Issue 71 campground

WARRENS - The Jellystone Park CampResort in Warrens was purchased Friday by a Texas real estate investor reported in the LaCrosse Tribune.

The new owner is a partner in corporations that own the adjacent Three Bears Hotel, which closed a year ago.

The $14 million sale of the campground to Warrens Lodging LLC owned by Bruce Bryant of Friendswood, Texas - was authorized Wednesday by a Juneau County Circuit

Court judge. The ruling came in a mortgage foreclosure lawsuit filed in September 2008 by the Bank of Mauston against developer Ed Van Der Molen of Wheaton, Ill., Bryant and the various corporations that owned the hotel resort and the campground.

appointed receiver and closed for the season Oct. 17.

The hotel and its convention center and indoor water park closed in September 2008 and have not reopened.

The court-appointed receiver has looked for buyers for both the hotel resort and the campground.

Monroe County Treasurer Annette Erickson said she received $282,321 in

The campground operated this year under the oversight of a court-

The campground will reopen about April 15 for the 2010 season, Bryant said Friday. He added he plans to remodel some cabins and build more cabins.

Continued Page 2

absolute gem of a property." It is the largest campground in the national Jellystone Park franchised system and has such amenities as an outdoor water park and two mini-golf courses.

delinquent property taxes owed to the county Friday afternoon, because of its sale.

Erickson also said the county will begin tax lien foreclosure proceedings against the hotel resort next Sept. 1 unless the taxes owed on it are paid by then. Delinquent property taxes for the campground and the hotel resort together had totaled about $1.7 million, she said.

September. "It's a first-class property," he said. "There were some legal issues that were kind of clouding the title that have been cleared up in the last few weeks."

Bryant said he doesn't plan to try to buy the hotel and its conference center and indoor water park.

Bryant said he became an investor in the hotel resort in November 2007, after it already had opened, but was not an investor in the campground.

"I wasn't actively involved" in the hotel's operation, Bryant said. "I was pulled in as an investor and certainly it was a bad decision on my part." The hotel could not support the amount of debt it had, he said.

But he is optimistic someone will buy the hotel resort before the county can begin foreclosure proceedings next

He said he bought the Warrens campground because "it just fits nicely into my portfolio of campgrounds. It's an

Bryant said he owns 13 other campgrounds nationwide. His campground in Waller, Texas, received this year's Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Jellystone Park franchise system for showing the strongest business growth over the previous year.

Fifty former employees of Van Der Molen Recreational Properties which included the nowclosed Three Bears Resort in Warrens - will receive a total of about $35,000 in unpaid compensation under a decision announced late Friday.

Juneau County Circuit Judge John Roemer

approved the payment Friday as part of an agreement between the state and the courtappointed receiver for the property.

The 50 workers will share in $34,744.65 collected after Van Der Molen went into receivership in January, according to the state attorney general's office.

The state Department of Justice and Department of Workforce Development had filed a legal claim under a provision in the state bankruptcy laws that allows workers to collect up to $3,000 in unpaid wages, sick leave and vacation benefits before most other creditors are paid.

The 50 former workers either will receive the full amount claimed or $3,000, whichever is the lesser amount, the attorney general's office stated.

KOA received great mentions during THREE episodes of the David Letterman Show in the past few weeks. The last came last week when actor Tom Hanks was talking with Dave about he and his brother's RVing experience in Nevada. We also had a fun mention last Friday on the Fox & Friends morning show.

In this case: Letter FROM the Editor

Click here to see a little highlights clip on YouTube of our recent TV PR successes.

The article on Page 6 in this issue poses an interesting question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7TA9ybROnA

"Who is teaching our children about the oudoors and campgrounds".

The children of today are our clients of tomorrow. I may be wrong but surely there can be some sort of marketing campaign targeting "Fun Camping for all ages".

If it comes down to funding then I would ask why State Associations can't tip into a national

media campaign. Some promotion can even be done for free via U Tube, Facebook and Twitter plus the many children's blogs out there in cyber space.

Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees.

