Last week Campground & RV Park E News sent 10000 emails to campground owners and suppliers throughout the country. "Our target was to reach that number in one year or 52 issues, we took a little longer than expected reaching the target on issue 73" said Publisher/Editor Dennis Macready. "The weekly e news had a lot of sceptics back
then with people saying it would never last. I am pleased to report that the feedback we get and the ever increasing interest from suppliers wanting to advertise will ensure the Campground & RV Park E News will grow even stronger in 2010" said Dennis.
Joint Publisher Gary Wakerley has reflected on 2009 and what his crystal ball says for 2010. "My jumping pillow business started the year with an approach to still be standing at the end of the year. The jumping pillow sales certainly reflected my thoughts but with promising enquiry from InSites and the KOA conventions 2010 is shaping up to be a very good year." he said.
Holiday greetings, friends! Poof! All of a sudden we’re coming into the busy, busy winter holiday season so I’ll make this brief. Do the words "RVing" and "turkey" in the same sentence have you shaking your head, thinking "can't happen"? The annual KOA International Convention continued its tradition as one of the most productive and lucrative camping expos in North America last Thursday. More than 500 KOA owners and managers met with
leading vendors to purchase the supplies they'll need to keep their guests supplied and happy in 2010. Mike Gast, Vice President/Communications Kampgrounds of America posted a video of the events.
Well think again! In this episode of the RV Cooking Show host Evanne Schmarder shares her little turkey secret...the crockpot. Moist, tender, and easy. Take a look at Crockpot Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving, we think you'll agree...it's delicious!!
Inc., to provide quality lodges with negotiated low pricing, that are built and shipped in close proximity to our East Coast and Midwest KOA owners. KOA is now partnering with Breckenridge Park Models, a division of Thor Industries,
General Coach cabins allow you to take advantage of the growing trend in cabin rentals. We know what it takes to layout, produce and design a warm practical living space that is easily maintained. We’ve poured our years of experience and knowledge in manufacturing trailers and park models into our cabin designs. Great design, top quality materials, attention to detail, that’s what we put into every General Coach product, and it shows.
Cavco Park Homes & Cabins has worked with KOA Campgrounds to develop a custom line of floor plans designed specifically for KOA customers. Customers can choose from standard Cabin Models, Lofts and their new Drop Floor Lofts.
Breckenridge is located in Nappanee, Indiana.
KOA-8 ready to be transported to a KOA Kampground
Cavco display at the KOA convention was a very popular attraction for owners to view the large range avaialable
General Coach based in Canada have partnered with KOA to provide quality cabins at an affordable price
Leisure Systems Jellystone franchise held their convention mid November combined with the ARVC convention in Orlando, Florida which was followed by a cruise to the Caribbean where they held their Awards Banquet. Dean Crawford, Executive Vice President of Leisure Systems said, "Over 90% of Jellystone franchisees attended the ARVC convention and close to 200 people, this was a great turnout for our Jellystone Parks. Over half of our franchisees went on the cruise to the Bahamas after the convention with 175 people enjoying the relaxing time combined with our Awards."
Awards were presented to the following:
Inspection Leader “The Carroll Award” Tabor City, North Carolina
2009 Franchise System Entrepreneur of the Year North Java, New York Woodstock, New Brunswick Missoula, Montana Waller, Texas Honorable Mention Quarryville, Pennsylvania
Jim Webb Spirit AwardBrent Gasser, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin Randy Isaacson Caledonia, Wisconsin
Operator of the Year Larry & Kim Jones, Canyon Lake, Texas Frank & Stefi Davies Kingston, Nova Scotia.
