rest Kampground!

The “Smarter-Than-TheAverage Bear” is the official host of the newly converted Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest in Harrisville, Penn., 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.

“The nationwide system of full-service Jellystone campgrounds stands for clean, safe, family fun and convenience and that is exactly what we have strived to provide our guests for the past 11 years.

That’s what made us feel Jellystone Park was a good fit for us.”

The Quigleys have owned the highly rated facility since 2000.

“Jellystone’s slogan is ‘Where You ‘Camp With Friends,’ and that slogan couldn’t be more true for us here at Kozy Rest,” said Gary Quigley. “We have built our reputation on camping with friends and making everyone feel welcome. We are extremely excited to add Yogi Bear to our great staff and to the list of everything else we already offer.”

“We are eagerly looking forward to being affiliated with Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Parks,” Denny Quigley said.

Opening date for the newly converted facility, which has 170 campsites, is April 15th.

Formerly Kozy Rest Kampground, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest is still owned and operated by the Quigley family.

Along with RV and tent camping, the 34-acre resort offers yurts and full-service cabin rentals, plus lots of family fun with a swimming pool, miniature golf, children’s playgrounds and planned activities. And, of course, the one and only Yogi Bear, Jellystone Park’s number one citizen, will be there greeting, entertaining and joining in the family fun!

The Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park system of camping resorts has grown to become the second largest campground operation in the United States, with 75 independently owned and operated facilities in North America.

The camping resorts are franchised exclusively through Leisure Systems, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Rob Schutter “We are extremely proud to have a facility of this caliber joining our national Jellystone Park family,” said Rob Schutter, president and COO of Leisure Systems, Inc. “The Pittsburgh area is simply a great location for a quality camping resort, and we feel the new facility will compliment the other attractions in western Pennsylvania.

Jellystone Park CampResorts.

The increase took place after the Canada’s national camping industry association transferred its CampCanada.com web links to AccessCamping.com CROWLEY, Texas, March 16, 2011 – AccessCamping.com has seen a tenfold increase in Canadian visitors following a decision by the Canada’s national camping industry association, Campgrounds Campings Canada, to transfer its CampCanada.com web links to the general camping website portal.

Established one year ago, AccessCamping.com provides hundreds of links to databases of public and

private campgrounds as well as RV clubs across North America.

“Canadian campers are visiting AccessCamping in record numbers, thanks to the addition of CampCanada’s weblinks to public and private campgrounds in each of the Canadian provinces,” said Brian Schaeffer, president and CEO of Texas Advertising, which launched AccessCamping a little over a year ago.

CampCanada.com was previously hosted and managed by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association of Canada, but the association recently transferred its web links to AccessCamping to provide

more efficiency for consumers looking for campgrounds in Canada, said Anita Lien, program coordinator for RVDA of Canada, which previously administered CampCanada.com on behalf of Campgrounds Campings Canada.

AccessCamping.com also includes links to online databases of the major campground industry directories, including those provided by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, the Trailer Life and Woodall’s North American Campground Directories, as well as the websites of campground chains, such as Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) and

Schaeffer said AccessCamping.com is needed because most websites have limited campground listings. “The government run websites, for the most part, list only government run parks while the websites for campground industry associations typically limit their listings to parks that are members of their associations. As a result,” he said, “most websites only give the camping consumer a partial view of what’s out there in terms of potential camping venues.

The good news about AccessCamping.com is we truly ‘pamper the camper’ by giving them more camping options than any other source.”

Grand Rapids, MI, March 19, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The owner and creator of Tate Fisher Marketing and Campground Manager Today, Tracie will return to her home state of Michigan from Flagstaff, AZ, to head up the organization which represents more than 180 member campgrounds around the state.

“Tracie’s ideas, contacts, strong leadership and knowledge of our industry make her the ideal person for this job,” says Tim Wilcox, ARVC-Michigan Vice President. “She, along with our Board of Directors, will be steering the ARVC Michigan ship into new directions in the coming months and years.”

