Kicking Off The 2019 Season

Well we have officially been open for our first weekend of the 2019 season, and what a season it has been so far! We opened on the last Friday in April and had a packed first weekend open…why not jump right into it again, right?? Overall, the first weekend was a great one. Most campers were our regular die-hard ones who just wanted to finally get their trailers out after this long, cold winter. We love opening weekend because it’s so great to see everyone again.

Even though we were pretty much full for the weekend, everyone just trickled in throughout the day which was awesome because we got some time to catch up with each person. We always love hearing about how everyone’s winter went, the new and exciting things happening in everyone’s lives, and the trips that people went on. It’s so hard to explain the amount of joy that campers on opening weekend bring us. Everyone is in such high spirits, with big smiles on their faces…ready to set up for the first time. It’s like returning home after 6 months away. Even when it was raining all day Friday and snowing all morning Saturday everyone was still out and about checking out the park and doing activities happy as can be.

Of course, it was opening weekend, so we did run into a few hiccups along the way and thankfully we have very understanding regular campers here, and everyone worked through them with us. We always go into opening weekend expecting a few issues – especially since everything has been off for 6 months over the winter months. But this opening weekend we experienced A LOT more than normal.

The biggest one being water spigots splitting and spraying water everywhere on several different sites (like I’m talking at least 10 different sites). Normally, this is something that we could have expected if we still had our old ones…but this year we replaced every single one of them to avoid this issue. YES – it was our brand-new ones that were splitting and breaking. This caused us to have to turn the water off several times and call the plumber in on emergency at least 5 times throughout the weekend in order to fix them. Thankfully everyone seemed to understand – cause trust me it was frustrating for us to deal with.

We also experienced an issue with the pump in the sewer tank for the deluxe cabins on opening day. It had quit working. We had to get a company in to get our sewer tanks pumped out on opening morning so that Jason could replace the pump before check-in at 2 for those cabins – that was a bit of chaos as well.

We ALSO had a camper go to their site and start experiencing some electrical issues that had developed over the winter, so the electricians also got called in opening weekend to get that fixed.

AND if that wasn’t enough, at 3pm Sabrina went to start up the fryers to get the chip truck open for 4 and had issues with her one fryer. It was working the day before no issue at all, and then just wouldn’t run correctly Friday. After some trial and error, she managed to get it going finally – just in time to open.

Despite the issues with having all three main things needing to be fixed…plumbing, electrical, and sewage…and the fryer issues…we had a fantastic weekend. We felt opening weekend was great, and we honestly have our campers to thank for that. You all are so amazing and understanding, and now that we have most of the kinks worked out – here’s to a great 2019 season!!!!

2018 is almost over…… and what’s on our minds for 2019

Hi…… I have been so busy, and partially lazy, that I haven’t written a single blog post all year.   So, now that the main season is slowing down I am beginning to feel excited and creative about our 2019 season.

A few things have had my mind running for a few weeks now and what better way to get clarity than to put it down on paper, or on screen so to speak.  And I’m looking for some confirmation of my ideas as well as some other great suggestions.

I was having a chat with  my dad a little while ago and he was telling me about all the things he loves to do when my parents drive down to Florida for a few weeks to stay with friends in their condo townhouse.  My parents have been super lucky thus far in their existence to have many friends that all purchased winter getaway homes that they can hop around for the entire months of February and March for the past few years.  One set of friends in particular have a condo apartment in a community living area that has organized events and activities.

Listening to my dad talk about the Bocci ball nights they all attend and the adult movie nights….. that sounds dirty, but it’s not.  I mean movies that aren’t child friendly, not actual “adult” movies.   I hope everyone laughed as much as I did after I re-read that and realized what it said.

Moving on…. they also have card nights and wine tasting events, horseshoe tournaments, darts or lawn bowling or pickle ball courts.

Now, this got me thinking…… since taking over the campground I have used most of my creative brain power coming up with family/children activities and events that has caused the majority of our weekends to be full each season and we are mostly full during July and August week days as well.  For this I am ever so grateful, however, once school is back in we have much less attendance.  And empty sites mean no money is being made, and yet I still have staff that need paying and electricity bills that need paying etc. And a large goal of a new pool and new hot tub to save up for.