Facility of the Year- Natural Bridge, Virginia North Java, New York
Jim & Jill Kavicky Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Chairman Award Roger Barry Fremont, Indiana
Maple Leaf Award Peter & Janet Clark Woodstock, New Brunswick
Camp Resort of the Year Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2009 Special Recognition Awards Rookie of the Year - Owner Keith & Penny Russell, Memphis TN Rookie of the Year – Manager Rudy & Karen Aguirre, Amboy IL Most Improved Inspection Amherstburg, Ontario Goodfield, Illinois Facility Theming North Java, New York Landscaping Sioux Falls, South Dakota Camp-Resort Store Design Eufaula, Oklahoma Camp-Resort Comfort Station Memphis, Tennessee Monticello, Indiana Internet Web Site Design Luray, Virginia Brochure Design Frankenmuth, Michigan Recreational Programming Woodstock, New Brunswick North Java, New York Tabor City, North Carolina Luray, Virginia Fremont, Indiana CARE Members - outgoing Bridget Bender, Caledonia WI Tracy Czambel, Mill Run PA Sue Cromptom, North Java NY
Camp-Resort of the Year Pictured from left to right are Chad Lien, Christina Lien, Rob Schutter, Donna Aljets, Bruce Aljets, Mikelle Mathieson and Ray Aljets.
The Jellystone Franchisees having a good time on their Caribbean cruise and Award presentations
Jack London and Dan and Beth Moll from Knightstown, IN. Jack of Park Cabins, Inc gave away a cabin to one lucky Jellystone Park franchisee in celebration of our 40 years. It’s his way of saying thank you to the franchisees and the support they have given to him and his cabin business.
Art Lieberman of MCPS for Campgrounds meets Yogi Bear at the ARVC convention in Orlando.
The city of Richmond has filed a motion seeking to dismiss a $12 million suit filed against it by Lakeview RV Park LLC over a disputed lease to Camp Catalpa. The 22-page motion, filed Thursday in Madison Circuit Court, asks Judge Jean C. Logue to dismiss the suit against the city, commissioners Bill Strong, Mike Brewer and Robert Blythe and former Commissioner Kay Cosby Jones. Cosby and the commissioners are being sued both in their official capacity and as individuals for their actions in granting and then rescinding a lease between the city and Lakeview, which is principally owned by Allen D. Grant Jr., for the Camp Catalpa property. The lease was authorized Feb. 26, 2008, but commissioners voted one month later in the face of public opposition to cancel the lease, despite there being no clause in the lease which permitted the city to rescind the agreement. The lawsuit alleges the commissioners met illegally before the March 25, 2008, vote to discuss rescinding the lease.
The city’s dismissal motion argues that claims against the commissioners should be dismissed under the doctrine of absolute immunity because “all actions undertaken to control and manage the city’s affairs are clearly statutorily authorized and legislative in nature.” The motion also argues that the commissioners are protected from the suit by the legal doctrines of qualified immunity and official qualified immunity, which would bar a suit from being filed based on the commission’s actions. The motion cites a state law which it argues protects the city as a whole from being sued for “discretionary acts,” or decisions made based on the judgment and opinion of officials. As an alternative to a complete dismissal, the motion argues that at most, the suit should be allowed to continue only for breach of contract between Lakeview and the city, and be limited to contractual damages. Lakeview initially had filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Lexington claiming the city’s actions had violated due process and constituted a breach of contract and tortious interference, but Continued next page
Continued from previous page that suit was dismissed in September because of a clause in the lease which restricts legal actions regarding the lease to Madison County courts. The suit filed in Madison Circuit Court also contains the due process and tortious interference claims, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal fees and court costs. The motion is scheduled to be heard Thursday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. Full Article: www.richmondregister.com
La Crosse officials have released results of a lengthy audit of Pettibone Park Resort that likely will be used to leverage the business into paying more rent for the city parkland. The financial audit showed the business - which includes the campground, banquet hall, RV sales lot and repair shop generates more than $1.9 million in gross revenue and $300,000 in profits annually. The audit shows Pettibone's operators are doing better financially than
they claimed, along with violating terms of the lease, said attorney Phil Addis, hired by the city to do an operations audit on the business. "It is my opinion that there are numerous defaults under the lease which have been ongoing for several years and continue to this day. ... Viewed as a collective series of actions, it appears that either this was a deliberate attempt not to follow the lease or perhaps to push the envelope, or that the city was too lax in follow-up
and enforcement or a combination of the two," Addis told the city council. Pettibone attorney Brent Smith said he disagrees with many of the report's conclusions, particularly that owner Mark Pretasky is collecting windfall profits. "I don't want to be contentious, given that we're going to be sitting down with the city," Smith said, "but it left the picture, in my view, of a business making all this money. Mark Pretasky is a man of modest means." Full Article: www.lacrossetribune.com
North Dakota was second in the nation in tourism growth over a three-year period, despite the tough economy. The state’s core tourism grew by 10.7 percent from 2006-08, according to a study conducted by HIS Global Insight and commissioned by North Dakota Tourism. Core tourism includes hotels, entertainment, retail, dining and transportation industries. The study said tourism expenditures grew 5.1 percent, or $2.4 billion. Sara Otte Coleman, director of North Dakota Tourism, said that during the three-year period, the state was second to Louisiana, which was rebounding from Hurricane Katrina. “We’re really the only state that’s doing well,” Coleman said. The study said for the year 2008: - About $760 million in wages and salaries were generated by travel and tourism. - Tourism accounted for more than 31,000 jobs, 8.5 percent of the state’s total employment. - There was a 19 percent increase in spending by domestic overnight visitors.