A life-long camper, Tracie began working in the industry in 2004 when she was hired as the office manager for Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping in Mackinaw City, MI, a position she held for three years. She also served two years as secretary for ARVC-Michigan and during that time attended the National School of RV Park and Campground Management to earn her CPO designation. She also has an Associates Degree in Accounting from North Central Michigan College and is currently working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities from Northern Arizona University.

“My professional years in

the camping industry have taught me about the unseen sweat equity invested by owners in running their RV parks and campgrounds,” Tracie says.

“Admittedly, I have a ‘soft spot’ for park owners and the challenges they face. I look forward to working with them on an individual level and also strengthening our overall camping industry here in Michigan.”

media related classes at the National School of RV Park and Campground Management. In 2010, she was appointed to the advisory board of the firstever Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo, assisting exhibitors in setting up their booths and administering booths for ARVC-Michigan and the National School of RV Parks and Campground Management.

In 2007, Tracie formed Tate Fisher Marketing – a consulting firm which provides website development, search engine optimization and social media management services for park owners and organizations – including ARVC-Michigan and a handful of its members.

“I am thrilled to have been selected as ARVC Michigan’s new Executive Director,” says Tracie.

“These are challenging times but I look forward to implementing a new plan, moving ARVC Michigan forward and creating real value for its members. I believe communication is key to getting things done and I will be maintaining a Facebook page for that purpose - to talk with members – on a regular basis.”

Although her address over the past three years hasn’t been inside Michigan, Tracie has maintained a relationship with ARVCMichigan by developing and maintaining the organization’s .org member website; assisting with administrative operations of the association’s social media channels; and attending annual conventions to lead sessions, gather video footage and offer tips to member campgrounds about website and social media opportunities.

In 2009, Tracie began teaching website and social

ARVC-Michigan represents more than 180 member campgrounds with more than 30,000 sites available throughout the state. The mission of ARVC-Michigan is to lead in the development of the RV Park and Campground industry through education, communication and representation.

ARVC-Michigan seeks to promote an innovative, growing campground industry that is

Tracie Fisher continuously striving to reach new heights in hospitality, professional skills, education and service to meet the needs of the camping public.

Members are devoted to providing quality family recreation while addressing vital member concerns via collaboration and connection with other state, regional and national recreation interest. the association is ultimately committed to excellence and leadership for the future of the Michigan campground and recreation industry.

Contact Information: Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds in Michigan Tracie Fisher 989-619-2608 info@michcampgrounds.com www.michcampgrounds.org

By Larry

Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

The whole world has rushed to help even as we all shudder at the death and destruction dealt out by the forces of nature. The earthquake and tsunami serve as a grief-filled reminder that earth’s surface is very unstable.

We live on a planet that is at one and the same time beautiful and dangerous. In this respect we are united by being fragile in the face of perils we cannot control.

The catastrophe is of epic proportion. Science tells us more of same can be expected as the earth’s surface shifts, generating heat under volcanoes. With crowded population centers and the global population increasing towards seven billion people, additional tragedies likely lie ahead.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse still ride: death, famine, pestilence and plague.

The broader, deeper environmental concerns are driven home: we are challenged to understand what dangers surround us, do what we can to correct them, and plan carefully to avoid being in the way when they occur: better to live away from volcanoes.

Better live on high ground.

Better to allocate more resources towards controlling and eradicating diseases and less towards creating destructive weapons. Better to lessen air and water contamination, improve warning systems, educate ourselves and plan for living in the safer locations.

About one half of the people in the United States live within 50 miles of a coastline. One percent of our people move closer to a coastline each year. Does beauty outweigh danger?

In the meantime, we grieve with our Japanese neighbors. God be with you.

EUGENE, Ore., March 22, 2011 – The Oregon RV Park & Campground Association will hold its annual meeting and convention April 18th to 20th at the Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City, Oregon.

The 34-park organization plans a fun filled three days packed with education, speakers, auctions, prizes and lots of area activities.

