Strawberry Short Takes

2012 Cajun Zydeco Festival Performers

2011-11-17T12:14:00.003-05:00

Strawberry Park is excited to announce many of the performers for our 16th Annual Cajun/Zydeco Festival in Preston CT on June 7-10, 2012. While most of the artists have been confirmed, we are working on finalizing one more Zydeco headliner...and are looking for your input (see the poll). We are extemely excited about the bands already booked for 2012, as we have focused on the Cajun & Zydeco dance bands that our dancers request most. Currently, the 2012 performers will include...

Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys
Horace Trahan & The Ossun Express
The Pine Leaf Boys
Ryan Brunet & The Malfecteurs
Jesse Lege & Bayou Brew
Li'l Anne & Hot Cayenne
C'est Bon

In seeking one more Zydeco band from outside the Northeast, we have received numerous, numerous suggestions...and while there are many wonderfully worthy bands to consider, we have tried to narrow our survey down to a reasonable number of options. Once again, please note that the results of the poll are non-binding, but we are interested in your opinion. We are considering some bands who have appeared at Strawberry Park in the past, as well as some new faces. In addition, there are some Zydeco bands who are simply unavailable for 2012, but we look forward to their return in 2013 (such as Brian Jack). Therefore, we have offered the following options for the poll, with voting permitted until Sunday, November 20 at midnight.

Keith Frank (it has been a few years since Keith was here)
Jo Jo Reed (performed very well here in 2011)
Li'l Wayne & Same Ole 2 Step (also went over well in 2011)
Andre Thierry (currently located way out in California)
Lisa Haley (also would be coming in from the left coast)

Country Music Weekend 2011

2011-09-11T11:19:00.010-04:00

Thanks to all the performers, including Double Play, The Duncan Walters Band, Midnight Rodeo, Gary Leslie & Friends, Hard Luck Aces and The Coyote River Band, as well as dance instructor Steve Falk. Congrats to Bethany and Smitty, our karaoke King & Queen, and thanks to the lobsterfest crew for serving a large group in such a speedy manner. Hope everyone enjoyed the dinner!

Irene Photos

2011-08-28T13:35:00.012-04:00

Happy Birth Day to Trey

2011-06-11T17:01:00.007-04:00

A warm welcome to the 3rd son of Dave and Jen, as Trey Robert Nowakowski was born at 9:55am on June 11, weighing in at the 8 lb 5 oz class. Will post a few more photos later, and keep in mind that in some of these photos, the baby may not be fully clothed (and appears to be dancing to Zydeco music). The orange kid is one of the many devices used by the nurses to move the delivery along (thanks to Dr. Belcher and Heidi, Angela, Kara, the 2nd shift nurse from Canada whose name escapes me, and all the others at Backus Hospital for their hard work).

Family Fun Fest 2011 Photos

2011-05-24T13:39:00.010-04:00

Just a few photos from our FunFest Weekend. As I forgot my camera, most of the photos here will feature the same 2 little kids, as I am thankful for someone else taking some pictures. Thanks to Clown City for the face painters and balloonists, Ollie's Rock Wall and the Party People for the inflatables. Also, thanks to Animal Experience for the Sunday show.

Joey Dee & The Oldies Car Show

2011-05-15T09:33:00.006-04:00

Thanks to the Outriggers, Joey Dee & The Starliters and those who brought their cars out for the classic car show, including Jim S from the maintenance staff. Congrats to our Karaoke winners, with Gerry's "My Way" edging out Tricia's "Landslide" and Shawn's "Stand By Me".

Pierce Road Closed 5/15 Due to Utility Pole Down

2011-05-15T08:08:00.003-04:00

Pierce Rd (the road leading to the campground) is closed due to an accident involving a vehicle hitting a utility pole. The power flickered around 3AM, and will be off for about an hour once the replacement pole arrives this morning (may need the megaphone at Bingo). Campers can access the Park either by driving through the fields (from the volleyball courts to the front gate), or may use the back gate entrance/exit. If using the back gate, it brings you out onto RT 165 about 1/2 mile east of Pierce Rd (and is reached by driving past the dumpster area). If arriving, the back gate is NOT the first driveway after Pierce Rd (that is a private residence). The utility crews hope to have the area cleared by noon.

Easter Egg & Candy Hunt Photos

2011-04-25T10:25:00.016-04:00

Mother Nature cooperated on Sunday morning with warm temperatures and clear (but foggy) skies. The grass was quite wet with dew, but unlike 2010, there was not a temporary lake in the field from the record floods of last March. Our biggest Bingo crowd of the season was on Friday night, with good numbers on Sat & Sun as well. Check out our Facebook special, with "May Day Weekend" of April 29-May FREE when reserving Mother's Day Weekend as well.

No time machine

2010-12-22T09:51:00.002-05:00

Having a little trouble with the website, so the "old" version is appearing (party like it's 2009!!). Speaking of time, sad to hear of another great actor passing...Steve Landesberg of Barney Miller. He had so many great quotes, including passing a lie detector test by saying he was born long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Between him and the great Leslie Nielsen (makes one want to watch Airplane over and over), it has been a tough stretch for straight-faced comic actors. Just in case time passes quickly between now and Christmas, a Merry Merry wish to all our friends and campers!

Holiday Happenings

2010-12-16T08:58:00.002-05:00

With less than 10 days until Christmas, noticed that the new gas station/car wash is now open near exit 85 on RT 164. Surprised they did not utilize a "self serve" car wash design, which would have attracted many RVs. Although the Dunkin' Donuts sign is up, I don't think it is open yet. This will make 8 stores within 7 miles, if my count is correct...and will be the closest, just edging RT 2 near Foxwoods. The others are at the Mobil in Voluntown on RT 165/138, the one on RT 138 Griswold (back road short cut), the 2 across the street from each other at Lisbon exit 84N, the one in Walmart at 84S, and the one in Norwich, just before Seafood Etc. Although I don't drink coffee, I do enjoy the breakfast sandwiches. I may have mentioned earlier, but the new Panera Bread is open in the Walmart plaza, next to the pet store (Pet Co or Pet Smart or Pet Something). Speaking of pets, was happy to see that the dead skunk at the bottom of my driveway at home was removed after 3 weeks. Other road kill gets better treatment from scavengers, but notjing was taking this carcass. Did not intend to start such commotion on facebook (congrats Mr. Zuck on MOTY) by mentioning that the basketball nets had been clipped. Not a big deal, just odd. Even if you are not a hoops fan, be sure to watch the highlights from the Celtic's win over the Knicks, simply for the celebration by Nate Robinson, as he tries to jump on Paul Pierce, misses, and bounces his face off the floor of Madison Square Garden. Jen laughed until she cried, and started over every time they replayed the clip. Speaking of Boston fans, condolences to Marc G on the recent passing of his grandmother. Been a couple of years since mine passed away, but she would have been 98 yesterday. Stay warm, and maybe the Sunday storm will now miss us (Geoff Fox on channel 8 has been waffling lately).

Surviving the wind & rain

2010-12-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

Despite some heavy rains and nasty wind, looks like no major trees or branches came down at the campground. The warm temps mean that the crazy guy we saw ice fishing in Preston on Saturday is either back at home or at the bottom of Hallville Pond. I know it was cold last week, but I would think a few more chilly nights were needed for safe ice. As noted on the main web page last week, the haunted hill is not yet dismantled in the Rec Center, so there will not be a New Year's Eve Party. Sorry for the inconvenience. Congrats to the Pats for qualifying for the play-offs, and hope that Jets fans don't start leaping from bridges. Nice that the Giants have a neutral site game vs Vikings, but it won't be on TV around here. If you have not gotten your tree yet, there are a few fine places to cut your own out this way, including Maple Lane Farms and Oakwood Farms right here in Preston. Still waiting to hear if the Yanks will get Cliff Lee, or if the Rangers will snatch him up again, just like last year around the trade deadline. Congrats to the Sox on their pair of big-time free agent signings. Not quite sure whose line-up is more home-grown these days, and which team could be accused of trying to buy a ring. Hopefully, Tampa Bay can stay competitive in the division, and look out for those Orioles. Just a reminder that although January 2 is usually "opening day" for reservations, since reservations can be made a year in advance, the office will not be open on New Year's Weekend, but will re-open on Monday, January 3. If you are one of those folks who a traditionally in the parking lot at 6am on January 2, give a call to make your reservations so you can sleep in that day.