- Two-thirds of travelers are non-residents; three quarters of North Dakota trips are for leisure. - If tourism didn’t exist, each household would pay $646 more in taxes. Through 2007, tourism was sandwiched between agriculture and oil extraction as North Dakota’s second largest economic contributor, raising $3.96 billion in nonresident expenditures. Gov. John Hoeven said at a Monday afternoon news conference in Fargo that the tourism industry is a strong contributor to North Dakota’s positive economic climate. North Dakota was listed as most affordable in 2008 by AAA and friendliest by Cambridge University. Coleman said the future goal of the tourism division is “just to get the word out,” which will include utilizing social media such as Facebook and Twitter. She said technical problems are to blame for a 14 percent drop in page views this year at www.ndtourism.com. “We need to convince our own people that tourism is a viable industry to the state,” Coleman said. Full Article: www.grandforksherald.com
Washington, DC -- Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, issued the following statement regarding the pilot program launched yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection division: "The U.S. travel industry applauds the Department of Homeland Security for simultaneously strengthening America's security and improving the entry process for foreign
visitors. The pilot program announced Tuesday to eliminate the paper I-94W form for those that have completed the Electronic System for Travel Authorization is a smart use of technology to increase efficiency and reduce delays at ports of entry. We look forward to working with Customs and Border Protection and related government agencies to build the world's most secure, efficient and welcoming travel system."
RVIA (Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Inc.) and RPTIA (Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association, Inc.) have concluded a yearlong process of negotiations and discussions seeking a possible re-unification between the two manufacturing associations. However, upon a recent vote by the RPTIA Board, it was decided to cease all such negotiations. The process was not a loss, however, as both
associations now have a better understanding of each other. It is hoped that the two associations can continue to work together on matters of mutual interest.
Together with his wife Jane, now starting their 13th season, David Berg owns and operates the Red Apple Campground, a 140-site park in Kennebunkport, Maine. Their park is highly rated, and is one of only four parks in Maine to achieve a “W W W W W” rating from Woodall’s for park appearance, and is the only park in Maine to receive a perfect “10” from Trailer Life for park appearance, and only one of two parks in Maine with a 10* rating for their bath house facilities thus ranking in the top 300 parks overall of the 12,000 parks nationally that Trailer Life rates. TL rating: 8.5 -10* – 10. The Bergs received the 2003 Campground Owners of the Year Award, as well as the 2007 Richard Hartford – Kenneth Griffin Award for Outstanding Contributor to the Camping Industry from the Maine Campground Owners Association (MECOA). Berg is a past president of MECOA and continues to serve on its board of directors. He currently is president of the Northeast Campground Association (NCA), and now in his
David Berg second term on the ARVC board, previously serving on the executive committee as second vice chairman and secretary. Berg has been a management labor relations consultant for the past 18 years, representing various public sector employers in all facets of labor relations, with 10 years as an officer with a public sector union as an employee representative prior to starting his own consulting business. He also has served on the Maine Tourism Association board of directors, as well as on various local elected community boards and committees. He currently serves on the local zoning board of appeals. He also worked in law enforcement as a part-time police officer for over 20 years. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Maine Chapter II.