So, what if we began some weekly activities and events during the off season, say June and September when the weather is still nice, the pool is still open, and now we have fun things for the families that like to camp without children…… would that entice more people to come during the weekdays?  If you knew that in addition to the quiet and relaxing environment, we also had some things to entertain you while you were here?

And for those families that do camp with children, would you make use of a Bocce Ball court or a Pickle Ball court or all of the above….. and yes, I am aware that a mini-putt course is also high on everyone’s list so am looking in to a good architect of one of those too.

 

I’ll be sending out a survey shortly to ask everyone what sort of events and activities, if we had them, would entice you to come and camp more frequently and stay a little longer during the week days in our slower part of the season.  I would be so grateful if you would participate in the survey so that we can make this a fun getaway place like the way my dad talks about their friends condo community.

If you’d like to offer additional suggestions as well, please feel free to send us an email to brightonkoa@gmail.com .  Brainstorming is what I need right now to bring about an exciting change.

Rates and how they affect you.

This one is long but I please request that you read to the end.

This wasn’t an easy blog for me to write.  I was fearful that by providing you with this information it may scare some of you away from choosing to camp with us next season.  And, if I’m being honest with myself, it probably will.  But none the less I feel you all deserve to have this information to make the best decisions for your family to make the best camping trips possible.  Your money is valuable and your summer is short.  I want you to have the best vacations at the best value.  And now you can make the best decisions because you know what my plans are going forward.  If that means you just call me right now and book to keep your rates lower or if that means you choose elsewhere, I totally understand and respect you for doing what’s right for your family.

I have always said that being transparent and honest with people is the best policy in life, and when it comes to money even more so.  I wanted to include a blog about our rates and what factors affect them because I believe it’s one of the things that people take in to consideration when choosing a campground.  I hope that we provide so much value at our KOA that it lessens what financial analysts call “price sensitivity”.

Price Sensitivity is the extent to which the price actually affects the purchase of a service or product.  If someone sees extremely high value then they are less sensitive to the price.  Apple is a good example of a company that has reduced Price Sensitivity to a large majority of the population that they are willing to spend more money on Apple products even if they are similar in quality to another brand.  Now I personally believe they are higher in quality than all other companies and as such have probably almost no price sensitivity at all.

I’m bringing this up because ever since we purchased the KOA we have had a philosophy that our rates should increase every year to compensate for the fact that we are continuing to provide greater value/amenities each year.  The year we stop putting our investments back in to the park then that’s the year we should stop raising prices.  That’s probably also the year we should think about selling in my honest opinion, but that’s for another blog maybe.  We are not even close to wanting to sell.  Just to be clear and rumours don’t start flying around.

This year will be no different, rates will increase.  Not only because we have so many plans for what we want to do with the campground, but for a number of other reasons as well.  Hence why I’m writing this now – to help explain everything.

START HERE

First, let me talk about what I am so excited about.  KOA Headoffice has been working for several years on a new software to manage reservations.  It’s as archaic as a dinosaur but nowhere near as cool.  This year I was given the honour of being asked to take a seat on the Franchise Advisory Committee.  There are about 15-20 of us and we are split up in to three groups.  The Operations, Marketing and IT groups.  I took an empty seat at the IT table and was able to add my opinions to the already established discussions from the past few years.  This new software was our only topic and I am excited to say it has now been released and has been rolled out to a few of the KOA’s in the US over the past few months with successful results.  We should be transferred over to the new software here in Brighton within the next few months.

There are some big changes with this new amazing software.  The most talked about of which is the new Rate Management feature with Dynamic Rates being automated shortly.  Someone made a joke at the workshop I attended regarding rate management that if everyone on a plane was wearing a tag that shared the price of the ticket there would be pandemonium.  Can you imagine if you were sitting next to someone who booked their ticket two months after you did and paid a few hundred dollars more?  Or that one person who booked last minute, the day before the flight, and only paid half what you did?  But, that is how rates work in most industries that sell tickets or take reservations.  Air lines, Hotels, Concerts even.  I even read an article yesterday that parking meters have “dynamic rates” in some parking lots.