Editor

By Art Lieberman: Photos courtesy CONY If I’d known how much fun I was going to have at the Campground Owner’s of New York annual convention and trade show, I’d have come in my party clothes.

This year’s event was held at the world famous ski resort in Hunter Mountain, NY from Wednesday, October 28th thru Sunday, November 1st.

The only word that seems to fit the overall experience is perfection! A good time was had by all, campground owners, lecturers, exhibitors and the children who were in attendance. But with all the joy that was experienced by attendees, there was the serious business of assisting CONY members to make successes of their campgrounds for the next season.

But for my part, this article will be about the experience at the show. Others may write about the seminars and speakers, the trade show, the REAL reason for

Kaatskill Mountain Club the CONY Convention. I’d like to take up my space by reviewing what the experience was like.

Hunter, New York is an area that is a summer and winter festival. In the summer, the local inns and hotels are filled with vacationers and during the winter the ski trails bring thousands of snow birds to the area.

CONY moves its convention each year, but the selection by Anita Perry and the CONY Convention Committee of the 3-year-old Kaatskill Mountain Club was a stroke of genius.

Mother Nature also cooperated by providing lovely fall days for the event.

As a visitor approaches the towns of Hunter and Tannersville, where the convention was held, one is awestruck by the natural beauty of the area. At a breathtaking height of 2,160 feet above sea level and with the glorious display of autumnal colors in full view, the approach to the facility is magnificent.

The Kaatskill Mountain Club appears rustic from the outside, but the amenities are as modern as possible. The rooms we stayed in had pull-down Murphy beds, especially constructed to turn a bedroom into a living room when concealed. The conference and banquet facilities are located a short walk or an even shorter drive from the hotel. The exhibit space was expansive and the dining facilities convenient. The meals that were provided were sumptuous and

CONY members had their first look at the new CONY logo during the Conference.

Here it is unveiled during the Friday lunch by Scott Sherwood, Chairman of CONY’s board of directors. plentiful and the wait-staff was very efficient.

But it was CONY that made the experience as enjoyable as it was. The entertainment ranged from presentations, to the announcement of their new logo, to a cracker barrel, to both a silent and physical auction to full participation by members of the CONY Kids Club. There was an Annual Awards Banquet and a Hall of Fame induction, a Wine Tasting with the Warwick Valley Winery and, finally, a New York City Tour on Sunday, November 1st. What more could attendees want?

Personally, I’d like to thank the CONY Executives,

Hall of Famers (left to right): Robert C. Klos, Sr. (also former CONY Executive Administrator); Al Kaufman; Mark Anderson (newest inductee); Barbara Lighthall; Ed Lighthall; Mildred Yaniszewski; Gil Paddock.

It was the best single state sponsored Campground show I have ever attended.

made the event possible.

While we attended for the business we could derive from the trade show, we left feeling the warmth and friendship of the Campground Owners of New York and their Association. As Ahhhnold said in “The Terminator”, we’ll be back!

I’d also like to thank sponsors who invested in the enterprise such as: Platinum Sponsors; Evergreen USA, Trailer Life, Wilcor International, John Doldo IIII of Jones & Doldo General Insurance; Gold Sponsors AGS Internet, Kampgrounds of America, Leisure systems and Woodall’s – and all of the other sponsors who

Art Lieberman is President of MCPS for Campgrounds, a credit card processor sponsored by Woodforest Bank NA. Art has been in the Credit Card industry for nearly 12 years. Art has been conducting webinars online and seminars on credit cards in many State and Regional Association Conventions. He can be contacted at art@mcpsforcampgrounds.com

especially Don Bennett, Jr., CONY Executive Director, the other members of the Board, the speakers, the moderators, the auctioneer and his staff and everyone connected with this event.

Norm Bossio, of Norm Bossio Enterprises, was the keynote speaker during the Friday luncheon, encouraging campground owners through his humorous approach to either love what they do or don’t do it anymore.

CONY welcomed over 40 exhibitors to the trade show portion of the conference.

handling franchise contract negotiations, and interfacing with the Franchise Advisory Council.

