Campground ownership can be year-round work

When it comes to operating a campground, the key selling points, known as the three A's, are pretty well established.

Gloria Hunt, co-owner with her husband, Larry, of Hunt's Cedar River Campground, near Tipton - which she's owned with her husband for 18 years - said for an annual listing in “Trailer Life Directory.” “They come every year for an inspection and rate your camp on appearance, activities and amenities.”

Myron Lown, owner of Lazy Acres RV Park near Center Point, added that he works especially hard every year to find activities and amenities he hopes visiting families will enjoy.

“Keeping the activities fresh is a challenge,” Lown admitted. “We add different things every year that I build on my own.”

There's a stagecoach, a cart pulled by a tractor, and Lown now is working on a splash pad.

“We just want this to be a place where families can come and enjoy time together,” he said.

Lown built the RV park nine years ago after retiring from homebuilding. He and his wife, Esther, perceived a need for additional campground space in the area.

“All the public camping places seemed full. You'd have to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday in order to have a place for the weekend,” Lown recalled.

Love your work

Above and beyond the look of the camp and the activities available, a prerequisite to owning a campground, local owners noted, is loving to camp yourself.

Sandy Gingerich, owner of Sleepy Hollow Campground and RV Park near Oxford, spent some 30 years camping at the very site she now owns with her husband, Jim. While the Gingerichs have owned Sleepy Hollow for nine years, the campground itself has been in operation since the late 1960s.

“Soon after I-80 opened up, the campground was opened,” she said.

“It's close to our home, and it's always something we wanted to do. When this went up for sale, we though why not? And it's been a great venture.”

But it's a great venture that's also an incredible amount of work, she added.

“Remember, there are people in the park 24/7. The lawn mowing itself takes two people four days to complete,” she explained.

“And we have an in-ground pool to maintain and meet regulations. Plus there are miles of driveway to keep rock on. It's just an awful lot of work.”

“It's a 24-hour a day job when you are here,” Hunt agreed.

Some campers work for their site by mowing the grass or cleaning the bathrooms. But the Hunts are the sole employees at their campground.

“Our kids do come on holidays, our busiest times,” Gloria Hunt said.

The Lowns also run their site on their own - Myron Lown mows on Mondays, trims on Tuesdays, weeds on Wednesday and stays busy on Fridays preparing for a busy weekend ahead.

At Sleepy Hollow the summer busy season is so busy it requires Gingerich to bring on about eight part-time staffers.

“It took me five years to figure out you can't run this business by yourself,” she said.

One of those chores is being activity director, the person who plans and orchestrates themed weekends.

“We know if we keep the kids entertained and happy, then mom and dad are happy,” Gingerich said.

Filling up

“We have experienced growth every year that we've been here,” Gingerich added. “When we first took possession we would be full for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.

“Now we are full on those holidays two months prior and we are full on other weekends. We don't have to just rely on the revenue from the major holidays.”

Summer is no doubt the busy season for local campground owners. But people are often surprised to find they operate year-round.

While Hunt's Cedar River Campground is open April 15 to Oct. 15, Sleepy Hollow Campground and Lazy Acres RV Park are open year-round.

In fact, Gingerich said, “We have about 8 to 10 RVs that spend the winter here.”

Half the guests at Lazy Acres stay all year or all summer long, while the other half stay for just a night or two, Lown noted. And he sees some 80 percent of his business from advanced reservations.

“People have to plan further ahead for their vacations now,” Gingerich added. “But camping is seeing a renewal of interest as people are realizing the importance of family bonding.

“Camping is a wonderful way to do that.”