I’m bringing this up because this is one of the features the new software will make easier.  A rate adjustment tool that will automatically adjust rates based on when a reservation was taken and how many sites are left for that specific weekend at the time the reservation is taken.  Many KOA owners are already adjusting rates based on capacity and how close to a date a reservation is taken but have been doing it manually which with the old software is extremely arduous.  I have not bothered due, partly to not understanding how the science behind it worked, but mostly because I was busy.  I was taking reservations and checking people in and managing whether garbage was being done and which cabins needed cleaning today and didn’t have time to go through each site type and weekend and rate plan and make adjustments based on how full we were already.  With this new software, it will be done without me even having to think about it.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, for one, because if you and your friend book at different times and end up paying different rates you will have this information well in advance and I am hoping to alleviate many of the calls and questions – but also to arm you all with the knowledge that the earlier you book the less you will pay.  And since this is a system wide software feature this knowledge will benefit you whether you book with our KOA or any others.  I want to save you money on your camping.  So, my suggestion, plan earlier, call earlier, reserve earlier and if you do decide to make last minute plans, be ok with paying higher rates because you will have no one to blame but yourself.

We are also instituting a few new extra costs for next year.  We have received so many requests for pets to be allowed in our cabins that we have changed our policy.  If you have a dog and want to bring it camping, there will be a new charge of $20 for cleaning of the cabin upon checkout.  We also require an up to date credit card on file so that any damage incurred as a result of the pet, like a chewed up mattress or scratches in the door, there will be an automatic charge once the damage is discovered as per the agreement upon check in.

Another one is the Pet Charge of $2.  We began to charge this at the end of last year and first of all I need to make an apology.  I created the new Pet Charge incorrectly and it started out charging people per pet per day so if someone had 3 dogs and stayed 4 nights they were charged $24.  That was not my intention so I am sorry if any of you had this happen and didn’t mention it to me for me to correct.  The intention is for $2 to be added to any reservation with a pet so that it can help cover some of the additional expenses we incur by offering the Camp K9 dog park and doggy bag stations all around the campground.  I’d like to improve that Dog Park even more so if you have any other suggestions on toys and obstacles you know your pet would love, please let me know.  Please remember we are providing these toys and obstacles for the use of everyone so please leave them there.  They weren’t forgotten or left behind for you to take home.

And finally, the Site Guarantee Fee.  This will probably get me the most complaints but let me explain before you freak out.  Many people have a general area of the park they prefer to camp, like near the washrooms or by the playground etc.  And some people have a specific site they want to camp in – A11 or B1 for example.  We have had so many problems in the past with not being able to fully maximize every site we have on any given day because someone has requested a certain site and we truly want to accommodate.  As such, if someone really feels that one specific site is going to make or break their camping trip, then there is a site guarantee fee of $30 that they can pay at the time of reservation to ensure they will not be moved.  Even if it means I have one site sitting empty on a Friday night and one sitting empty on Saturday night because I couldn’t move that person to a different site.  They’ve paid the fee.  They don’t get moved.  Unless of course when I called they agreed to move, in which case I would refund them the $30.  Now, this doesn’t mean we won’t still take and do our best to accommodate requests.  If someone really wants B1 and I need to move them to fill all my sites every day and they haven’t paid the fee then I will call and let them know they need to be moved so I can optimize our sites.  If someone just wants to be by the playground we will still try our best to keep them by the playground.    Whenever you reserve with us, or online, please let us know that you wish to guarantee a site – you can use the comments section when you book online and you will be charged an additional $33.90 including tax.  By adding this feature it allows me to keep my rates lower instead of have to raise them an extravagant amount to compensate for some of my inventory sitting empty on peak nights.