The association’s newly inducted board of directors will also conduct its first meeting, discussing

membership, dues and educational opportunities.

Jeff Sims

Jeff Simms, director of membership and government affairs for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, will be the keynote speaker and guest of honor. Simms will also provide an educational seminar focusing on the latest requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislative updates. He will also teach a class involving the future of RVing.

Damian Petty from Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Insurance will give a presentation on insurance topics, including park liabilities with personal versus commercial vehicles. Brian Tolli of Evergreen Insurance will lead a seminar on making your pools, beaches and water rides safe. A representative from the state of Oregon will provide information on the state’s latest requirements for emergency planning.

Attendees can earn Certified Park Operator credits for attending the various seminars.

Campground industry vendors will also have a tradeshow to highlight their latest products, including Palm Harbor Homes, which will showcase a park model.

Conference fees are $85 per person for members

and $125 for nonmembers. Each vendor who is a member of association and wants to display a table will pay $125 for a display table.

One non-member vendor will pay $175. Additional vendors will pay $85, which covers the cost of conference meals. Room rates for the convention are discounted to $89 per night. Two breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner are included in the registration.

Membership in the Oregon association is based upon the number of spaces any campground would have.

Campgrounds with 50 or fewer spaces are charged a basic membership fee of $350, while campgrounds with more than 50 spaces are charged an additional $4.50 per additional space.

The maximum any campground will pay for membership is $850.

Anyone interested in attending the convention and receiving a schedule of events is invited to call Angi Christian at (541) 661-7930 or Roger Thompson at (541) 469-9089 or email angi@driftwoodrvpark.com.

In Ventura County, rescuers were kept busy on Sunday after raging waters threatened people from Thousand Oaks to Ventura.

waters on an island in the middle of the river. An estimated twenty additional people were escorted from other river areas.

In Ventura, 72 people were evacuated from the Ventura RV Park next to the Ventura River. Those at the park were moved to the Ventura County Fairgrounds Sunday afternoon amid concerns of the river overflowing its banks. Ventura Police and Fire helped with the evacuations.

Ventura Police are trying to determine the identity of a man who is believed to have drowned on Sunday.

The nude body of the man washed ashore where the Ventura River meets the Pacific Ocean.

Firefighters and swift water rescue teams rescued a total of twenty people and four dogs trapped by rising

If you have a stake in the RV Park & Campground Industry make plans to join CalARVC and the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) for “A Day in Sac” on April 26.

Industry leaders will be joining together share the latest tourism trends and communicate its impact on California's economy.

In Thousand Oaks, four young people were pulled to safety after rising creek waters trapped them on the roof of their SUV. Full Article: www.keyt.com

•Optional Legislative Visits Then we join CTTC’s Outlook Forum:

CalARVC's program will feature:

•Invited VIP Keynote Speaker Governor Brown •Panel of Top Tourism CEOs •Legislative Reception showing the abundance of California's Tourism Industry - tour California’s finest food and wine right on the capitol steps!

•2011 HCD updates •One-on-one program with CalARVC's Lobbyists

All this for $105 for CalARVC members!!! ($135 for non-members)

North Hollywood, CA, March 22, 2011 - RV Buddies video review of the Forest River Stealth Toyhauler is live at www.RVBuddies.net now.

There are a lot of fifth wheel toy haulers on the market but the Stealth from Forest River really stands out when you're walking an RV show. The first thing that gets you is its great looks.

And then as you explore and educate yourself about it - well, you're hitching up and off to your favorite trails for some fun with your quads.

"This is a great toyhauler," says Mark Summers, Executive Producer of RV Buddies. It's got solid engineering, all the features you want, and loads of appeal."

The Forest River is big on features and the SA3516 is big in size. At just under 39' it has a dry weight of 12,286 pounds. The CCC is a healthy 7,314 pounds.

Add to that a 200 gallon water tank and this toy hauler is a serious beast for off-road enthusiasts.