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 Art Lieberman Perhaps the greatest benefit an exhibitor can derive from the Campground industry trade shows, other than meeting owners from around the nation, is the opportunity to meet other exhibitors. An article on the CONY site, written by Janine Paddock who is leaving as President of CONY after 8 years, and which can be read by going to http://www.campcony.com/a rticle-presidenti08.html, tells a story which carries the moral that helping each other is essential to have a successful association. It reminded me of all the other exhibitors who have helped us at association shows. So, in no particular order, I’d like to thank just a few of them in this week’s column. We specifically sought out David Gorin because of his history and his knowledge of our industry. It might have been one of our best business decisions of the past few years. David has
become a mentor, an associate and someone whose advice has been responsible for our growth over the past few years. If you have the chance, we would advise others to seek him out at trade shows, at his National School of RV Parks and Campground Management. You should also see if your park qualifies for Best Parks in America. Brian Legler of Gerber Manufacturing became a friend accidently, when he and his son Chris were exhibiting at the Florida & Alabama COA several years ago. Brian has become a buddy, a customer and another person whose long-time presence in the industry has assisted us in determining our direction in the industry. Knowing Peter Pelland is a boon to anyone who wants to understand advertising and directories in the campground industry. When our company
recently changed its name, it was Peter who facilitated changing our listings. He also assisted us in gaining access to websites. We first got to know him when we shared costs for Wi-Fi at a PCOA show. His generosity made us friends with Jim Ganley of Checkbox Systems. At the Northeast show 3 years ago, Jim offered free Wi-Fi to every exhibitor. Having a booth adjacent to his, we became friends almost immediately and have remained so at every show we attend. Checkbox is now co-sponsoring some of our webinars. Is there someone in our industry that isn’t familiar with Woodalls? At every single trade show we’ve ever attended a representative of this famous publisher has been kind to us – even offering us a directory which is, in our humble opinion, the Bible of the industry. It has gotten to the point where we always seek them out at every show we attend, just to say thanks. How could we not thank the big furry guy that represents Leisure Systems? Yes, we’re talking about Yogi Bear who is at least partially responsible for our success with his campgrounds. Oh sure, much of the credit and the pleasure of the Covington, KY shows has to go to Rob Schutter Jr.,
Dean Crawford and John Ellison and the rest of the crew who run one of the best organizations in the campground industry. Finally, there’s the man who is responsible for the formation of MCPS for Campgrounds. When he purchased Shangri-La on the Creek years ago, Bruce Bryant of Bryant Management and Legacy RV Resorts introduced us to the world of RV Resorts. Bruce had only 4 campgrounds then and as he expanded he pulled us along with him. Bruce recommended us to Steven Baldelli of Travel Resorts of America, who introduced us to Cardida Resort Groups and their CFO, Tony Sheppard, and in just a few months we had 25 campgrounds. Bruce jumpstarted us in our business. Next week, we’ll pay tribute to the State and Regional association leaders who have contributed to our success too. It sure is great to have friends! (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
One week from today, plan to join 1,000 of your RV industry colleagues in kicking off the 47th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville with "Outlook 2010." This year, "Let the Sun Shine" is our theme. "A Message of Optimism" is the sub-theme. That should tell you that Outlook will be two hours of "glass half full" presentations that we hope will leave you upbeat and inspired as you head out to the show floor. In all of the presentations, there will be plenty of realism mixed in with our optimism, but we have a lot
more good than bad to report. Richard Coon will give the latest shipment forecast. Go RVing will debut new television commercials and new web video content. RVIA's public relations team will deliver a report on the "state of our image" following the economic blizzard the RV industry is digging out from. And substantive presentations will help
educate our industry on what to look for in the postrecession consumer.
you get there early - and we encourage you to bring along anyone you do business with who will be attending the show. Have a hot breakfast on RVIA with your colleagues, talk business for a few minutes, then sit back and enjoy a great show.