Now speaking of rate increases, there is another factor that will be affecting rates for the 2018 season, and that is the increase in expenses. Wages is one large example of an increase in my expenses. As I am sure everyone knows by now, wages are increasing for 2018 and again for 2019.  Electricity and Fuel prices are another increased expense.  With more of our funds needing to cover the rising expenses I will have to increase rates to compensate or I will have to reduce the services we provide.  I am not willing to go backwards in the quality of service and amenities we offer.  I want to continue to provide the fun memorable camping trips to families who are looking for the experience we offer.  And I don’t want to have to start charging for everything we do, like the inflatable obstacle course, or the Big Bouncer on weekends as I’ve heard happens elsewhere.  As I said in the first paragraph, I can only hope that our value lessens price sensitivity for the majority of you.

Enjoy your Winter and I hope to see you all relaxing by a campfire in the coming season.

 

We’re back from Convention

I honestly can’t believe it’s the first week of December already.  The way this winter is going it’s going to be Spring again before we know it.  Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking….. !

Jason and Sabrina and I had a great time at the KOA Convention.  We got to spend time with other managers and owners which is always my favourite part about these large group gatherings.  The seminars and workshops are educational but it’s the times we spend drinking and eating with other KOA peeps that really makes it worth it.

My favourite night out was spent with the staff from the Port Huron KOA who are all so fun and we went to this bar that had karaoke.  This was karaoke unlike I’d ever seen.  They had a live band so the person brave enough to get up and sign didn’t just sign alone in front of a screen, the actually became the lead singer of the band.  I was so busy singing my brains out (from the back of the bar – not the stage) I forgot to take any photos or videos.  But honestly, it was the coolest thing ever.

This year was a little different than the first couple we’ve attended.  For one, we opted to leave the kids at home with my parents and just the two of us met Sabrina and her boyfriend in Phoenix.   The second major change was that the day before we were set to fly out I somehow managed to sprain my ankle really badly so it was either stay home or rent a scooter for the five days to get me around.  I couldn’t walk at all on my foot for the first two days but luckily by opting for resting it instead of pushing myself it began to improve quickly.  Here’s a photo so you can all laugh at me riding around like everyone else at the convention did.  Guesses on how many times people asked for a lift????

It was an honour again this year to be recognized for the Presidents and Founders Awards.  Both of these awards are available for every KOA to receive if they meet the criteria.  The first criteria is to score high enough on the quality review report.  If you reach above one score you qualify for Presidents award and if you score even higher then you qualify for both Presidents and Founders awards.

The second criteria is our Review Scores from the Rate Your Stay Surveys that are sent out after you check out each and every time you camp at any KOA.  When you get those surveys this is how the scoring works.  When you choose 9 or 10 on the section that asks if you would recommend this KOA to others, it increases our overall score.  If you choose 7 or 8 it is treated as neutral and we don’t increase or decrease in score.  And if you choose 6 or lower it brings our score down.  The other part is the 1-5 star section of the Rate your Stay.  All the scores are added together and averaged to give us a score for that section.  If our total score of the first section and second sections added together is over 90 then we qualify for Presidents Award and if we are over 124 then we qualify for Founders as well as Presidents award.

The reason I’m explaining all of this is because the quality review portion of qualifying for these awards is all our responsibility.  The better shape we keep the park in and the more money we continue to invest in the campground, the better our score will be.  The second criteria is dependent on our campers and your responses to those surveys.     Without you all taking the time to give us your valuable feedback we couldn’t qualify for those awards.  I am grateful for the comments as it gives me a gauge for what improvements are the biggest priority but I am so very grateful simply that you are taking the time to complete the survey’s at all.  Those scores matter so THANK YOU.

My next blog post will talk about the new software that KOA has been designing to help make taking and managing reservations easier as well as discuss the rates management feature of said software.  Important news for all those wanting to be aware of what they are spending on camping and why.

I can’t believe the season is over in three more weeks!!!!

I haven’t written a blog post in a while because…. well, quite frankly, we’ve been busy.  It’s been one strange season so far.  And all I can say is how grateful I am for the fact that rain or shine, we have been blessed.

2016 was incredible camping weather.  Hot, dry and sunny every day.  I think I can count on my hands the number of times it rained.  It was so dry that we had to enforce a fire ban for a few weeks of the summer.  We were packed for 21 out of 26 weekends and I honestly thought that it was due to the heat and amazing weather.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2017.  It started off with a major flood at the campground and then it felt like just as the ground was drying from the last rainfall, it would end up raining for another few days straight.  I honestly was shocked at how drastic the weather had changed from one year to the next.