Back from the Road Trip

2010-11-22T09:25:00.002-05:00

Covered over 1300 miles and many states on our 6 day whirlwind tour of the mid-Atlantic region, and returned home with a few questions. First, I am not sure that the alligator snapping turtle on display at the National Zoo in DC is actually alive. Second, if you go to see the Holiday Lights display at Hershey, and there is still a big buck deer standing there on the left just after the entrance, maybe he was not real after all. Lastly, why would a stupid GPS device take you THROUGH New York City and all the tolls and traffic. The boys were excited to see 3 zoos (Bronx, National and the Zoo America at Hershey), with the best part being the overhead rope course for the orangutans in DC. Had a little trouble finding that zoo, which prompted Brock to say it looked like our house in the woods as we approached it. Did not realize how large Gettysburg actually was. Headed into the cave at Luray, VA, but the boys favorite day was the indoor water park in VA. Having not stayed in many hotels the last few years, would have to say that if I owned any stock in shower curtain rings, I would sell, since everyone has those 1-piece curtains with the built in loops. I guess all the mammals at the Smithsonian are actually works of taxidermy, but was not too sure when looking at them. The weather was fairly good all trip, with not much rain and a temp that always aeemed to be 53 degrees when we were driving anywhere. I did get a few odd stares from the Christmas folks at Hershey on opening night, since I was the only one there in shorts (seemed like parkas and mittens were all the rage, as it was in the mid-30s). Maybe next time we will try to pick one spot to stay at more than a single night, as the kids did get a little confused sleeping in a different hotel every night...but they were quite good in the car. If it was not nap time, the portable DVD player was well worth bringing along. Good to be back home in CT, with a full house expected for Thanksgiving (an early thanks to Jen's dad for helping replace our broken dishwasher, as I was not looking forward to doing dishes for 19 by hand on Thursday, as there are actually some interesting football games on tap). Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday!!

To know, or not to know...that is the question

2010-11-10T08:49:00.003-05:00

When Jen and I attended our first round of pre-natal classes, we were amazed at the vast majority of expecting parents who knew the gender of the impending child. In fact, we may have been the only ones in the group who were waiting for the surprise. Granted, it was a small sample, but it does seem that most folks find out early. We took the same approach for Reed, and it also brought a little extra joy to the nurses in the delivery room, as they don't get the chance to be surprised as much as they used to. In terms of probability, you hear many different interpretations of data for what is pretty much a 50/50 coin flip. In cases such as ours, with 2 boys already, some believe that the odds of having a third boy greatly exceed the chances of a girl, but science and data do not support this theory, with only a slightly greater chance of the 3rd child being of the same gender as the first two. Excluding any "old wive's tales" (such as those featured on "How I Met Your Mother" a couple of weeks ago, with pickled herring and lemons), there may be some correlation to temperatures (sounds like how the sex of alligator eggs are determined). Back to the original question, which is...does it make sense to know the gender in advance? With 2 boys, there would be very little needed in terms of clothes and toys and anything gender-specific. A little girl, however, would need stuff that we just don't have...but she would not need any of that for quite some time, since we have plenty of gender-neutral infant clothing (and I have been outvoted on yellow being a "girl" color, with most thinking it is neutral). The plan right now is to remain surprised. I think it is a good test of willpower, as well as preventing the worst-case scenario of having an ultra-sound misread, and delivering the opposite of what was expected (sounds somewhat traumatic to be expecting a boy, and have a girl pop out, but even more likely to cause some confidence issues down the road if the opposite happened, since in the first example a "leg" could have been misread, but what do you tell a little Johnny about not being able to see "it" with a high-powered microscope?). While it is unlikely that Brock will need to share his birthday, it is possible, since we have a due date of June 13 (timed it right after the music festivals). Both boys have been about a week early, so we expect the same this time--although maybe girls prefer to be fashionably late, to better prepare them for adolescence. While we usually try to get away for a week in March, not sure how up for travel Jen will be at that time, so maybe we will try to do a short trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas, visiting some zoos within a day's drive. So the new poll question is posted...if you have 2 kids of the same gender, would you find out ahead of time? Just curious.

Guest Editorial Published Regarding School Calendar

2010-11-04T09:39:00.002-04:00

The region's school have been discussing a "unified calendar" for upcoming years, and for an area that is so tourism-based, it is troubling that so many are starting before Labor Day. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Norwich Bulletin, but was told that it was too lengthy (imagine my surprise--I guess more than doubling their 200 word limit was not going to fly). Figured it was worth asking that it be printed as a special editorial, and they were kind enough to do so. If you would care to read it, it can be found at www.norwichbulletin.com, where you can search "school calendar" or "Strawberry Park" or "David Nowakowski".

Halloween Wknd #4 Costume Photos

2010-11-01T08:38:00.025-04:00

So many great costumes once again. Site winners were announced on Saturday night, with weekend winners announced (site 434--Dugan, site 322--Lepage and site 107--Bull) and long term winners also crowned (Wonka 110, Dunkin' 14 and Scary Tent 328B were the top 3, with honorable mentions for site 119D and site 289). Just a reminder that we expect the water to remain on at least through this upcoming weekend (despite the chilly temps these next few nights), and maybe even for Veteran's Day Weekend...but the last day for pump-outs will be Monday, Nov 8.

Congrats to all the pumpkin, costume and site winners, and thanks to all for participating!!

Halloween #3 Costumes & Pumpkins

2010-10-25T09:20:00.028-04:00

Great job at the costume parade, with some wonderful multi-age groups. Congrats to our site deco winners, with 1st prize in the weekend division awarded to site 277, while 429 was 2nd and 59 was 3rd. The "long term" site battle will probably come down to "Dunkin' Donuts" vs "Willy Wonka", both of whom did a terrific job (see blog poll). Also, have posted a missing photo from HW #2 (the Empire State Building costume, which had been a winner, was left off last weekend). Pumpkin winners included Dunkin', Humpty Dumpty (also a costume winner), Pac man & Snow Man, with more pumpkin entrants than ever before.

Halloween #2 Photos

2010-10-18T12:16:00.034-04:00

See some notes at the bottom of the photos...

Congrats to the Costume Winners, the Site Decorating Winners (1st Place Site 280--Sponge Bob Bikini Bottom, 2nd Place Site 277 Rock n Roll, 3rd Place Site 134 Pirates), where there were some nicely decorated sites that did not get honorable mentions who would have placed in the top 3 on HW #1, and the Pumpkin Winners. Special thanks to the teen costumes--sometimes lacking, they were strong this week (albeit lacking some clothing). Still a couple of sites left for HW #3, and decent availability for HW 4 (Oct 29-31).

Columbus Day Bocce & Potluck

2010-10-11T13:15:00.005-04:00

What a wonderful Columbus Day Weekend. Had 44 teams for Bocce...congrats to a couple of horseshoe players who teamed up to win (Gene M & Tom B--not pictured, since Tim A picked up his trophy for him and still somehow managed to get in a photo of trophy winners), and special note to 8 year old Molly who teamed with her mom to place 4th. Our Potluck cooking winner was Danielle H. Thanks to Jen for making the baskets for the winners, and there were about 20 families who took part in the potluck dinner. Nice weather, good Bingo crowds and fun for all.

Halloween Weekend #1--Gotta love Buddy the Elf

2010-10-04T08:46:00.024-04:00

For a better view, click on a photo.

Many great costumes at both the kid's contest and the multi-age groups. Congrats to the site deco winners, with 322 winning 1st, 64W 2nd and 421A taking 3rd. A few pumpkin contest photos as well.

Congrats to Championship Weekend Winners

2010-09-20T09:02:00.003-04:00

Numerous medals and trophies were earned on Championship Weekend. The Greased Pole Climb kicked things off on Friday, and one of the twins took first (sorry Mary and Erin, I can't remember who won--although the other twin won "Simon Says"). Just a few swimmers ventured in for the races, as the water temp has dropped a little. AJ S. won the Disc Golf Trophy with a 22, and the Washer Toss was won by Ryan and Matt V. The Egg Toss (see photo) was won by Art and his daughter, while Art ended up being the only double trophy winner, as he teamed with Jen N to win horseshoes on Sunday. Rob & Gene were 2nd, so it appears lucky for Rob that Moms are not entered in the Father's Day Tourney, as Jen would have bumped him out of the top 3 and a trophy back in June. Looks like a nice forecast for the upcoming Bingo Bonanza, with each weekend rez receiving a complimentary ticket for the big $2500 raffle on Sunday (an additional $1000 in prizes as well). Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased in the office or at Bingo until about 11:30AM Sunday, as the drawing will be at noon. Sunday will also be the progressive jackpot--$1100 prize.

Labor Day Mud Wrestling Photos

2010-09-06T12:37:00.025-04:00

Quite a few interesting matches, but am always amazed at how many people don't read the permission form or activity schedule where it reads in big letters (and often highlighted or even italics) that your best chance for a match is to list you, a partner and 2 opponents. When there are 17 groups that do that, the other 50 random individuals etc have little chance of filling in spots. Hope you enjoy the photos--thanks to Jen D on the Rec Staff for taking the shots. You can click an image to make it larger for more detail. Hope we have enough players for our annual "Staff vs Seasonal Softball Challenge" today.