The Tuesday, Dec. 1 event starts at 6:45 a.m. in the Kentucky Exposition Center South Wing.
We are confident that you and your guests will leave the event not only entertained but much more informed about the industry and its bright future.
We'll open the doors at 6:30 a.m., but in the past, attendees have started lining up outside the doors before 6. We recommend
See you there. We'll be looking for you to help us spread the sunshine.
By Rich Davis The Courier Press www.courierpress.com Santa Claus, Ind. — People tell Philip Koch he resembles Will Ferrell, the comic actor whose movie roles include a rather big "Elf" in 2003. Somehow it seems appropriate since Koch, 44, is devoting much of his time lately to doing what his grandfather, Evansville industrialist Louis J. Koch, did in the 1940s — helping the town of Santa Claus live up to its name. Where his grandfather started Santa Claus Land (now Holiday World) as a retirement hobby in 1946 and his father, Bill, added the Christmas Lake Village resort to the mix in the 1960s. Philip Koch recently spent several hundred thousand dollars on a new "Land of Lights" drive-through display at his Lake Rudolph Campground & Resort. Jerry Fella unwinds a string of lights around trees on Tuesday for the new Land of Lights drivethrough display at the Lake Rudolph Campground & Resort in Santa Claus, Ind. IF YOU GO WHAT: Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer light show and also "Santa Claus Christmas Celebration."
WHEN: Open at 5 p.m. in Santa Claus, Ind., continuing on weekends through Dec. 20, with light show going daily Dec. 21 through Jan. 3 from 5 to 10 p.m. ADMISSION: Light show, $15 per vehicle ($4 discount coupons at area McDonald's); the weekend festival in town is free every Friday through Sunday. HIGHLIGHTS: Tree lighting ceremony at 9 p.m. today, nightly LED Christmas tree show in Kringle Place shopping center, caroling karaoke, nonprofit food booths, visits with Santa at the Candy Castle and Christmas Store and weekend contests for cash and prizes; these include fastest Christmas tree decorating (10 a.m. to noon Saturdays), gift wrapping (1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays), fruitcake eating (4 to 6 p.m. Saturdays) and
gingerbread house building (noon to 2 p.m. Sundays). EXTRA: On Dec. 12 and 19, Christmas Lake Village's neighborhoods will be open so people can drive through and see decorations during a "Festival of Lights." INFORMATION: (888) 444-9252 or www.LegendaryPlaces.org . The event's Oregonbased designer calls it the first custom outdoor light show of its kind — featuring a story line (the adventures of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) told with bright, energyefficient LED displays. It is adjacent to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, with $1 from each $15per-vehicle ticket going to the Ronald McDonald House charity and another $1 to Santa's Elves, a local group which answers children's letters to St. Nick.
Discount coupons worth $4 are available at 45 area McDonald's restaurants, and each vehicle will receive a free picture with Santa. Until Dec. 20, the 1.2-mile display will be open Friday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., going daily Dec. 21 through Jan. 3. Also, the new "Santa Claus Christmas Celebration" (every weekend through Dec. 20) kicks off with nonprofit food booths, arts and craft shows, contests and the 72-foot "Great Big LED Tree of Lights" in Kringle Place shopping center. Once the LED tree (adjacent to the new Santa Claus Christmas Store) is turned on at 9 p.m. amid caroling, it will feature a 15-minute musical light show at the Continued next page
Continued from previous page top of every hour from 6 to 11 p.m. on weekends. Koch, who has kept a lower profile than his older brother, Will, the president of Holiday World, or his mother, Pat Koch, involved in Santa Claus activities, credits the Travel Channel with spurring the light show and town Christmas Celebration. Last Thanksgiving, he recalled, the Travel Channel aired a special about the "most Christmassy towns" in America, concluding with Santa Claus, Ind. Koch: "I realized that while we have more things named for Santa Claus here, as far as being a Christmas attraction we didn't have what some of
these other towns had — multiple weekend festivals, lights shows. I thought, 'Wow, we really need to do something.' Koch said he hopes the town (named Santa Claus in the 1850s) can market itself around St. Nick more, as it did in the '30s, '40s and '50s, and become a year-round destination, beyond the million visitors drawn to Holiday World each summer. His brother and two other siblings own Holiday World, while Philip Koch and his sister, Kristi George, an Indianapolis neurologist, own the campground. Their mother is involved in the theme park as well as a local Santa Claus museum and Santa's Elves.
