Crazy Busy Memorial Day Weekend As Workampers

Watkins Glen KOA, NY (95 degrees, hot and humid)

Part of campground before Memorial Day Weekend

We went from having about 10-15 campers arrive each day at the campground to over 200 in one day.  Whew, it was a crazy and wild weekend.  By 9pm on Friday we were completely sold out except for a few primitive tent sites.  There were campers, tents, kids, and dogs everywhere. The indoor pool was a zoo. 

Same area during Memorial Day Weekend

The time just flew by on Friday as we registered the arriving campers  Many of the campers have been here before and  make their reservations for next Memorial Day before leaving.  All forms and campground maps had been made up in advance which cut down on registration time.  There were three of us at the desk and the owners and guys were out in the campground assisting campers and controlling traffic. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating all at the same time.  I’ve never been involved in anything quite like this before. 

Fun at the jumping pillow

The SummerShiners had lots of activities planned for the families.  They are the college students who live at the campground all summer and organize activities for the campers. We handed out a sheet detailing the  activities such as tie dying t-shirts, flashlight  candy hunts, laser tag, mini golf tournaments, movies in the woods, and much more.  A breakfast was also served on Saturday and Sunday morning which is cooked by two local ladies. They also clean all our cabins and cottages.

I spent Saturday and Sunday in the office mostly ringing up store sales, ice, and firewood.  Plus, I helped dip a whole lot of ice cream cones.  I’m still not very good at it but no one seems to notice. It was non stop action.  John picked up and hauled a whole lot of trash and helped lots of campers with minor issues and  repairs. 

John

There were a few glitches.  One girl had a severe sprain playing laser tag and an ambulance was called.  Another young man needed stitches after cutting his foot in the pool area.  There were a few electrical problems and our phone and computers went out for awhile. Oh, and the sewer backed up which required a back hoe.  I’m not sure the campers were aware of many of these challenges.  We just kept on smiling and then collapsed in our recliner chairs after getting back to the rig each evening. 

Running a big campground like this is a huge undertaking.  Until we worked for a campground we really thought owners only had to cut grass occasionally and collect fees.  Not!  There is much more involved with maintenance, crowd control, and problem solving then we ever were aware of prior to being workampers.  And, it takes a whole lot of cash outlay by the owners to keep everything  in good shape. 

Monday afternoon the campers were gone except for their trash.  Suddenly it was quiet again and sort of surreal. 

We are off today and decided to take it easy.  We tried a local restaurant for breakfast and  later we saw the fun movie– Men in Black 3.  It is hilarious. 

It’s going to be a very busy summer!