Anyone that likes to wear the outdoors, yet come in for some high-end living should check out this offering from Forest River.

To read the entire article and see the video and photos, visit www.RVBuddies.net. RV Buddies is available via internet 24/7 and is always free.

For more information contact Mark Summers at: Mark@RVBuddies.Net.

LUBBOCK, Texas, March 18, 2011 – Robert Kennedy of Lubbock RV Park in Lubbock has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which represents nearly 400 privately owned campgrounds, RV parks and resorts in Texas and New Mexico.

Kennedy, who has served on TACO’s board of directors for the past four years, was elected during the association’s winter meeting.

He said his priorities will be to support TACO’s marketing efforts to increase camping within the state of Texas, while also advocating various legislative reforms to lessen government regulations in the private park sector.

One key issue involves water regulations and the pricing of water in privately owned parks.

TACO secured legislation in 2005 that requires municipalities to charge parks for their actual water consumption using commercial rates. But some water districts in unincorporated areas of Texas have been charging parks flat fees (per campsite) using much higher residential rate structures.

Kennedy said the residential rates can cost as much as

four times as much as commercial rates and are unfair to park operators, since they typically deal with transient campers and not permanent residents.

TACO has sponsored two bills, which could correct the problem. House and Senate hearing on those bills (HB1210 and SB569) were held March 15 and the Senate version was already voted out of committee. The Legislature is expected to vote on the bills before

ELKHART -- The board of directors of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation today announced the selection of the 2011 class of inductees into the RV/MH Hall of Fame.

Each year industry leaders of the RV and manufactured housing industries are selected by a committee of industry veterans from a pool of nominated candidates for induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame to recognize their significant and lasting contribution to the greater good and growth of the industry.

The inductees for 2011 are: George Allen, a MH Community Management

summer and, if approved, they would go to Governor Perry for signature, taking effect in September of 2011.

Other campground industry leaders who are joining Kennedy for a two-year term on TACO’s board of directors include 1st Vice President Don Temple of Guadalupe River RV Resort in Kerrville; 2nd Vice President Gwen Craig of Rayford Crossing RV Park in Spring; Secretary Allan Hughes of Traders Village in Grand Prairie; and

Consultant from GFA Management in Greenwood, Ind. Robert Azevedo, an RV dealer from Alpine RV in San Francisco, Calif.

Leonard Brown, a housing retailer from West Valley View, Inc in Allegany, N.Y. Harold “Hal” Gerring, (deceased) an RV and housing manufacturer from Shipshewana, Ind. Bill Gorman, (deceased) an industry consultant from Gorman Planning in Virginia Beach, Va. Larry Huttle, an RV Manufacturer from Airstream in Jackson Center, Ohio.

James Knott, a housing retailer from J & B Homes in Carlsbad, N.M. John Martin, an Industry Association Executive from

Treasurer Mac McLaughlin of Hatch RV Park in Corpus Christi. Joe Moore of the Vineyards Campground and Cabins in Grapevine and Robert Crockett of Spring Branch RV Resort in Spring Branch were elected as directors as large, while Doug Shearer of Parkview Riverside RV Park in Rio Frio will serve as past president. Terry Munoz of Thousand Trails in Lake Conroe and Ed Welliver of Oleander Acres RV Park in Mission will serve as regional directors.

MHI in Locust Grove, Va. Mike Schneider, an RV industry organization leader from Affinity Group in Ventura, Calif.

James F Shea, Jr., an RV and housing manufacturer from Fairmont Homes / Gulfstream Coach in Nappanee, Ind. The induction celebration for the class of 2011 will be held in Elkhart, Indiana on Aug. 1.

The RV/MH Hall of Fame, founded in 1972, has honored over 320 leaders through the last 39 years and has the world’s largest collection of RV and MH literature in its library and a collection of over 50 vintage RVs and early homes publicly displayed in the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum.