Photos of Hurricane Earl's Impact

2010-09-04T09:45:00.004-04:00

At its peak, maximum sustained winds were reported to be 4 MPH, with gusts in excess of 11 MPH, making Hurricane Earl just below devastating levels on the Saiffir-Simpson Scale. Locally, 4 sites were reported to be without power during the storm, but it was later discovered that those were the tent sites with no hook-ups. The storm surge was slightly less than anticipated, and combined with the astronomical high tide and rain that fell at a rate of almost 0.25 inches an hour for a period of 10 minutes, there were some puddles that the Army National Guard deemed unsafe to cross with standard Matchbox or Hot Wheel type vehicles (passing was possible with tanks, as shown). In addition, there appeared to be 2 leaves that fell from the tree near the playground, one of which is pictured. If you look closely at the full tree, you may be able to tell from where it fell. Hopefully, this will have minimal impact on the fall foliage.

Great week of weather

2010-08-30T12:14:00.002-04:00

Just in time for many kids to return to school, the weather is perfect. Long term forecast looks pretty good, with maybe a chance of showers late in the weekend and a slight chance of hurricane Friday morning. Special thanks to those campers who stopped by to enjoy some picnic fare and donate on Sunday. Still events and activities this week, just a slightly modified schedule.

Back to School Sale Weekend is here

2010-08-27T11:57:00.003-04:00

Could not ask for better weather than is forecast for the next 7 days or so, including sunshine and warm temps all weekend. Still a few sites open, as some schools started last week, most in this area start next Mon/Tue, while a few still hold out for after Labor Day. Next week will still feature daily events and activities, but please note that at the discounted rate, the office will close 8:30pm Sun-Thurs. Do want to take a moment to thank many local businesses for donating items for the fund-raiser picnic on Sunday (see prior blog), noting US Foods, Frito Lay, Coca Cola and Lopresti Farms. We really have no idea if there will be 10 people or 200. Happy to see that Danielle is heading out to see. Brock will be excited to hear about Fiona, as he is a big Shrek fan. It is the storm in between that will cause some worry (Earl), as the early tracking does not take it quite as far east as Danielle. The guesses have begun as to when we will get the first call from a Labor Day Weekend reservation stating "We can't come--haven't you heard there's going to be a hurricane?". Don't worry...if that were ever to be the case, we would encourage waiting to the last minute to see the track, and if an actual hurricane warning, hurricane watch or tropical storm warning were to be issued for our area (or your hometown), we would allow a cancel with a future camping credit issued. Since Johnny Damon declined the invite to Boston, I believe that a trio of former Sox will pull a "Lebron" and attempt to form their own team (joined by waiver wire Manny and pseudo-retired Pedro), basing their squad in the the tropics and going by "The Island of Misfit Toys". Maybe a few of the other former self-proclaimed idiots would join them. Almost torn as to rooting for or against Sox as they play the Rays this weekend. With all the theories regarding Tiger's success after the divorce was finalized, I think he intentionally bagged these last few months to appear human. He could have won, but then everyone would have thought he had no feelings. Just a thought. And remember, this weekend features our "Back to School Sale" at the store and grill--get 10% off when you mention "Back to School Sale" before presenting your payment.

Benefit Picnic August 29

2010-08-17T10:51:00.003-04:00

David & Jen (Site 198) will be hosting a fundraiser benefit picnic on August 29 for David's sister Lisa, whose house in Milford CT was destroyed by a fire on June 22. Although there were no injuries, the house was a total loss, and a pair of dogs were unable to escape. Lisa and Jen shared the house with the house owners, so while the eventual rebuild will be covered by the homeowner's insurance, a lack of renter's insurance means that all items such as clothing were not covered. They have since found a place to stay not too far from the original house, but have been trying to furnish the home, as well as rebuilding a wardrobe. The WFSB Channel 3 newslink is attached here. http://www.wfsb.com/news24005297/detail.html . We will be hosting a picnic on Sunday, August 29 at our site during the afternoon hours. Jen is in charge of the details, but I think the plan is to suggest a donation of $10 for a classic burger. I will try to get more info posted soon. Thanks to those who have already made a donation, as they will not be present for the picnic, which will run from 3pm-6pm. Looks like great weather for the long-term forecast!!

Great weekend of music & more

2010-07-30T15:01:00.002-04:00

Nice night for a bonfire on Thursday, with the duo of Wilson/Kane. Particularly enjoyed their Van Morrison & Jim Croce selections. They will be back next Sunday evening poolside. This weekend at the pool features the band "Yesterday" on Saturday from 11:30-1:30, and "The Outriggers" return on Sunday evening. After a 2009 which saw a total of zero 90 degree days in July, looks like 2010 will wrap up July with half the days having hit 90, which is quite amazing. Enjoying a little cooler and drier air these days. Should be a pretty large Bingo crowd this weekend, as the Park is full.

Holiday Mud Wrestling Photos

2010-07-05T16:18:00.010-04:00

Just a few pix from the mud on Sunday...thanks to Katina for taking some photos from the wagon.

Egg Toss Champs--a pair of young ladies

2010-07-04T12:43:00.003-04:00

Had our holiday egg toss, and it was won by a pair of young ladies...which is not all that common. The egg toss also featured the all-time greatest catch, as a kid fell down and still managed a one-handed grab--very impressive (maybe someone will put that catch on You Tube). Just a reminder that there are 2 Bingos on Monday--11am and 7pm. Will try to post some mud wrestling photos tonight or Monday morning.

Full Summer Activity Schedule in Place

2010-06-25T14:21:00.002-04:00

Looks like a nice weekend of weather--hope none of our camper friends in the Bridgeport area were hit too hard by the storm on Thursday, which broke down as it approached Preston (as it almost always does, with the Strawberry Bubble working well. Various news tidbits this week regarding campers current and past. Longtime seasonal/caretaker Tom Campbell (formerly of site 185) passed away at the age of 78. Their son Bill met his wife Lisa here many years ago (her parents were seasonals for many years--AJ from horseshoes and his wife Audrey), so much of their family had spent many years at Strawberry Park. Received word today that the mother of Joan Shaffner (owners on site 239) passed away. In addition, David's sister Lisa was left homeless after a fire in Milford destroyed the house on Tuesday night--you may have seen it on the news, as they are still looking for 2 dogs and 2 cats, but no people were injured. Getting ready for our first Friday night gymnastics, with greased pole and Bingo to follow. Music this weekend includes a duo at the pool Sat (Wilson/Kane 11:30-1:45) and Sunday night with "Unusual Suspects".

Congrats to Horseshoe Champ Tom & Berry Pageant Ladies!

2010-06-21T13:25:00.007-04:00

Had a great Father's Day Weekend, with 51 competitors in the horseshoe tourney on Sat, with Tom B winning, Jack taking 2nd and Rob Z (yes, THAT Rob Z) placing third. Also had over 20 young ladies join us on stage for our Little Miss Strawberry, and no one left crying and screaming, so I think they all had fun. The band "Yesterday" played on Father's Day at the pool despite a little rain, and we look forward to their return in July & Aug. Daily events have begun, but the later school calendar means that the crowds during the early part of this week are a little smaller, with many schools having "flood days" tacked on this week from those monsoons we had back in the spring. A wonderful first day of summer, so join us this week!

School Picnics between Festivals

2010-06-07T14:04:00.002-04:00

Typically the craziest weeks of the year are those around the music festivals, with just a couple of days between Memorial Day and Bluegrass, and now the preparation for Cajun/Zydeco. Thank goodness Jen is so efficient at planning and organizing Brock's birthday party, which went very nicely on Sunday (he is 3 now). The photo shown here is of Cameron Ella Stewart, born April 23 to Nicole & Jay Stewart, proud grandparents Louise & Bob Poulin of site 120A. Congrats!!

Carnival Weekend Photos

2010-05-24T10:11:00.012-04:00

Turned out to be a perfect weather weekend for our Carnival Games and events...not too hot, no rain and a nice little breeze. Enjoyed having the mobile petting zoo, as well as some old favorites (the face painting, balloon animals, rock wall, waterslide and more).

Carnival Weekend Coming Up!!

2010-05-17T11:24:00.002-04:00

This upcoming weekend features our annual Carnival Weekend, with our 1st bonfire, Steve Wronker's hypnosis show, inflatables from The Party People, Mr. Magic, balloonists & face painters from Clown City, tattoos, a petting zoo, ceramics, "Noah's Ark" stuffed animals, Candy Bingo and more. Along with the music fests, Saturday of Carnival Weekend is one of the few days where "rain-free" weather is rather important. Hope everyone who stuck around Sunday afternoon enjoyed the old-fashioned cook-out and tie-dye, as we did scurry out pretty quickly after the Annual Unit Owners' Meeting to catch Curious George Live On Stage over at the University of Rhode Island. Not too bad, but probably not worth $20 for a 1 year old who was happiest just to be eating popcorn.