Robert (Rob) Schutter, Jr. President/Chief Operating Officer Responsible for all facets of the Company's business operations including developing system wide marketing strategies, legal oversight,

Rob has been with the Company since its acquisition in August 1989.

Since 1976, he has been associated with HannaBarbera related properties having held several positions with the Kings Entertainment Company theme park group (now known as the Paramount Park Group.) Rob holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Marketing from the University of Cincinnati and has extensive operating experience in developing and implementing research, promotional, sales and marketing programs.

Dean Crawford - Executive Vice President Responsibilities include: coordinating the Company's efforts with its franchisees in operational matters, developing training seminars and manuals, coordinating park inspections, and reviewing potential new franchisees.

He has a very thorough and extensive knowledge of Jellystone Park operations having held the position of Manager at the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Traverse City, Michigan. During his tenure there, he received one of the Jellystone system's highest awards Operator of the Year. Dean has been with the company since June 1991. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Parks and Recreation Administration from Michigan State University.

John Ellison - Vice President of Operations Responsibilities include:

providing support to the franchisees in areas of operational procedures, loss prevention, customer service and sourcing national suppliers. In addition, he provides project support for new expansions, renovations, and upgrades within the franchise operations and conducts onsite inspections. John holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Miami University majoring in Education along with training in the amusement entertainment business from IAAPA and WWA. Having served as Executive VP/GM of a long standing amusement park, he brings with him an extensive background in the leisure entertainment industry. He is a Certified Park Operator through NSPI and a lifeguard instructor from Jeff Ellis & Associates and the National Aquatics Safety Company. John has been with the company since March 2000.

McLean, VA/Rochester Hills, MI (November 3, 2009) – Two of the park industry's most experienced and respected expert consulting firms, David Gorin & Associates and DC Westphal Associates are proud to announce a new alliance that will offer a wide range of consulting services. This partnership will present a seamless source of expertise covering the vast array of campground and RV park consulting needs of owners, developers, investors, providers of goods and services, and professionals serving the RV park and campground industry.

Individually, each firm will draw upon their unique and considerable expertise in the RV park and campground industry to provide integrated consulting services for their clients. Combined, they now stand ready to assist at any stage in your next project…from feasibility studies and site plans to marketing to staff training and more.

“With the volatile state of the industry, now is an

ideal time to provide a consulting service that is more comprehensive and streamlined than in the past,” remarked Westphal.

“By offering straightforward, accommodating, and inclusive consulting services we will better enable current or prospective RV park owners to plan for a successful business future,” added Gorin.

The team brings a combined total of over 65 years of experience to the camping industry.

Together, Gorin and Westphal will provide a one-stop-shop for planning, imaging, marketing, and investing.

For more information about this new alliance and the products and services available contact David Gorin at david@davigorinassociates .com or Donald C. Westphal at don@dcwestphal.com.

Additional information is also available at www.campgroundbusiness. com and www.dcwestphal.com

David Gorin

Donald C Westphal

The Fall MAC Meeting was held on Tuesday, 10/27, at the Queen Anne's County Exploration Center in Chester, MD. We had a great turnout even more than we'd originally thought were coming. The following campgrounds were represented: Little Orleans, Holiday Park, Ramblin Pines, Ole Mink, Sandy Hill, Buttonwood Beach, Double G, Frontier Town, Fort Whaley, Castaways, Cherry Hill, Yogi Bear, Morris Meadows, Roaring Point and Camp Merryelande.

We also had three of our supplier members present: SilverTop, Anderson's Brochure Distribution and our newest members, All Pro Kustomz Golf Cart Sales/Rental - a total of about 35 people (and two golf carts) in attendance.

We elected new officers for our President and VP slots (all others remain the same): President: Sue Wendlandt,

Sandy Hill Family Camp Vice President: Warren Glotfelty, Double G RV Park We went over the statistics from Google Analytics for our website traffic (our website is handled by Peter Pelland of Pelland Advertising). Our mdcamping.com web site had 56,441 visits during the past year, an increase of 15.35% over the prior year.