Here are a few photos of the flooding and storms we experienced:

The pirate ship might actual start to float!
Bouncer washing out makes for unsafe jumping conditions.
The nature trail looks ready for Halloween already – and it was only May.
Sky right before a storm was about to hit.
And the storm seems to be clearing.

This is where my eyes start to tear up at the amazingness of our campers because despite the horrible camping weather this year, we have been more full this year than last year.  Rain or shine, hot or cold, you’ve still come camping.  Excuse me while I sound like a cheesy black and white film – you’re the best campers a girl could ever ask for!!!!

I’m taking bets on what kind of weather we think is going to hit us next year!!!!

And while we’re being grateful for the amazing summer weather even at the end of September here in Ontario – let’s all remember to keep praying for those south of us who are experiencing the after effects of the hurricanes and earthquakes and all those forest fires.

Chip Truck Adventures….. by Sabrina Henderson

Day 1 of renovations

Before the electricians show up we figure that we should go and get the chip trailer level and turned to sit exactly where we want it to. Myself, my boyfriend (Jason) my dad and Jason Banas all come together to try and decide where the trailer would look the best. You wouldn’t believe how complicated our conversations are on a regular basis with both Jackie’s husband and my boyfriend being named Jason. We decide to turn it on an angle just by moving it over a couple feet. Jason Banas in the Kabota digger came and lifted the tongue of the trailer and my Jason hooked the truck on the back of the trailer to help roll it out of where it had sunk in on the gravel. And on 3, they both simultaneously moved the trailer EXACTLY where I wanted it to go.  It was perfect.

Then came the fun of getting the trailer level. We had 4 jacks to put under the trailer and we figured that would be easy enough. Turns out nothing on the trailer itself was level so we didn’t even know where to start.

frydayreno2

The counters weren’t level, the window wasn’t installed level, even the floors weren’t level. And not only was it unlevel side to side, it was also unlevel front to back. Well after a few hours of fiddling around with it we think we got it where it is the most level it can be.

Then we wanted to create a concrete plan of what we are going to do about the electrical before the electricians showed up the next day. Well you can just imagine how the electrical was in the trailer. We had wires coming from every which-way to the panel, and some wires we didn’t even know where they were going or ended up.

After a while we ended up creating a plan and headed home for the night.

 

Day 2 of renovations

The next day my dad ending up taking off work to come and help and we met with the electricians bright and early. We walked through everything and they started to get to work tearing all of the old wiring out of the trailer. I went in the store to get some work done for the KOA and came back out and my counter top and my whole back wall was outside the trailer on the ground. I was fairly concerned that they had found something bad, but turns out my dad had better ideas for that wall and did away with all the old stuff. He had taken the table out and when he had started taking apart the back wall he noticed that the whole back wall was made of floor tiles stapled on.

frydayreno3

I went back in to get some more work done and returned a little bit later and to my surprise I now had a new location for my light switch and all new plug-ins…my dad was redoing the initial plan AGAIN. But in the end they are MUCH better!

I had then called the health inspector to see if we could schedule a date for his inspection the next week and he insisted that he comes and gives me a pre-opening assessment the next day! Well to say the least, the trailer was in no condition for the health inspector. So right after the electricians were finished we got down to work cleaning and re-building the back wall to get it somewhat presentable. Now lets see what the health inspector has to say about it!

Fryday update by Sabrina

Well it’s been over 3 months since an update on FRYDAY the Chip Trailer and a whole lot has happened in that short amount of time. I have struggled with finding quality food to serve, finalizing a menu, and getting the licensing process started. It has been a hectic winter getting everything planned so far but definitely one for the books.

frydaycard

One of my main focuses this winter has been on finding some good quality food to cook in the chip trailer, and it has been a fairly large obstacle. I mean, I have got to test a lot of food so no complaints there, but there’s just so many options. I started with opinions from other chip truck owners and people in the food industry and worked from there. From the beginning I’ve been contemplating on whether to only use local meats or not. Thankfully within the last week I’ve finally made up my mind and found a local place that has delicious meat where I’m going to purchase the majority of my meat from, and oh man is it ever good.