Oldies Weekend Photos

2010-05-16T09:11:00.010-04:00

Just taking a moment to post some pix from Oldies Weekend, with the Classic Car Show, the Karaoke Contest (congrats to finalists Tricia & Scott and champion Rebecca C), the Outriggers and Joey Dee. Looks like another beautiful day at Strawberry Park...a reminder that the annual owner's meeting is today 1PM.

Congratulations to the Raffle Winners!

2010-05-10T08:44:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day featured a windy, chilly Bingo with about 180 players, as well as the big raffle drawing. Each weekend reservation and spring special received a ticket, and additional tickets were available for purchase. The SIDS Network (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, one of our Bingo sponsors) ran the raffle, and the big $1500 winner was Ed Nadeau of Wolcott, CT. Additional winners were Ed Brasche ($400), Jen Desjardins ($300), The Woolf Family ($200) and Cheri Woodruff ($100). The Woodruffs were also lucky at Bingo this weekend, with one daughter winning the big jackpot on Saturday (over $400), and the other 2 completely dominating our Kid's Cany Bingo on Sunday (3 straight wins to start the day, and 6 or 7 wins overall, including the candy jackpot). Nearly 300 campers enjoyed a special Mother's Day breakfast, with over 1000 eggs being served. Congrats to our first greased pole climb champion of 2010 (pictured). Hope you are able to join us for our upcoming Oldies Weekend, featuring Joey Dee and also the Outriggers.

Mother's Day Weekend on the way

2010-05-05T08:09:00.002-04:00

This upcoming weekend features our Bingo Bonanza on Mother's Day, with a $2500 raffle on Sunday (grand prize $1500, with additional prizes of $400, $300, $200 and $100). Also, free breakfast buffet for mom on Sunday morning. Some nice weather on this Wednesday, which also happens to be Mary T's birthday.

Photos of the Disc Golf Tourney

2010-05-03T12:34:00.002-04:00

Nice turn-out for the charity fundraiser on Sunday, with more than 1/2 of the teams made up of Strawberry Park campers. Congrats to the winners--Ricky P had the lead with 24, but was knocked out of the title by Dan with a 22. AJ was the winner of the "closest to the pin" contest on hole #3 with a 6' distance. Looks like Madonna Place raised about $1500 through sign-ups and hole sponsors. Could have utilized some of their community services last night, but that is a different story. Additional photos courtesy of Khoi at the Norwich Bulletin can be viewed at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/, as well as the full article. They quoted Rick K and AJ...guess they were unable to make any sense out of what Tim said. Fun time had by all, and even some sunburns. We have begun to welcome some of our Florida snowbirds back to the campground, and Bud and Mary brought rain...but it was somewhat needed, and fell after the beautiful weekend (and perhaps warmed the pool a degree or two).

Summer is here...at least for the weekend

2010-05-01T10:42:00.002-04:00

At least a few kids believe that Mayday is the start of summer. Water temp is in the low 50's, but that is not stopping them from swimming. The adults in the hot tub are enjoying the 102 degrees. Just a heads up to all long term campers that the annual packet has been mailed, with owner guest passes, site improvement regs, the welcome letter, the golf cart rules...and for the unit owners, the notice of meeting(s) on May 16 for the annual meeting and budget meeting, as well as the budget info. Still not too late to sign up for the disc golf charity event on Sunday, May 2. If you see Elaine at the reservation desk and want to get her to turn a little red, do what a young couple did this morning...asking if they could rent a trailer for a few hours. That was a first.

Disc Golf Tourney May 2

2010-04-23T17:41:00.002-04:00

A local bank (Chelsea Groton) is among the sponsors of a disc golf tourney that will take place on Sunday, May 2. It is a charitable event, with proceeds benefitting Madonna Place in Norwich. The entry fee is $40 for a team of 4, and anyone interested should call 860-886-6600. Looks like the first wave of tee times (1pm) may be full, but still openings for 2pm or perhaps 3pm. More info at http://www.madonnaplace.org/ I think there may be food involved (in case Rich was on the fence about heading north this early, there should be plenty of ketchup). Should be fun, and supports a good cause, so spread the word to our disc golf players (no knuckleheads please).

Spring Spruce Up Egg Toss Champs

2010-04-11T11:08:00.002-04:00

Despite a damp Friday (which lingered much longer than was predicted), and a chilly start to the day on Saturday, we had a nice Spruce Up Weekend at Strawberry Park. Many campers participated in the clean-up, although most leaf work has already been completed. Our Bingo crowd was just over 100 players for our final Saturday night Bingo, as next weekend features our first dance on Saturday night (and Bingo Fri 8:30, Sat 2PM and Sun at 11am). The horse trails have started to dry out, and we hope to be out on the trails next weekend. Congrats to our Egg Toss Champs, who appear to have been dressed in color-coordinated uniforms.

Congrats to Charlie King Jr on his recent wedding

2010-04-10T14:44:00.002-04:00

On February 10 way out in Hawaii, Charlie King Jr (Site 211, son of Charlie & Elsie) got married to Kellee with a destination wedding on Po'olenalena Beach. They will be having a more local reception in early May. For those of you who know Mrs. King, she has been having some serious medical issues with her legs, and is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment in Cambridge, MA. If you wish to drop her a note, the address is Spaulding Cambridge Hospital, Room 225, 1575 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02138. Those of us here at Strawberry Park hope to see her back at Bingo soon, and congrats to the newlyweds. Speaking of Bingo, still unsure if tonight will be outside or upstairs in the Rec Center, for although it may get chilly, we may have too many players to move inside tonight.

Record heat prompts fire warning

2010-04-08T10:16:00.002-04:00

Despite the 9 inches of rain last week that is still being pumped out of so many basements in this region, the recent record high temperatures and low humidity have caused a brush fire warning to be issued. Perhaps the showers expected tonight will eliminate the risk. Another gorgeous day in Preston. Yesterday was better than most beach days in July (as long as you did not want to go in the water). Looks like the grass may need cutting earlier than the usual May 1 date this year, and saw some folks out mowing their yards yesterday. Funny to hear the baseball announcers say that they did not have any 85 degree days at spring training, and yet it was 85 at game time (7pm) in Boston on April 7. In case you missed it, sports update...Yanks take 2 of 3 from BoSox and UConn women survive a 12 point half to beat Stanford. Looking like a decent weekend, with temps in the 50's (might need to go upstairs for Bingo Sat night if down in the 30's). Plenty of campers coming out for the Spring Spruce Up Weekend, which is usually the first weekend in April (except when that is Easter).

Easter Egg Hunt Photos

2010-04-04T20:59:00.003-04:00

We had about 100 kids join us at 8:15 Sunday morning for the annual Easter Egg & Candy Hunt. It took just over 15 minutes for about 95% of the 500 eggs and 2000 pieces of candy to be found. The grass was quite damp from the morning dew, and a few brave souls ventured into the new "pond" in the field to retrieve some errant eggs mis-placed by the bunny. Special thanks to Mrs. Easter Bunny for helping stuff all those eggs with candy, as well as Lexi, the Easter Bunny's grand-niece twice removed on her mother's side. Temps were wonderful, and it ended up being a pretty warm day. With over 100 players at Bingo on Saturday night, and a nice egg toss crowd, it was about as good an early April weekend as you could have. Next weekend is our Spring Spruce Up (usually the first weekend in April, except when that happens to be Easter), and if you have not yet stopped in to see Kelly and Katrina and the staff at the Strawberry Grill, be sure to say hello.

Nice to be high & dry

2010-04-01T11:02:00.002-04:00

Despite some schools being closed for the 3rd day in a row due to flooding, Strawberry Park is lucky to be situated at one of the highest points in all of New London County. While conditions were very wet on Tuesday, things have dried out incredibly well. The only place where standing water is an issue is in the field across from our entrance. Things are not as good for those in Stonington, and even just up the road in Griswold, as communities who are located near rivers that are fed from many smaller streams are still raging and flooding. The forecast looks great, and we are anticipating a nice crowd of campers joining us for this Easter Weekend.

Record Rainfall...brighter days on the way

2010-03-30T12:55:00.006-04:00

It is quite rare to have school closings due to flooding, but that is the case around here today. Roads flooded and closed, numerous mandatory evacs of some low-lying areas and a whole lot of water with no place to go. Looking forward to Mr. Sunshine coming out and drying up some of this moisture, since all the itsy-bitsy spiders are struggling to make it up any spouts today. Have included a few photos from out and about, taken during a lull in the storm (perhaps just the eye of the hurricane, if you are a pessimist). Don't ever recall the gully overflowing the road near the Timber Trail restroom, and the ballfield might be unplayable today. Good thing that the Easter Bunny is friends with the Easter Beaver and Easter Bass, as they might help hide the candy and eggs in the lake. As we do have a few owners in the process of selling sites on consignment, now is the best time, since rarely can sites at Strawberry Park be described as waterfront. We do feel fortunate that the tree crew was here all of last week taking down any nuisance trees, as there are plenty of saturated trees that have fallen in the region.