Interestingly, June 29th was the best day of the year, when 440 people went to the site (making July 4th plans we assume). Most of our traffic is sent from Google (over 52%), with

Judy and Skip Deegans of Anderson's Brochure Distribution Service are presented a certificate as an Associate Member. Judy Dixon Deegans, Justin Irons, Deb Carter, Skip Deegans

Sue Wendlandt, Deb Carter, Debby Irons, Mike Irons

the top referring site Go Camping America which sent over 1,700 visitors our way. We also received referrals from several of our member campgrounds, PCOA, NCA, Pelland Advertising, TACO and Evergreen USA as well (we appreciate the support of our friends!!). We're sure the addition of Google Mapping and a "click able" directory pdf, both via Peter Pelland, were a big factor in increasing our traffic. From my personal viewpoint, it is a joy to have a real mapping feature for our prospective clients to use, vs. my trying to locate a campground close to a location they want to visit.

We will be participating in all of the Anderson Distribution shows for 2010, as well as in co-op Northeast Campground Association participation in the Tampa Florida RV Supershow in January, and ad renewal for five issues with Camping Life.

We work closely with our

Lois Ann and Lenny of Morris Meadows Recreation Farm, Freeland, MD with President Mike Irons. friends at NCA - their cooperative advertising efforts and "can do" attitude make it possible for a small association like ours, to "play" in the big advertising venues.

We discussed the upcoming ARVC Insites Conference, Mid-Atlantic Coastal States Conference 3/8-9, 2010, in Dover, Delaware (Jay & Marji Otto do all the work for this conference - we just attend, learn and have a great time in an exciting location) and NCA's Great Escape 3/1619 in Springfield. We encourage all of our members to participate as much as possible with not only state events, but

Pat Wallizer and his daughter, Devan, of Little Orleans Campground; Jill and Russ Yates of Holiday Park Campground; Rosemary Collins of Ramblin' Pines Campground and Justin Irons of Ole Mink Farm. feature a black regional and national as background, with "fight like well. The more education a girl" in pink on them. and information we can They had great success gather, the better small with selling the line and business owners we'll be. donated the proceeds to the American Cancer One special note of Society. MAC has agreed interest, our friends Mitch to work on a project to sell Parker and Harold "Deck" the same type of garments Decker from Frontier in many of our member Town/Fort Whaley sold campgrounds next season clothing this past summer and hope to see the trend supporting Breast Cancer spread.

Awareness. The clothes

I'm blessed to have a wonderful group of friends to work with in MAC. We chatted at the meeting about how long we've been campgrounds owners - many have had at least two, some three generations of their family running their campground thirty, forty, more than fifty

Debby Irons of Ole Mink Farm, Sue Wendlandt, Sandy Hill Campground, Warren Glotfelty of Double G Campground, John Hannan of Silver Top, Mitch Parker of Frontier Town Campground, and Deb Carter, Executive Director of MAC.

years for several of our owners.

That type of continuity exhibits a deep belief in what we do, and how we do it. We turn to each other for support and guidance.

We learn from each other we laugh with and about each other - but in the end, we're friends first, and fellow campground owners second.

That's worked well for our association for over 35 years.

By Deb Carter Executive Director, Maryland Association of Campgrounds.

Photos courtesy Anderson's Brochure Distribution.

Improvements to www.azarvc.com include expanded search functions, maps and fullpage layouts with park descriptions Additional information on tourist attractions and things to do in Arizona will be loaded on to the site this winter PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 29, 2009 – The Arizona Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds is stepping up its marketing of private campgrounds and RV parks and resorts with a redesigned

website at www.azarvc.com The site, which went live this fall, includes easier-toread formats and expanded descriptions of more than 80 campgrounds across the Grand Canyon State. The site has also been reconfigured so that it can be easily accessed by consumers using smart phones.

“In the past, we had a very simplistic website,” said Morris Farnsworth, executive director of the Arizona Association of RV

Parks and Campgrounds.

“You simply selected a region of the state and were able to pull up listings of parks with a paragraph of description on each one.

Now, we have a full-page display for each park with photos and graphics. We are also incorporating different search methods so you can find parks based on their proximity to cities, highways or attractions of interest to you.”