Koch said if winter tourism can grow, his goal is to build a hotel and 250-seat restaurant — a bigger version of the chickendinner restaurant that made the old Santa Claus Land popular in the 1940s and '50s. Koch said he's not trying to compete with "Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights," which opens Thanksgiving in Evansville's Garvin Park to aid the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center. But he said a light show in Santa Claus made sense, especially after he conferred with Glen Miesch, owner of Lights for All Seasons in Eugene, Ore., one of North America's major light show designers. Miesch pitched the story line idea, using LED lights which not only are brighter but more "green," said Koch.
"There are hundreds of light shows around the country," said Miesch, who was here this week overseeing final installation, "but this is the first one in the world with a storyline. And this is an enchanting setting (the campground's hills, pine trees and lake). "The displays specifically involving Rudolph (11 scenes, some as tall as 30 feet or as long as 150 feet) begin with him dreaming of leading Santa's sleigh as an infant to him growing little horns and finally being fullgrown." Miesch, who has handled light shows for recent Super Bowls, said 20 years ago drive-through light displays were found mostly in municipal parks. But today, he said, newer ones tend to be business ventures where the motive is to make money for a venue or charitable organization.
COBURG, Ore. (November 23, 2009) – Monaco RV, LLC, is proud to announce the debut of a wide offering of newly designed, innovative products at the National RV Trade Show, Dec. 1-3, in Louisville, Kentucky. Located in booths 3401 and 3439 in the north Wing, Hall 3, “Building on the Legacy” will be the theme of the show. “Building on the Legacy” of the Monaco brand inception in 1968, along with the Holiday Rambler, McKenzie and R-Vision brands respectively, Monaco RV, LLC maintains a strong history in the
recreational vehicle industry of innovative, quality products and superior customer service. That legacy continues as Monaco RV, LLC forges strongly ahead, poised for the future with backing from its 178-year-old parent company, Navistar, a world leader in the transportation industry. Two of the most popular Class A diesel-powered models, the Monaco® Diplomat® and Holiday Rambler® Endeavor® will offer customers new floorplans, including full slides and bath-and-a-half options. New offerings
include solid hardwood cabinetry throughout, with residential refrigerator options on all floorplans. Other available options include a stackable washer and dryer along with advanced window shades with superior outward visibility and unsurpassed daytime privacy. The Diplomat and Endeavor both feature numerous floorplans built on the proprietary Roadmaster® chassis, providing a smoother ride, sharper handling and larger towing capacity. The models come standard with the Cummins® ISL 425 hp engine. The Monaco Cayman® and Holiday Rambler Neptune® will be built on the RR8R Roadmaster chassis, featuring a raised rail for more storage, and outboard airbags, creating a more stable ride. Available with the Cummins ISC 360 hp engine on select floorplans, the Cayman and Neptune offer larger 275/70R/22.5 tires along with a new full-body paint scheme. Added to these improvements is a 10,000lb. hitch capacity on all 40foot floorplans. Both models boast residential styling throughout, and all floorplans offer an optional residential refrigerator and stackable washer/dryer. The Holiday Rambler towable division will showcase the ultra-light Campmaster® with a new
tailgater exterior camping kitchen option. This convenient outdoor cooking center is ideal for all forms of camping and sporting adventures. Starting at 3,600 lbs., this lightweight towable features an aerodynamic design with full-depth 42-inch deep slideouts—not the typical 22-inch slideout found on most models at this price point. The enhanced stabilization spread axle design dramatically reduces sway, making towing a breeze. The McKenzie™ division introduces the redesigned ION® ultra-light towable. With emphasis on the “wow factor,” ION’s interior and exterior has been updated with a fresh new modern flair. The ION features enhanced towability as its models are up to 1,000 lbs. lighter than the competitive models with similar floorplans. This towable features large passthrough compartments for ample storage and optional features include an outside shower and exterior stereo speakers. The R-Vision division aggressively enters the fifthwheel market with the debut of the Trail-Lite fifth-wheel. The Trail-Lite fifth-wheel features four half-ton floor plans from 27 to 34 feet. The floor plans offer double and triple slide outs and four midprofile plans with full-height ceilings. The new fifth-wheel is available with a full complement of amenities, including LCD TVs and electric awnings.