New Pull-Thru Rentals

2010-03-29T09:16:00.005-04:00

When taking reservations, we are frequently asked about pull-thrus, as they are much more convenient for the average driver of a big motorhome or fifth wheel. However, we are rarely asked about pull-thrus for rentals, and while our Strawberry Grill and Creamery does not yet offer a drive-through window, apparently some campers think anything can be considered a drive-thru. Not quite knowing whether to laugh or cry, here are some photos of one of our new log cabin rentals. Fortunately, no one was inside the cabin, and the teenage driver and his teenage passenger were not injured in this accident that happened on dry roads in daylight hours with no other traffic. I guess if you are going to hit something, you may as well demolish the most expensive rental in the campground. Hoping that the insurance companies act quickly, as repairing a cabin does not seem too easy from my perspective...but I doubt they will look to total a $60,000 RV. A special thanks to our long-term campers who informed us of this incident on Sunday afternoon (not that the culprits could have gotten away if they wanted to, as it took a tow truck to extricate the vehicle from the bedroom).

Half Life of Man vs Carbon 14

2010-03-25T16:02:00.003-04:00

Philosophy rules the day as birthdays are observed, and sharing with Aretha Franklin and Elton John has always made me feel much more musical than I actually am. While carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years, mortals tend to have slightly shorter life expectancies. As Woody Allen once mused, I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying. With that said, I have recently been pondering what would be the minimum age I would accept as a guaranteed check-out? Knowing that the average US male expectancy is about 75, and tossing in the fact that I have already reached 45 and have avoided the usual knock-out punches that hit those younger than me, I would have to extrapolate that my average would be about 80 (sounds complicated and contradictory, but think about it and it is true...if I were 80, the average for those reaching 80 would be more like 89). I have decided I would accept 83 if it were offered. That means no chance at all of perishing sooner, either by accident, disease, nuclear attack, sharks or anything else. The only exception would be recklessly suicidal actions--you can't just keep stepping in front of trains and expect to survive, so no matter what the contract says, there need to be exclusions and clauses. 83 would give me a few good retirement years, a great chance at seeing some grandchildren, a realistic chance at shooting my age for 18 holes, and would even allow my lovely wife a chance to remarry if she were to find some old geezer, as she would still be young and hot by nursing home standards. Of course, there would need to be some assurances of no catastrophic illness or injury, as I don't want to reach 83 in a vegetative state from 75 on. I would guess that the age you would accept might depend on factors such as your current age (a reckless 19 year-old might agree to 62), your state of health (if you are already on the downslope, you might accept a low offer) and your family history (if your ancestors all reached 90, you might hold out for a similar bid...but if mom, dad and the grandfolks all checked out early, 72 might seem ancient). So there you have it, your topic for discussion at the dinner table. With politics, sex and religion off-limit, why not focus on dying? Since it is also Mary's birthday, I will have to ask her what offer she'd take (women live longer, so I'd guess 86). Again, I'm not saying I would be happy to die at 83, since I do believe that 45 is really my half-life, but if I could have absolute assurance that nothing could happen to me before 83, I'd take the deal, Howie. Think of the money you would save on life insurance premiums.

Hope everyone enjoyed summer in March

2010-03-22T13:56:00.002-04:00

How often does the vernal equinox fall on a Saturday when record temperatures are being set? Probably not too common, but sure was enjoyable. I am sure we have all been spoiled, and anything remotely chilly or wet will be despised over the next couple of month. Numerous campers were out and about this weekend as they prepared for the start of the season. Glenn has been working on the water lines, and although we don't usually have all sites live until April 1, he is fairly optimistic that sites will have water for this coming weekend (March 26-28), but no 100% assurances, as turning the system on sometimes shows a few underground breaks from winter frost heaving. The leaf clean up progress continues, and the only negative to this early spring weather might be that the grass thinks it should start growing sooner than normal. We typically have the first mowing around May 1, and if the grass is a month ahead of schedule, it may not get a little longer than expected before the first cut. Guessing that I am not the only one whose NCAA bracket was busted early (I had Villanova winning it all). Still made for some exciting upsets over the weekend. Lastly, while I am not a fan of reality TV or even many game shows, must admit to enjoying the Win it in a Minute...and may look to incorporate some of those games with our campers. Could be interesting.

2006 Chariot Eagle Park Model for Sale

2010-03-16T13:58:00.002-04:00

Have just posted on Facebook and on the Strawberry Park home page, but there is a 2006 Chariot Eagle Park Model located on site 421 that is now "bank-owned", and they would much rather sell it at a loss than to worry about having to move the deck, tow it out and sell it at auction. It does not have a loft, but has a rear bedroom with dual door access to bathroom, and the front has a divider for the sofa-bed area. The carpet needs replacing. The former owners were asking in the 30's, but at this point, I think the bank would accept something in the $19,000 range. Best part is that the seasonal site already has a great deck, and the whole thing is fully skirted. Nice private site, with great view, sitting up on the hill. Give a call if interested, as the bank is making removal plans.

Happy Selection Sunday & Pi Day

2010-03-15T12:34:00.002-04:00

NCAA selection Sunday is usually one of the top 10 days of the year, but with so little New England flavor this year (only Vermont is in), it just was not the same. Luckily, it coincided with Pi Day (3.14), which makes things better. We did our part by having some Boston Creme Pie, and between us, we had 3.141592653 pieces. Jen helped me post some photos of the FLA trip on my Facebook page (when I say she helped, that means she did everything). Figured there was room for one photo on the blog. Looks like quite a few schools down at the western end of CT were canceled today due to power outs and trees down. We got buckets of rain, but not as much wind damage at this end of the state. With such a variation in "snow days" from region to region, we need to decide quite soon whether or not to have sports camps on the first week of summer (June 21-June 25), as many towns are now scheduled to be in school for some of that week. Hoping that all snow days are now done, as many schools are finalizing their year-end picnics and field days.

Take the Weather With You

2010-03-12T12:14:00.003-05:00

While it is a Jimmy Buffett line, it could sure be applied to our recent return home from visiting friends down in FLA. Looks like we left just in time, as the Weather Channel voted Orlando as the "worst weather of the day" yesterday...and it did not make me feel any better hearing that a different flight was being delayed due to a lightning hit. Travel note: unlike the airport in RI, where you can get checked in, through security and grab a bite to eat before your flight in a total of about 40 minutes, apparently 90 minutes is not enough to do the same in Orlando, as we found out when we were standing barefoot in the x-ray line as our scheduled flight departed above us. Luckily, there was room on another plane just 2 hours later...and our luggage made it home on our original flight and was waiting for us at the airport. Other than the long lines, the fine folks at Southwest Airlines were great in getting us on another flight. Many thanks to those we were able to visit, including the Marinos in Ellenton, Bud & Mary in Naples and The Webbs in Vero Beach. Also enjoyed visiting some alligators in the Everglades, the shows at Sea World and Mickey and friends at Disney. Sure glad that Jen did the driving with the big mini-van. Brock and Reed had a wonderful time, and I am sure I will be able to find a photo or two worthy of sharing. Nice to be home, and am trying to get caught up with voice mails and emails, so if you have left a message in the last 8 days, I will hopefully get back to you very soon. Long list of little projects in preparation for opening weekend, so let's hope the spring weather is just around the corner.

Monday Morning Wedding at Strawberry Park

2010-03-01T11:19:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the couple who just got married a few minutes ago here at site 64W. The rain/snow held off for them, and I guess they will spend a couple of days here. We have had some spring, summer and fall weddings here...but this may be the first winter ceremony. Speaking of winter, the Friday snow caused the CT wrestling State Open to get moved to Sat/Sun, so a long weekend of announcing and helping out down in New Haven is finally over. Good luck to our CT qualifiers at next weekend's New England Tourney (also in New Haven). Will be the first one I have missed in about 20 years, as we are heading down to FLA early Tuesday morning. Not sure of the exact agenda, but will visit some camper friends along the way, catch some spring training baseball and maybe see a gator in the Everglades before heading north to Orlando for a quick stop at Disney and Sea World. Brock seems excited to fly, but we will see if Reed takes after mom (good flyer) or dad (often green in the gills flyer). No camping shows this weekend, but Foxboro MA next weekend, then wrapping things up in Worcester the following weekend...and then it will be April. Have a great week out there in camperland...if we run across a computer, perhaps I will update our travels.