Farnsworth said additional information about things to see and do in Arizona’s cities, state and national

parks and historical sites will also be loaded on to the website in the coming months to assist snowbirds and other Arizona visitors with their travel planning.

The Arizona Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds represents private campgrounds and RV parks and resorts across the Grand Canyon State.

A lawsuit filed by Lakeview RV Park LLC against the city of Richmond seeks a minimum of $12 million in damages for the city’s attempt to cancel a contract leasing Camp Catalpa to the company for use as an RV park.

The suit, filed Thursday in Madison Circuit Court, names the city as a defendant along with city commissioners Robert Blythe, Bill Strong and Mike Brewer, former City Commissioner Kay Cosby Jones and former City Manager David Evans.

Each of the commissioners, including Jones, is being sued both individually and in their official capacities as elected officials.

According to a copy of the complaint, Lakeview RV Park alleges that after the Richmond City Commission voted Feb. 26, 2008, to allow Mayor Connie Lawson to enter into a 40-year lease agreement between Lakeview and the city, Blythe, Brewer, Jones and Strong met in violation of the Kentucky Open Meetings Act to decide to overturn the lease.

At a March 25, 2008, meeting, Strong made a motion to rescind the

lease, despite the issue not being listed on the meeting’s agenda, the suit states.

Jones seconded the motion, the suit states, despite an admission that nothing in the lease empowered the city to revoke the lease without just cause.

The four commissioners voted to rescind the lease, while Lawson abstained.

According to the suit, the commission’s decision to rescind the lease deprived Lakeview of the property without due process as well as “the profits and benefits to which it was entitled under the lease.”

The suit also alleges Lakeview has sustained damages including loss of investment and the cost of attorney’s fees.

All the defendants are accused of violating the due process guarantees of the state and federal constitutions in the suit by taking actions described as “willful, malicious and taken with the specific intent” or “with reckless disregard” for due process, and the suit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal fees and court costs.

The city is accused of breach of contract for rescinding the lease after it was signed, and Lakeview seeks a judgment awarding the company a return of its investment, lost profits over the full 40 years of the lease, attorney’s fees, court costs and interest.

The commissioners are accused of interference with contractual relations for voting to rescind the lease without just cause, and the suit seeks

monetary damages “including but not limited to direct economic and consequential damages” as well as punitive damages for their actions.

The suit asks for a jury trial on the issues in the case.

Full Article: Richmond Register www.eichmondregister.com

The latest product to hit the campground industry is receiving major interest by owners who see these bikes as an opportunity for good revenue by renting them to campers.

The bikes are not only "green" environmentally

friendly but are safe and extremely economical with a battery charge range of up to 25 miles.

Campgrounds can purchase the bikes outright for as low as $1195 ensuring an excellent and fast return on investment.

Speed: Up to 16 mph Range: Up to 25 Miles Motor: 350 watt brushless motor Driving Sytem: Powerful 48 volt front hub drive System built into the front wheel!

Charging Time: 4-6 hours for pennies Battery: 48 volt 14 AH sealed lead battery acid

Battery Charger: 110 volt smart charger, UL Listed Tires: Front 16 x 2.5" and rear pneumatic 10 x 3.5" Color: White and Black (Custom Paint Jobs Also) Size: 40" L x 26.8 "Wx 5.7" H Weight: 93 lbs.

Comes With: headlight, taillight, and horn. (Basket Optional)

By Joan Skinner What started as a drizzle has now become a full fledged storm of businesses around the country ‘Going Green’.

Many campgrounds are edging into the ‘Green’ age and others are jumping in with both feet. Although Chalk Creek Campground & RV Park has been a little ‘green’ for the past seven years this year we took the plunge and found that not only can we ‘Go Green’ but we can save ‘green’ in the process.

First, why the campground was ‘green’ from the day we bought it. The previous owner had just completed what is jokingly called by other members of the Colorado Campground & Lodging Owners Association & our guests, the Taj Mahal of bathhouses. Not only is it built of cement block, has in-floor heating, is completely tiled and has corian counters but it also has automatic faucets for the sinks, coin operated showers, hand blow dryers and sensor operated lighting. These combine to save on water usage, trash removal & electricity costs.