Also finding a good seasoning recipe is a whole nother story. To put it in perspective, I think I’ve had pulled pork for dinner at least twice a week for the last 2 months…that’s how many pprecipes I’ve tried out. You’d think I would be sick of it by now, but who are we kidding, pulled pork never gets old! Thankfully, I have finally picked a good creamy coleslaw recipe and pulled pork sauce and rub recipes; I hope you all enjoy it as much as my family does.

 

 

Finalizing the menu has been difficult as well. Between narrowing down the food that I want to serve, finding a place to buy that food from, and determine portions, it has been a journey. We are putting a mini version of the menu in the park maps so every camper has an idea of the kind of food being served. Therefore, we needed a copy of the menu to send to the publishers, and I kid you not…I think I changed the menu at least 5 times (…so far) since we discussed finalizing the map. The life of an indecisive person. Well I funnelcakefinally think I have it finished and it is being sent to the publishers this week, and then there’s no turning back so I hope I got it right this time.

 

 

 

I think the most exciting part of this whole experience so far is having the electrician come on Tuesday. He’s going to be finishing up the wiring so it will officially be functional at the Brighton KOA for the first time…so surreal! After the electrical is finished then all the licensing and permits can be finished and we’ll be off and running.

Last week my appreciation cards finally showed up, and I’m so stoked about them. I ordered them from a company that helped me create my own design and when they showed up I was so happy with how they turned out. The amount of kind words and support I have received from all of you amazing campers has been extraordinary and just really wanted to show you all that I appreciate you and thank you for all of your support, that’s why I decided to make these cards in the first place. My heart is so full!

frydaystampcard

 

I’ll give you another update when the licensing and renovations get finished… because everyone knows they never go smoothly haha

Sabrina.

Winter blues….

Hi all. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is sick of all this snow and having a touch of the winter blues.  The grey skies and overcast days are really bringing me down.  Despite how beautiful the blanket of snow is over all our property.

img_6218

The few gorgeous days with sun are so few and far between I’m really wondering how much more of this I can take.  And yet, we took advantage of one of those bright and glorious days just recently.

The whole family went out – which honestly took some convincing of my eldest and of myself to slog through putting on all the snow stuff.  I actually hate winter because of all the millions of layers we have to adorn just to stay warm enough to enjoy a brief amount of time.  It doesn’t seem worth it sometimes.

And yet…… something nudged me from the inside telling me to do it.  Convince Caleb and yourself and go out and play as a family.  All four of us.

Well, that’s just what we did.  We all packed in to our snow gear.  Donned our mitts, and hats, and boots, and pants and scarves and coats and it felt like it went on forever getting us all dressed.  With at least one of us falling over trying to search for an article of clothing every minute or so.  Except of course Jason.  If you know Jason at all, he knows exactly where all his belongings are located.

Ahhhh the perfection in opposites attracting….. or, NOT!  LOL  Luckily we did finally get outside or there might have been a less than pleasant remainder of the day.

And once I walked outside in to that dazzling sunshine and saw the shimmering snow I was so pumped.  I grabbed the toboggans from off the porch and stuck both kids in and drug them as far as I could before they just wanted to get out and play in the snow mounds Jason has been developing with his snow plow.

We managed to get in a ton of great slides because the newly fallen snow made for amazing sledding conditions.  And while we don’t have huge hills here, they are perfect for our little guys.  Maybe one day when they’re bigger they’ll brave a GT snow racer down the walking trail!!!  Actually, if I’m thinking correctly it will probably be more like a snowmobile and I will be riding on the back – Oh YEAH!

img_6198

We’ve had our great snow day now, the season can shift into Spring….. who’s with me????

I truly am looking forward to a new season.  The 2017 season is proving to be as busy and exciting as 2016.  We have more than 200 more reservations this year than we did on the same day in 2016.  I can’t say for sure what’s packing in the campers so early in the season but what I can say with certainty is that if you want to camp at the Brighton KOA at all during 2017 you better book soon.