What a crazy winter storm

2010-02-26T09:15:00.003-05:00

I admit to being a bit of a weather fanatic. Not quite to the levels of Jim Cantore or Sean Drapeau, but more than most. This probably comes from the fact that it impacts so much of what we try to do here at the campground during the season. But even at this time of the year, I am intrigued by some of the strange weather. This particular storm is of greater interest than many as I am part of the group that runs the Wrestling State Championship Meet scheduled for Fri & Sat in New Haven...and need to decide by 10am if it will be postponed until Sat & Sun. Yesterday's rain/snow line was the craziest thing ever, running a few hundered miles straight north/south along the NY border, since most of the time these things are split based on latitude, not longitude (looking forward to next week's changes in lattitudes, changes in attitudes...and Jimmy Buffett will be in MA in June, but I digress). Today's radar looks more like a hurricane than a winter storm. With last night's temps alomost hitting 50, and all the flooding rains, it has taken some time for the current precip to start sticking to the roads as snow here at Strawberry Park, so we have very little accumulation so far. Olympic commentary: Very tough DQ call on the short track relay. I would have ruled otherwise. Have abandoned curling (for the most part) since the caliper lady has not been seen in quite some time. Although I don't watch figure skating, must feel for the Canadian whose mom passed and then gutted it out for the bronze. Since when did the US get good at Nordic XC stuff? Still not sure if that aerial ski flying thing should be an event, but I guess it is no more dangerous than going 90 miles an hour on Rosebud. Have a great weekend everyone...will try to make one more post on Monday before the trip (and I think someone is having a wedding here on Monday morning, so perhaps we can post some pix...still a little fuzzy on those details).

Rhode Island RV & Camping Show

2010-02-23T12:11:00.002-05:00

This coming weekend features the RI RV Show in Providence on Fri, Sat & Sun. Hopefully the weather will cooperate--looks like the weekend will be OK, but Thur/Fri could be a little messy. Speaking of RI, was driving up RT 2 toward Hartford for the state wrestling tourney, and was behind a car in the left lane with RI plates. Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of fine folks from little Rhody (including my lovely wife), but all I could think about was designing a bumper sticker for my front bumper, printed in reverse like "ECNALUMBA" that reads "Move over...you're not in RI anymore...the left lane is for PASSING". I know, I am making a generalization, but it is a fairly accurate one. Probably wouldn't work, since I don't think they use their rear-view mirrors. Just so you can plan ahead for blog withdrawal, there probably won't be many (any?) posts next week as we are heading down to FLA to visit some of our Strawberry Park camper friends and take the boys to a spring training game, a day at Sea World, maybe see Mickey & Donald and perhaps on one of those swamp boats in the Everglades. I'm thinking we might be trying to fit too much into our stay, but when your primary job is creating a busy, daily activity schedule...sometimes you try to do a little too much with some time off. Going to try and send out our first batch email either today or Wednesday. If all works well, I'll add the sign up form to the main webpage. For now, there were a few folks who signed up from the blog link a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!

Still befuddled by curling

2010-02-17T12:20:00.002-05:00

Being a sports fan, I try to give most Olympic events a fair chance. Although I can only take so much of a few things (ie figure skating, typically 7-8 seconds max), I spent at least 20 minutes watching curling last night and still have only a minimal understanding. Sort of like bocce on ice, but between the calls, the numbers that they refer to (zones) and the funny accents (not talking about the Japanese team...could not understand a word they were saying, but team USA's ladies made me feel like I was watching "Fargo"), I admit to struggling. Best part was the high-tech measuring device they brought out at the end to award the Japanese team the victory. Cool tool--I just don't think the ref had any idea how to use it. I would have used a string, like bocce, or a horseshoe caliper. Enjoyed a little of the snowboard roller derby thing, and Brock liked the special segment on polar bears. Apparently, no mercy rule in women's hockey, as Team USA won 13-0. Speaking of that team, I have been told that one of the players has an aunt who used to be a seasonal at Strawberry Park. Since Liz Wong was from Fairfield, I am guessing it must be Julie Chu, since she is also from Fairfield (and is the only player on the roster with a name that appears to be of Asian descent). Congrats and good luck!

Happy President's Day

2010-02-15T10:07:00.003-05:00

There are some who continue to insist that our true first president was Samuel Huntington from right next door in Norwich, as it gets into the whole articles of confederation issue. Perhaps you have the holiday off from work today...the RV and Camping Shows in Springfield and Suffern continue today, and were quite busy over the weekend. Calling for a little snow tonight, but after last week's forecasting debacle, most are downplaying the accumulation predictions, which probably means we will get buried. Many folks calling about the Strawberry Park festivals today, as there was a bluegrass event in Mass this weekend (Joe Val Festival) and a Cajun/Zydeco event in RI (the Mardi Gras Ball). Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, so why not zip on down to NOLA? High school wrestling action engulfed my weekend, but the big news is that during a state meeting on Sunday, I received a call from Brock letting me know that he did poopy on the potty. Perhaps Reed will want to become toilet trained earlier after watching Brock, because it appears Brock was less inspired by mommy & daddy using the potty than he was by Harvey and Cooper using the woods. Thanks to those who voted on the movie poll...congrats to The Notebook, edging out Dirty Dancing and The Pricess Bride, which is, in the words of Vezzini "Inconceivable". Hope you are enjoying the Olympics. I must admit that I am looking forward to baseball season, as I am not a big NBA fan, and with UConn men struggling, that really only leaves the lady Huskies these days. I guess there were big parties yesterday for the Daytona 500. I dunno, I struggle with that for multiple reasons. How can your biggest event be the first race of the season? While I am sure he is a good guy, I never heard of the winner until today. Did anyone have him in their office pool (if there are office pools for such things)? Also, maybe I am being nitpicky, but having to delay the race for hours to fix potholes would be like delaying the Super Bowl to have Carl Spangler (AKA Bill Murray) come out and blast the field because of a gopher infestation. I realize it has been cold down south, but I didn't know they were suffering from frost heaves. It had better warm up soon for pitchers and catchers, and especially for those fans arriving March 2.

Something for everyone this weekend

2010-02-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

Looks like decent weather this weekend, following the mini-storm on Wednesday. Typically, the President's Day Weekend features at least one snowy day, but perhaps the RV and Camping Shows will be unaffected in Springfield, MA and Suffern, NY. Brenton (recent college grad and member of the summer maintenance staff) will be in NY, while Allison will be at the Big E. Since she will be stuck there on Valentine's Day, if you visit on Sunday, maybe bring her a flower. If you are not heading to an RV Show, perhaps you will celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic movie, such as the "Wolfman." Nicely timed release for that one. Have seen a couple of polls regarding the most romantic movie. On one of them, Jen's favorite movie was 1st...The Notebook. On another (Boston.com), my all-time favorite was first (The Princess Bride). A few classics appeared on both polls, such as Casablanca, When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing and Ghost. I guess we will let our blog readers decide, with a quick poll of our own. As for me, the first of three straight busy wrestling weekends starts, with a conference tourney Fri & Sat, followed by 10 hours of state "seeding meetings" in Cheshire on Sunday. I don't think Jen is looking forward to those 3 days, but the boys will probably come to the tournament for part of the day (Reed needs to watch and learn how to stop Brock's double-leg takedowns). Have a great weekend, and congrats to our most recent raffle winner from when we reached 500 Facebook Fans...Christine Coushaine. Getting close to our next drawing, as I have seen a few more reviews posted to TripAdvisor and to the "Go Camping America" review site as well. Thanks! Have a happy Valentine's Day, and don't forget to vote for your favorite romantic movie. So as to not influence voters, I have posted a picture from a movie that does not depict the lead couple...but this does put Billy Crystal in 2 of the nominees.

How 'bout dem Saints?

2010-02-08T10:36:00.002-05:00

Now I know how Jen felt a couple years back when the Sox and Pats were both on top of their respective sports, as I can currently enjoy the Yankees and the Saints as reigning champs. Still trying to figure out the best design of a multi-sport hat, with a shared "New" to go with York and Orleans and their respective logos. There must be a fair number of fans of these 2 teams...I know big Mo is one of them, but now he is down in FLA. Great game by Brees, but I would have voted the kicker for MVP. Cute shot after the awards of Drew with his infant son wearing earphones to protect his little ears. With al the commercial talk, not sure which I liked most...maybe the simple Jay, Dave & Oprah on the couch, or the Google search progression. All I know is that there were far too many rodents and pantless people...almost feel like one ad pitchman sends his ideas out to everyone, and they all head down the same path. Crazy weekend of weather, as we got nothing out here, and there was a fine line between who got bombarded and who got nothing. Guess Mother Nature is trying again on Wednesday. Also, thoughts going out to those impacted by the huge explosion over in Middletown that claimed at least 5 lives. Even being 40 miles away, some in this area claimed to have felt the shake. Quick reminder that the upcoming weekend features two of the biggest RV & Camping Shows, with Springfield MA at the Big E and also Suffern NY at Rockland Comm College. Stop in and say hello. While the boys slept OK last night, and the dogs did not awaken until dawn, I was roused by a kamikaze lady bug at 3am. Direct hit to the cheek (facial) woke me out of a deep sleep. Sure they are cute, but we have far too many...and the rogue ones have been known to nip, especially out in the wild (the domesticated variety within our window panes appear to be far less agressive). A late thanks to those who signed up on the email test--looks like I can add it to the website soon.