There is no waste of water from being left on in the showers, they shut off when the time is up, or from faucets being left running since they shut off automatically once the person is finished. The hand blow dryers replace paper towels. Instead of

This took the sting out of the coin operation.

We found that several things happened after we started these small extra steps – our guests frequently exclaimed how wonderful it was that we were recycling and that they would be helping by using the recycling cans. having to buy paper towels and then empty them from the trash cans, the air does it all and saves time and energy for the staff & management. The lights are on sensors which shut off automatically after 15 minutes of no movement.

Next is what we have done to further increase our ‘green’ look and save money doing it. This past spring we checked with other companies in the area and found that there was a recycling company in the county. After contacting them & finding that, although the service was not free it was reasonable, we hired them to pick up the campground recycling on a weekly basis. We bought four sets of lidded trash cans, cut holes in the top, labeled them “Plastic’ and ‘Aluminum’ and set them throughout the campground. The recycling company set up a large container just for cardboard.

The first few weeks our efforts seemed to be for naught, few people were using the containers and our workampers were doing a lot of dumpster diving to

retrieve plastic, aluminum and cardboard items – even with the labeled cans right next to the trash cans. We brainstormed with our workampers at a weekly meeting and came up with ideas to get our guests to help us out. To encourage guest participation, we did the following: • Posted a sign on our Office Bulletin Board Proclaiming our Commitment to Green & noting that we had recycling cans located throughout the campground.

• Made up similar fliers and stapled one to the inside of each campground map.

• When showing our guests their site on the campground map we also pointed out where the recycling containers were.

We frequently singled out one of the children of the group to make sure that everyone recycled! They loved being put in charge!

• If questioned about our coin operated showers we pointed out that they are a part of being green by conserving water and electricity.

Next, we started to find that we were pulling out full bags of recyclables twice a week instead of just once a week.

Lastly, and the money saving aspect, we found that instead of scheduling twice weekly pickups with the trash company, we now only needed once weekly pickups!

This translated into a savings of about $400 for the season. This is not huge but it is a good start and a great motivator for us to keep up the recycling and save even more in the coming season.

Presently we are recycling plastic, aluminum and cardboard. Next year we plan to recycle newspapers as well since many guests have asked for that.

In conclusion we found that by taking just a few little steps we have gotten our guests onto the recycling bandwagon as well as having them give us kudos for doing it. The savings in trash pickup is a very nice perk as well. Feeling good that we are doing more for the environment – Priceless!

By Larry

Question: how much oil is left in the world? How much of that lies within the United States land mass and offshore areas under U.S. jurisdiction?

Answer: a lot!

The reader must understand that estimates of oil reserves are constantly changing because they are based on currently available information.

As the information base is enlarged the estimates change – upwards.

Equally important to understand is that there are two types of estimates. First there is the “technically recoverable” estimate and then there is the “practically recoverable” estimate.

A very good example of the difference between technically and practically recoverable is illustrated by the Bakken Shale formation in North Dakota.

There is currently an estimate of 3 to 4.3 billion

barrels of technically recoverable oil in this one formation, but a practically recoverable estimate of only 500 million barrels or about one eighth of what is there.

Even one eighth is optimistic because of the high cost of shale recovery. This formation is located within the Williston Basin that covers much of North and South Dakota, part of Montana and stretches into southern Canada. This is all shale.

Government estimates of how much potential oil is there run to about 500 billion barrels.

Folks, that is billion with a capital B! I In order to extract this oil it would be necessary to pump pressurized water heated to temperatures as high as 900 degrees to depths of more than one thousand feet. Such technology is underway and steadily improving for the last 25 years.

The strategy for extracting oil from shale revolves around a substance known as kerogen, a “precursor” to oil. When kerogen is heated to temperatures between 530 and 930 degrees F it turns to oil.

Because it is embedded in rock, high pressure hot water is used to open

cracks and crevices, allowing the oil to flow more freely.