Livingston, Texas (March 17, 2011) – The RV park and campground industry’s first-ever Digital Marketing Workshop is now CPOaccredited. Park owners, operators and personnel participating in the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds Certified Park Operator (CPO) program will earn program credit when attending the online learning sessions.

Evanne Schmarder Attendance at each of the five one hour need-to-know digital marketing sessions offered at the Digital Marketing Workshop – Conquering the Facebook Frontier, Twitter Universe, Email Marketing is Dead, Using YouTube to Build Your Business and Emerging Media/Productivity Tools – will earn participants one CPO credit per topic for a total of five possible credits.

they’d like to hear about and, if we are wise in our digital marketing efforts, they’ll let us into their circle of trust. Not only does this series help attendees make their ‘digital mark’ it promotes professional growth through the Certified Park Operator program,” remarked Evanne Schmarder, owner, producer and facilitator of the Digital Marketing Workshop.

The spring session begins March 22 and the five-classseries runs three times on a rolling schedule, allowing participants to choose the dates that work best for their busy schedules.

The Digital Marketing Workshop is $259 for the five-class series and comes with a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. The class schedule, module details and registration information can be found at www.DigitalMarketingWork shop.info. Questions and comments can be directed to Schmarder at evanne@roadabode.com or 702-460-9863.

“Taking part in continuing education is a hallmark for successful business owners. Staying ahead of the curve is the trick.

Today’s consumers tell us how they want to be communicated to, what

Caravanning Queensland, which represents around 700 businesses throughout the state including 350 caravan and tourist parks, has organised an ambitious $400,000 campaign to lure grey nomads and other caravanners back to the cyclone and flood-ravaged state.

Mother Nature left a multibillion dollar trail of destruction which had caravan parks and tourist attractions on their knees as tourism flagged in the Sunshine State.

But in a bid to quell the misperception that Queensland is still unfit for holidaying, former Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor officially launched the campaign to attract road travellers back across the border.

Speaking at the Brisbane Holiday Village in Eight Mile Plains, he said the idea was to dispel the notion that Queensland was "closed for business".

"Reports we're getting is there are massive numbers of people cancelling bookings. People who have stayed in Queensland and Northern Territory over Christmas holidays haven't rebooked for next year," he explained.

Caravanning Queensland chief executive officer Ron Chapman said the initiative would complement other promotional programs being implemented by Tourism Queensland.

"In addition, the project will assist hundreds of other tourism attractions, trips and tours statewide, that derive a huge part of their income from the road travelling tourist," he said.

"Road travellers are the lifeblood of tourism in many areas and are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy.

Caravanning and camping is estimated to be worth $5 billion to the national economy ... and a large proportion of this is spent here in Queensland."

Mr Chapman hoped the Caravanning Queensland initiative would spur an industry-wide focus on the recovery effort.

"This is an Australian first that will hopefully set the pace for tourism sectors to be proactive in the recovery program,� he said.

Ron Chapman

Wivenhoe Dam near Brisbane nears maximum capacity just showing the dam gates. If this dam wall had burst everything from there to the ocean could have been wiped out and millions may have suffered.

Caravan Parks Association of Queensland president Majella Kahler pointed out that the industry employed thousands of people across the state.

"We need to keep them all employed and we need to play a part in keeping tourism employment on a roll in associated businesses," she said.

"There is no question that a perception exists in the minds of many out in the marketplace that they can't or won't come to Queensland in the near future.

"Caravanning and camping is the number one choice of holidaying Australians,

and road-based tourism is nearly two-thirds of the domestic market.

"So one would have to wonder why some in responsible positions do not seem to understand this when it comes to promotion. We do understand it ... and we're doing something about it."

Proving the Queensland tourism industry can bounce back, Dalby Tourist Park owners Dick Martin and Lesley Bulmer were at the launch to share their tale of resilience – they have re-opened their park six times after recovering from separate flooding events.