Life not like Monopoly

2010-02-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

First off, big thumbs up to Brock and Reed for both sleeping through the night...therefore allowing mommy, daddy and the dogs to do the same. Exactly 13 months since that has happened (mostly Reed causing the "awakenings"). So in Monopoly, there is the classic card for "Bank Error in Your Favor--Collect $200." Unfortunately, real life does not imitate art. Try to make a long story short (not my forte), but as Jen is figuring taxes, there is a discrepancy in the amount contributed to our HSA (that is a Health Savings Account, used for those who have high deductible health insurance plans, for the uninformed). Our records showed a number $625 less than the year-end bank statement. So I become a Super Sleuth (just like Pooh & Tigger, but without the capes). Phone calls, emails, registering on-line to view accounts etc. Finally, determined the difference was a deposit on January 5, 2009. Since Jen was giving birth, and I was helping (helping by not hindering), I knew we did not make the deposit. Got a hold of a real person with these details, just trying to figure if it was from the prior year or something...who knows, maybe some distant relative decided to make a deposit in honor of Reed's birth (or Jen's pain). After 30 seconds of research, they say "Oops, that was supposed to be deposited into someone else's account." Hmm, so for 13 months, no one noticed. Damn my detective skills!!! Waiting to hear back from them about a new statement, and I don't think it is too much to ask for a redacted copy of the beneficiary of my misfortune. I should at least get a toaster for being out the $$. In other news... Go Saints!!! My brief stay in N'Awlins in 83/84 made me a fan for life. Guessing they might just shut the city down for 9 days if the Saints win, with the celebration leading right into Fat Tuesday on Feb 16. Also, looks like we will reach our 500th Facebook Fan sometime today, which means our next $100 SP credit drawing. Have requested help in picking the winning row and column from our shuffle of the pictures. Coming up next...drawings for when we reach 50 reviews on TripAdvisor or 75 on the ARVC Survey (links to both on the SP website). Have a great weekend...and for some killer skiing, head to Philly or DC.

Strawberry Park is Going Green!!

2010-02-04T12:29:00.003-05:00

Strawberry Park will soon be contracting with the Willimantic Waste Company to begin a single stream recycling effort. Unlike the old days of recycling, single stream allows all recyclables to be placed in the same bag and end up in the same bin--no separating plastics from papers from metals. Campers will receive 2 bags upon registration, with the clear bag for all recyclables and a tinted bag for all trash. As in the past, bagged trash may be placed curbside between 8am and 4pm, and the campground maintenance staff will be collecting the bags and placing them in the appropriate dumpsters. We anticpate that this effort will result in considerably less trash being sent to the local incinerator, with a good percentage of the material heading to Willimantic, Connecticut for recycling. If you are interested in how the process works at their huge facility, or for a specific list of items that may be recycled, check out www.williwaste.com

Testing out a new email service

2010-02-03T09:39:00.004-05:00

While we have tried to create some email lists for our owners and other long term campers, we are exploring a few options for email gathering. Not quite sure if it will work as intended, but before putting it up on the main website, figured I would try it out on the blog first. All it does is to add you to the email list, so that weekly or monthly notifications may be sent. As long as a couple of you readers give it a try, I will know if it works. Thanks in advance. We got just a little snow cover this morning, but there is talk of a larger storm on Sat. We shall see.

Strawberry Park Campers out to see The Outriggers

2010-02-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Quite a few Strawberry Park campers were out in Groton on Saturday night to see The Outriggers perform at the Holiday Bowl. After taking Brock & Reed mini-golfing at "Monster Golf" (they had fun there) and a late dinner at The 99, we stopped in to say hello to the band and the campers. Unfortunately, not only was it getting near bedtime (for Jen & I, not the kids...they usually stay up and watch SNL), but the band was in the bar, which was completely separated from the bowling alley. Might have rolled a frame or 2 if they were audible on the lanes. Hard to believe it is February already, and oddly hoping for some clouds on Tues so that varmint Phil does not see his shadow and winter comes to a rapid halt. Currently trying to finalize some plans for a short jaunt down to FLA to catch a couple of spring training games with the boys and a visit with a few of our snow-bird campers. Not sure if it is OK to bring little ones on an airboat tour of the Everglades, but it sounds like fun. Looks like we are rapidly approaching 500 fans on Facebook, so another raffle is just around the corner. No camping shows this coming weekend, but then it is Springfield and Suffern, NY on President's Day/Valentine's Weekend. Have had quite a few weekend visitors checking out seasonal sites...still have a handful on hold for the upcoming season, as a few special event weekends are getting full (Memorial Day & Bluegrass in particular).

Norwich Narwhals for 2011

2010-01-29T10:19:00.002-05:00

The CT Defenders have headed for warmer weather, becoming the Richmond Flying Squirrels (did I ever tell you about Jen and I chasing the flying squirrels that used to get into the house at night? Tough to catch, as they would just glide down the stairwell, eluding the net...but that's a different story). Great name for a team, as the Connecticut Defenders lacked a certain appeal with the 3-15 year-old fan base (they used to love the Gator...which reminds me that former SP swimming pool employee Chris Chastang has become a Norwich police officer, but that's a different story also, as I think he was Gator one summer, but I may be wrong). Meanwhile, back at the farm, it looked like Norwich might be without a minor league baseball team for 2010, but they have swept in and stolen the Oneonta Tigers (sorry if you are one of the 691 fans who used to attend games there). Unlike the SF Giants AA Eastern League affiliate, this is the NY/Penn Rookie League, and is a much shorter season (no need to deal with 50 fans sipping hot chocolate in April). Mid-June through Labor Day, with many players being those recently selected in the yearly draft...so you will get to see some heralded, raw prospects. Also, there are Red Sox and Yankee teams in this league (Lowell, MA and Staten Island). Since this relocation is happening so late, the team will retain the "Tigers" name for 2010, but the push has begun to name the team for 2011. Years ago, when Norwich first landed a minor league team, they had a naming contest...and the Navigators won. Not a bad name, and a decent mascot (Tater the Gator, based on "tater" being a nick-name for a home run, and Gator being an abbreviation of Navigator, in case you had not figured that one out. Starting to think the server is down again, aren't you? Nope). I submitted the Norwich Narwhals and I am resuming the campaign for 2011. It would be great horned hats, a tribute to the Defenders (the USS Narwhal was a sub built in Groton in the 60's), and the alliteration of Norwich Narwhals. How can you beat that? Of course, I would enlist local artist Pamela Zagarenski to draw the official logo (she is from Preston and used to work at Strawberry Park, and was just honored with a Caldecott medal for her illustrations in the book "Red Sings from Treetops"--see image above--which reminds me of another story, but I have digressed enough today). So remember, when you come camping, support the local team...and when the time comes, vote for the Norwich Narwhals.

Entertainment Calendar now posted

2010-01-28T10:39:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness the computer server is back in action today (as you may have been able to tell from yesterday's rambling blog), as we have added a new feature to the Strawberry Park website...the Entertainment Calendar!! This Google application can be found under the "Events and Activities" section, and opens a calendar that lists the featured entertainment for the year. As most bands and performers have not yet been booked for the poolside shows or Thursday night bonfires, you won't yet find all the particular names of the bands yet...but they will be updated as confirmed. If you don't want to scroll through the various months, you can view in "agenda" mode (and from there you could use your "ctrl-F" function to find a particular name). Keep in mind that there may be times when a band needs to switch dates, but things should be pretty accurate. Again, we have not listed every event, like kickball and wagon rides, but have included ceramics, Bingo and any live entertainment or special events (like Mud Wrestling). Hope you find it helpful. It is actually snowing much more than I anticipated today here in Preston. On a different note, I have continually forgotten to mention that Seafood Etc has re-opened after a fire destroyed the business in the spring. Many campers make the 10 minute trek into Norwich to get fresh seafood, and I suggest the Portugese stuffed clams.