In order to put this amount of oil into perspective, it is helpful to know that the United States consumes less than 1 billion barrels of oil per month. One barrel of oil can yield up to 40 gallons of gasoline. If and when this oil can be recovered, estimates of what it would cost range as low as $16 per barrel.

There is another shale deposit, known as the Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin in Colorado and points northward. There is estimated to be more than 2 trillion barrels of oil in this,

the largest known oil reserve in the world. While there are other known U.S. deposits of oil both inland and offshore, the Williston and Green River reserves add up to more than all the other known oil reserves on earth. As we are all aware, federal policy right now is to discourage domestic exploration in favor of non fossil fuel development.

This writer is of the view that we could build windmills until the end of time and solar panels to boot and probably still not have enough energy. The law of supply and demand still holds. What energy we get from green sources will be very expensive. The longer we fiddle around instead of going all out to improve technology and recover the abundant oil within our borders the worse off we will be. In the meantime we spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying oil overseas every day.

Why?

Well, it doesn't get much better than this.

I have heard about Fall in the Smoky Mountains since arriving from Australia exactly twelve months ago and now I know, what I was told was no exaggeration.

We are fortunate to live in Gatlinburg, right on the verge of the Smoky

Mountains and have for some time now marvelled at the scenery, not to mention the abundant wildlife including the black bear.

Campgrounds in this region are blessed with all the attractions and changes of seasons campers look for.

Dennis Macready Editor

The Chimmneys picnic area in the mountains

The Ohio Campground Owners Association (OCOA) Annual Fall Fun Day and POOT Tour were held October 28-29, 2009 at the Lodge and Conference Center in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. There were over 60 attendees representing 30 campgrounds in attendance.

On Thursday we headed off on the POOT Tour of the Northeast District. Our hosts were: Willow Lake Park (Geneva); Country Lakes Family Campground (Montville); Bay Shore Family Camping (Andover); Buccaneer Campsites (Jefferson); and Indian Creek Camping Resort (Geneva-on-theLake).

On Wednesday we started things off with a visit to the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio, followed by dinner at the hotel and a Cracker Barrel session to discuss industry hot topics and issues of concern to attendees.

All were wonderful hosts, opening up their campgrounds for us to tour and happily answering any questions. Each provided food and drink as part of a progressive meal throughout the day.

Group photo taken at Bay Shore Family Camping We finished the day with (Thompson) for planning the dessert and a Cracker conference and to all of our Barrel/POOT Tour wrapgracious hosts in the up session at Indian Northeast District!

Creek Camping Resort, before returning to the

By Kristy M. Smith hotel to adjourn.

Executive Director Ohio Campground Owners Thank you to Grace Association DiDomenico of Heritage Hills Campground

In a filing to the Secutities Exchange Commission on October 30, Affinity Group, who are a major publishing player to the Campground and RV Industries have again extended the payment date to bond holders.

The full report follows: Affinity Group, Inc. (the “Company”) is a whollyowned subsidiary of Affinity Group Holding, Inc. (“AGHI”) On September 14, 2009, AGHI received consent letters (the “Institutional Consents”) from certain institutional holders of its 10 7/8% Senior Notes Due 2012 (the “AGHI Notes”) holding in the aggregate $65,835,969 principal amount of the AGHI Notes outstanding and consent letters (the “Other Consents” and collectively with the Institutional Consents called the “Consents”) from certain non-institutional holders of the AGHI Notes holding in the aggregate $46,555,946 principal amount of the AGHI Notes outstanding.

The aggregate principal amount of the AGHI Notes outstanding is $113,648,603 so the holders executing the Consents held 98.9% of the outstanding principal amount of the AGHI Notes.

On September 14, 2009, AGHI paid the interest on

the remaining $1,256,688 principal amount of AGHI Notes that are outstanding and for which an Institutional Consent or an Other Consent was not obtained.

As of October 30, 2009, the holders who signed the Institutional Consents have agreed to extend the interest payment date on their AGHI Notes to November 6, 2009.

The Company and AGHI have engaged in discussions with the holders of the AGHI Notes regarding a refinancing or restructuring of the indebtedness of the Company and its parent, AGHI.