Waiting may prove only to disappoint.

I look forward to seeing your names in the computer as you begin making online reservations or having a chance to catch up with you if you call me to book.

I hope the winter is keeping you all well!

Multi-generations having fun!

When I saw the photos of this next camper experience contest submission it got me thinking.  I’ve always sort of thought of our campground as being “tailored” more for younger children.  Having two boys under 5 when we first purchased the campground I was thinking more of activities and entertainment that would keep them and other kids of that age group happily engaged all summer long.

I’m realizing now that families are so diverse that they don’t just have kids of similar ages.  They might have some young ones and some older ones.  Or there might just be teenagers and because of our proximity to the beaches parents still may want to camp at our KOA.  Therefore I can’t just focus on what would keep the under 10 crowd entertained.  I need to make sure that I am constantly thinking of all ages and what they would desire in a camping experience.

While I know I tend to still focus on keeping little ones happy and occupied so that parents can get lots of relaxation time in, it’s important for me to remember that everyone wants to have fun while they are camping – the young, the young at heart and everyone in between.

I am always open for suggestions.  I may not always have those suggestions in the budget, but the more requests I get for the same items, the more likely I am to create a budget for them.  Keep those requests coming my friends!!!

I really want to thank the lady who submitted these photos and her story.  She shared with me that it was their first weekend in the trailer and have two daughters – a 23 year old and a 6 year old.  Now that is diversity!!!

It looks like they had a fantastic time with each other on the Big Bouncer!  And doesn’t she look adorable with her face paint on?

face-painting-green-cat-photo

Kids grow up so fast….

I honestly love my job.  Getting to know campers and watch their kids run around having fun all summer is one of the best ways to make a living I could ever imagine.  It’s hard work and long hours during the season but I’m such a people person that it truly is the perfect fit for me and our family.

This next contest submission is from a family I absolutely love seeing.  They came by to visit me at the Toronto RV show recently and it just made me all the more impatient for the season to get started.  You’d think after 6 months straight of 14-16 hour days with very few days off (only when I snuck off for the Tragically Hip concert) I’d be happy to prolong the break.  I am truly loving all the time I get to spend with my kids during this break time – but the rest of the time I’m bored silly and can’t wait to get back to “play”.

This family started camping at the Brighton KOA before we took over as new owners.  They felt that their kids were “growing up faster than we wanted to admit” so they decided to start camping to create some quality family time.  They started year one in a tent trailer and after camping turned out to be a huge hit, upgraded to a bigger trailer the following year.  “One with a bathroom……Ahhhhh”.

They started a tradition of opening the camping season at the Brighton KOA and once we had added the Big Bouncer they spent a ton more time here than just the beginning of the season.  Quoting from her email “the kids literally spend all day on it if we let them and we love it because it means by the time they eat dinner they are usually falling asleep at the table from jumping all day.”  You can see in these pictures that the kids aren’t the only ones jumping on it!

15337426_10158203074470157_5700642800724892064_n-1

15439889_10158203074225157_4030370975978420319_n

The kids enjoy wagon rides, swimming in the pool, ice cream social, scavenger hunts, movie nights and all the fun stuff we plan for kids at the KOA.

15317982_10158203074305157_2562536571429273910_n

15380497_10158203074290157_872061869043332999_n

 

 

 

 

In her words, “Our absolute favourite was Halloween in the park this year. The kids are still talking about the awesome jack o lantern display, and how the tractor “broke down” and we had to run through the scary zombie trail! ( where by the way the entire group put the biggest chicken -me, at the head of the pack)”.15355646_10158203074280157_3830024919028477965_n

 

15350709_10158203074250157_1169679257220292310_n

 

 

 

 

 

 

It warms my heart to read of all the joy we are bringing to families.  I know this woman was smart and booked her camping trips early.  We are filling up really fast for so many of them.  The May weekends especially.

It will be camping season before we know it!  Don’t forget to check out the calendar of events on our site www.brightonkoa.com/events