LINCOLN, Del., March 17, 2011 – Two years ago, Cedar Creek Landing Campground opened its doors and became one of Delaware’s newest and most modern campgrounds, with amenities that include a large swimming pool, playground, volleyball, game room, camp store, laundry facility, and 277 spacious big rig friendly RV sites, all with full hook ups including free cable television and wireless Internet service.

half a dozen scenic state parks as well as some of the nicest water parks in Delaware. Sussex County beach towns also offer numerous activities throughout the summer and fall, including the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk, rides at Funland Rehoboth, go carts and bumper boats at Midway Speedway, mini golf, nighttime beach bonfires, outdoor movies and special events such as the Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddler’s Festival.

But when the park reopens April 15th for the 2011 summer camping season, it will gain even greater notoriety as the first and only campground in Delaware to join the Jellystone Park chain.

Jellystone Park at Delaware Beaches, for its part, will offer organized activities every weekend beginning April 15th, with daily activities and themed weekends beginning Memorial Day weekend running through Labor Day weekend.

“We think this is the right move for us,” said park owner Brent Fannin, who renamed the campground Jellystone Park Camp Resort at Delaware Beaches. “Jellystone Parks are known nationally as being fun family oriented parks, and with our close proximity to the beach and all the activities offered in and around our campground, we thought the Jellystone Park model was the perfect fit.”

Indeed, Sussex County offers numerous opportunities for family recreation and entertainment, including

Upcoming themed weekend events include Memorial Day Weekend, the official kick off to summer with Yogi and Friends, a Father’s Day superhero contest June 19th and 20th, a Mardi Gras weekend June 24th to 26th, a family Olympics weekend July 8th to 10th, a Christmas in July weekend with a campsite decorating contest on July 22nd to 24th and a Death

by Chocolate Weekend Aug. 5th to 7th. Halloween weekend events, with trick or treating and campsite decorating contests, are

also scheduled for the last two weekends in October.

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford will hold

Two people have been arrested after the Iowa State Fair reported hundreds of water faucets missing Thursday.

"When officers arrived they found out that over the period of the last two weeks the fairgrounds is now missing as many as 400 faucets," said Sgt. Chris Scott with the Des Moines Police Department.

a ribbon cutting celebration at 2 p.m., April 6th, while the park officially opens April 15th.

The faucets were taken from the water hook-ups at the State Fair campground.

Fair officials say maintenance workers headed out this week to begin work on the campground and noticed the problem. The campground is scheduled to open mid- April.

Police say the thieves likely took the faucets to try and sell them as scrap metal.

DURANGO, Colo., March 22, 2011 – The Colorado Campground and Lodging Owners Association will host its annual convention and tradeshow April 5th to 7th in Montrose, Colo.

The three-day event, to be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, will include more than a dozen educational seminars and cracker barrel discussions; a tradeshow; networking events; a dinner banquet with silent and live auctions; and guided tours of several campgrounds, including Jellystone Park of the Black Canyon, Cedar Creek RV Park, Montrose RV Resort, plus visits to Bright Leaf Solar Company and The Colorado Yurt Company.

The educational sessions include presentations on the future of the RV industry by Jeff Sims, director of membership and government affairs for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC), as well as an update on ARVC and a session on campground marketing by Barb Youmans, the association’s senior director of administration and education.

State Senator Al White will provide an overview of the Colorado Tourism Office and

how it benefits the campground and lodging industries, while Janine Roberts, vice president of Denver-based Tradavo, provides a seminar on how to increase your store business.

Bryan Jordan, president of VistaWorks, will provide an update on smart phones and how to market your business in the mobile world.

The convention also includes several sessions on green energy, including a class on recycling energy,

by William Weideman of Peak Energy Technology; a session on geothermal energy, by the Delta/Montrose Electric Association; and a seminar on cutting edge solar energy, by Bright Leaf Solar Company.

Breakfast buffets, lunches, cocktail hours and one banquet dinner will also be provided.

The annual CCLOA board of directors meeting will take place Friday, April 8th.

CCLOA has 53 members.

For more information, please contact Dana Foran at (970) 259-1899 www.campcolorado.com.