Wireless Internet provider TengoInternet has won the 2009/2010 ARVC Supplier of the Year Award. The award was presented Nov. 12 at the gala banquet at the conclusion of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) 2009 InSites Convention and Outdoor Hospitality Expo in Orlando, Fla. ARVC Chairman David L. Berg commended TengoInternet for going the extra mile for its customers and the outdoor hospitality industry. “We are pleased that our company-wide commitment to
outstanding customer service and support and installing and managing superior Wi-Fi networks has been recognized by ARVC,” said Eric Stumberg, CEO and co-founder of TengoInternet. “We are honored to have been nominated for this award by three fellow ARVC members and customers: Cindy Halley, associate publisher, Trailer Life Directory Books; David Gorin, owner, Holiday Cove RV Resort and president, Best Parks in America; and Dan Wright, president, CalARVC board of directors and general manager of The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course.”
GOSHEN, Ind. -- Keystone RV’s flagship Montana brand will be adding another factory and increasing production 60 percent this winter to keep up with growing sales.
Each year the Montana group has gone to the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky., with new features and floor plans that are unique to the industry. This year is no exception.
“Getting more units into the marketplace quickly will help satisfy the resurgent RV demand that we are seeing with Montana,” said Montana and Cougar Group General Manager Aram Koltookian.
“Innovation is the driving force behind the Montana line and one of the reasons we have earned the No. 1 sales position nine consecutive years,” said Brian Doss, Montana group product manager.
“As the No. 1 selling fifth wheel, nine years straight, we are talking about a significant number of additional Montana fifth wheels that will be available due to this expansion.”
According to Doss, Montana will showcase more new models and features than ever before, including an allnew “Helium Technology” product line that changes the way RVs are built.
Campground & RV Park E News editor on the prowl for stories at the KOA conference in Houston. Also caught up with clients who had booths. Thanks (I think) to Lucas Hartford from Evergreen Insurance for the "happy snap".
INDIA's Ministry of Tourism has released a new policy guideline to promote caravan tourism in the country. It says: "Considering the diverse tourism products and the multitude of landscapes in India, caravans and caravan parks have a potential to add an exciting new facet to tourism in incredible India." GOLD prospectors are setting up camp in their caravans as more and more people flood into the East Fork of the San Gabriel River in California. The economic crisis has resulted in more people looking for gold in the river. THE son of an English businessman who once used a rare 1950 West Bromwich-built Jensen convertible to tow his caravan on family holidays has tracked down the car. Later owned by Hollywood star Gregory Peck and author Clive Cussler, the four-litre Jensen is now in
Germany and David Pond, 68, hopes to buy it. SCOTTISH judo coach David Wright has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for a sex attack on a nine-year-old boy on a caravan holiday in Brittany, northern France. The sex fiend, 40, had befriended the boy with lollies. HOLIDAYMAKERS are being invited to indulge their 'wanderlust' in a 1940s caravan in Wales. Located in Rhayader, the showman's 'van boasts a kitchen, living room and bedroom. and can be booked from around $300 for two nights. A MASSIVE thunderstorm sent people running for their lives when it hit Cape Town's Strand at Kay's caravan park in South Africa. Trees were uprooted and buildings smashed by what one witness described the "loudest thunderstom ever heard in Cape Town".
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