As of October 28, 2009, the holders who signed the Other Consents have

As part of those discussions, AGHI did not pay the interest on the AGHI Notes that was due on August 15, 2009, but the indenture governing the AGHI Notes provides a 30 day grace period for the payment of interest that was to have been paid on that date.

Pursuant to the Institutional Consents, AGHI has agreed to pay the legal fees for a law firm to represent the holders who signed the Institutional Consents in connection with such discussions and has paid a $150,000 retainer to that law firm.

In addition, AGHI has paid a consent fee equal to ¼ of 1% of the principal amount to the holders who signed the Institutional Consents or an aggregate of $164,600.

agreed to extend the interest payment date on their AGHI Notes to the date that is five business days after the date of termination of the Institutional Consents, including any additional extensions of the Institutional Consents.

November 3, 2009: Thor Industries, Inc. announced today its preliminary sales for the three months ended October 31, 2009 were $501 million, up 14% from $439 million last year.

RV sales in the quarter were $389 million, up 18% from $330 million last year.

Towable sales were $342 million, up 20% from $285 million last year. Motor home sales were $47 million, up 4% from $45 million the prior year. Bus sales were $112 million, up 3% from $109 million last year.

Visitors to state parks are seeing changes this week.

The gates to parking lots have come down. Some campgrounds have closed.

And visitor centers, restrooms and other park facilities are keeping shorter hours.

"It's going to make it a real tough place for traveling," said San Diego resident Susan Harris, who drove to Santa Cruz to visit her daughter last week and worries the return trip in her recreational vehicle could be hampered. "I'm calling parks ahead, and they'll say, 'We're closed,' and I'll have to move on."

Cash, cash equivalents, and investments were $326 million on October 31, 2009.

Total backlog was $599 million, the highest ever for this time of the year and up 57% from $381 million last year. Towable backlog was $267 million, up 190% from $92 million last year. Motor home backlog was $48 million, up 50% from $32 million last year. Bus backlog was $284 million, up 11% from $257 million last year.

"If the state park (employees) aren't coming by to do their routine checks and see if things are clean, there's a safety concern," she said.

Cutbacks at state parks are the result of California's struggling finances. In Santa Cruz County, home to numerous state parks, the reductions began earlier this fall as local park administrators anticipated the hits and began trying to save where they could — locking little-used restrooms and putting out fewer trash cans to reduce maintenance and patrol costs.

North Hollywood, CA, November 3, 2009 – A complete video tour and review article for the Four Winds Serrano 31V are available live on RV Buddies Online (www.rvbuddiesonline.com) .

"The Serrano 31V features a lot of big things in a smaller, more convenient package. At just under 33' in length and only 8' wide this well-designed coach has access to many places bigger coaches just can't go" says Mark Summers, Host and Producer of RV Buddies.

But just because the 31V is a smaller, more convenient coach, doesn’t mean it gives up anything in storage. "The amenities and mega-storage are hard to find even in much larger coaches, making the Serrano a serious contender for the RV buyer," says Summers, adding "Especially if you want to be able to go just about anywhere without leaving behind any of the comforts of home!"

In addition to generous storage areas, the coach rides atop the Workhorse W20D chassis, powered by the International MaxxForce 7 V-8 diesel

engine. The Serrano is larger than the "Sprinterclass" coaches – but for its size it is fuel efficient and powerful with 620 poundfeet of torque. It also features 5000 pounds of towing capacity and 19.5" full-size tires and wheels.

“The Serrano offers style, storage and diesel at an affordable price. It's a great combination in a nicely sized package. That’s why RV Buddies named it one of our “Best of Show” at the PRVCA in Hershey this year.”

About RV Buddies RV Buddies is an RV adventure-lifestyle show featuring reviews of RVs, accessories and gear. The show chronicles Mark, Elise, Robert and their RV Buddies Toby and Alex as they visit America's most beautiful campgrounds and resorts. The program is distributed as an Internet Television production on its own website, on Apple iTunes™ and through other distribution channels.

RV Buddies films and produces tailored videos for RV manufacturers and suppliers, as well as providing internet marketing and consulting services to the RV industry.

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