Jingo and the Atoll

2010-01-27T14:31:00.003-05:00

Must admit that I try to avoid anything too controversial or political on our blog, but every now and then, we come across something on the web or on Facebook that makes you wonder. Had read a little snippet regarding the successful raising of charitable funds for the disaster in Haiti, attempting to redirect the donations to other, more regional causes. Reminded me of a story..."Jingo and the Atoll". Jingo, his wife Xeno and their daughter lived in a small New England town. They made a decent living, but were by no means affluent. After hearing about a natural disaster that had struck a foreign land, their daughter asked about making a small contribution to the relief effort. Jingo and Xeno explained to her that there was no need to worry herself about those who were not U.S. citizens. A few months later, a hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, causing many deaths and leaving thousands homeless. The plea for aid was omnipresent, and the young girl again asked her parents about offering some form of help. She was told that those people chose to live in a region that could be subjected to such weather catastrophes, and with no relatives in that neck of the woods, they needed to select charitable causes closer to home. The little girl accepted their answer. Just days later, a fire swept through an apartment complex in the city that was nearest their hometown. The other kids in her class brought coats, gloves and canned goods for the families who had become displaced. Again, her attempt to do the same was met with resistance, as the vast majority of those put out in the cold were not of the same ethnicity as the little girl. Another year passed, and times grew tougher for everyone. Word was received of a terrible car accident just down the road that had claimed the life of a neighbor's wife and child, a classmate of the young girl. Certainly, she thought, if there were ever a cause to support this would be the one, as the funeral costs were an incredible burden for the sole surviving member of the tragedy. She was mistaken, as Jingo and Xeno explained that there was really only one family that mattered greatly to them, that being their own. Just prior to entering high school, the little girl was diagnosed with a severe kidney ailment, and would need a transplant. Tests were done, and luckily, Jingo was found to be a perfect match for his only child. No other family members, be they near or distant, were acceptable donors, but Xeno and her daughter were relieved that help was so near. However, Jingo informed his wife and daughter that he was unwilling to sacrifice one of his own kidneys, fearing his other might fail him years down the road. After all these years, Xeno finally saw her husband for what he really was. "I too used to care about others like our daughter does. Your selfishness was contaigous, and contaminated my generous nature." She informed Jingo that she and the girl could no longer have him as part of the family. Jingo packed his belongings and chartered a small, private boat to an uninhabited tropical archipelago. He stood on the beach and shouted the chorus from his favorite S&G tune..."I am a rock. I am an island. And a rock feels no pain. And an island never cries." Back at home, his daughter received a kidney from an organ donor who had perished in a natural disaster in the Caribbean. When she was strong enough, she ventured to the beach. It was an utterly calm day, and as she stood in the still ocean waters, she shed a tear of joy for her newfound hope. The single tear caused a magnificent ripple that grew into a tsunami that enveloped Jingo's atoll. No one mourned his passing. The end. All I'm saying is that for those who complain about assisting the Haitians (and I'm not talking about those adhering to wacko Pat Robertson) with the argument that there is hunger and poverty and other needs here in our homeland, that is all well and good if you are then doing something about those issues...but don't use those causes as excuses and then be doing nothing for nobody. I guess this would be a tough children's book to market and illustrate. Plus, people would intentionally pronounce "atoll" like what they would want to call Jingo, with the "at-ole" manner. In case you were wondering, the server was down for maintenance for an hour this afternoon, so I was a little limited on my ability to be productive in other ways. Have a great day!!

If a tree falls on a trailer, and no one is there...

2010-01-26T09:08:00.005-05:00

If you live in the northeast, you are aware of yesterday's storm causing numerous power outages and road closings. We had a couple of big trees come down, with some damage to a rental unit and to one of our seasonals near the washer courts (we have already contacted him, and maybe he can use the photo for his insurance). Everything else out there seems OK, and we did not lose power for any length of time, but those winds were impressive. With the rain causing the trees to become waterlogged and heavy, they were prime for shedding some limbs. Just mailed a reminder to all seasonals about the new website, Facebook, the blog, January payments and the upcoming RV Shows. Mentioned that we are about 80 fans away from our next Facebook raffle, and will also conduct another raffle once we reach 50 reviews on TripAdvisor and 75 reviews on the "Go Camping America" website. Also, a note went out to the unit owners regarding the upcoming budget meeting, and also mentioned some electric savings that we will be seeing by choosing an alternate provider. I'll spend another day's blog detailing that sometime soon.

Who dat? Saints heading to Miami

2010-01-25T09:59:00.002-05:00

Take the brown bags off your heads Saints' fans, as the team is Super Bowl bound. Thanks to the self-destructing Favre, fumble-happy Vikes and generous officials, New Orleans must have experienced an early Mardi Gras celebration on Bourbon Street last night. Must admit, the Colts will be a whole 'nother animal, so to speak. Back to the homefront, here comes the rain. At least it is temps like FLA had a few weeks ago, and a nice breeze off the water. Got to see a few of our favorite campers on Saturday as we joined Lexi and her family at Wright's Chicken palce out there in Burrillville RI (about as far away in RI as you can get). Interesting place, with hundreds of people lined up for all you can eat chicken. They run a good operation. Brock and Reed were very happy to see Lexi and hear tales of the recent cruise taken by a few SP campers (I hope Jorge is no longer sea-sick, and that Joanne has come out of her hypnotized state of mind and everyone has gotten the beads out of their dreads). Most of you know Kenny F who does activities (Lexi's big brother), but you may not recognize him as he has been unable to cut his hair since the Yankees won the World Series, as part of losing a bet. Guess it must remain uncut until opening day. Congrats to Nick on getting his driver's license. Sadly, in other camper news, we have been informed that Eileen Hackett of site 109F (the pop-up camper near the horseshoe pits) has passed away. Some of you may know her kids, or even her grandkids, including Pamela and Tyler. She was a Bingo fan who always counted on someone sitting next to her to echo her Bingo yell, as her voice was very faint. Here is the obituary http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/njherald/obituary.aspx?page=notice&pid=138821704, and any cards may be sent to 5 Robin's Ter in Highland Lakes NJ 07422.

Making reservations for your friends

2010-01-19T11:53:00.002-05:00

You would be surprised how many folks who battle the phone lines on January 2 to make camping reservations at Strawberry Park wind up having their reservations canceled for lack of payment. Most times, it is folks making additional reservations for their friends, who then fail to follow through. While we do require a deposit within 7 days of reserving, if we don't hear from those campers, we send out a little reminder notice. Sadly, if we still have not heard from you, we have no choice but to cancel the reservation, as there are already folks on a waiting list for certain sites and areas for specific dates. Some campers call and let us know they are mailing a check, or that they are only able to pay part of the deposit now, and the remainder will be sent in a couple of weeks. We are more than willing to work with you, but we do need to hear back from those who receive the non-payment notices. Often, someone is part of a multi-site reservation...and if they are canceled, it might create a site gap within the group, which could be filled by another camper who is not part of the group (and probably does not really want to be smack-dab in the middle of 5 other sites who are all together). We do try to re-adjust groups that have had a site in the middle canceled, but that is not always possible. Looks like it was fairly busy at the Boston RV Show, especially on Saturday. We will draw the Facebook RV Show Raffle winners a little later today. We have started getting more visitors on the weekends looking for seasonal sites. There are a couple of current seasonals that we have tried to reach about rebooking, but if we have not heard from you by now, chances are that your site is already reserved by someone else for the upcoming season. Once again, if they had just let us know, we would have been happy to hold the site a little longer if needed. No camping shows for a couple of weeks, but then there are 2 big ones on President's Day Weekend, in Springfield and in Suffern NY. That also happens to be Valentine's Day Weekend this year. I am guessing that Jen is not too thrilled that I will be running a conference championship wrestling tourney on Friday and Saturday, and have to be at the state meetings all day on Sunday Feb 14. Maybe we can go out on Thursday instead. Congrats to the Saints, Vikings, Colts and Jets. Take our survey on the Super Bowl teams. On A&E tonight, something about some ghosts at an inn right here in Preston, right next door to my childhood home. I don't particularly remember any ghostly visits as a kid, but my memory is foggy...and I am not sure if they travel to see the neighbors.

Boston RV Show January 15-18

2010-01-14T13:38:00.002-05:00

For many years, Boston was one of the biggest shows in the northeast, and it ran for 9 days. I still recall one year when it ended on a Sunday that the Patriots were in the Super Bowl, and they expected all exhibitors to stay until 5PM...even though the place was empty by 2:00. Might have been back in 1997. The Boston show was not held last year, and Foxboro RV Show saw some big crowds in a small space. Boston returns to the Bayside Expo this year for a long weekend, with hours on Friday through Monday. Stop by our booth, as Allison will be there for most of the time, and Brenton will be helping on Saturday. The weather looks OK, with some possible precip on Sunday or Monday...and crowds won't be diminished by Patriot play-offs. Sadly, I won't get to see much of my Saints on Saturday, as I will be running a wrestling tourney over in Griswold (the Wolverines had a big win over Montville last night, with Jeff T, a Grill & Creamery staff member contributing a key pin). Also have a JV event on Monday, so hopefully Jen will bring the boys to the gym, as I will be there for a long couple of days. We enjoyed Reed's 1st birthday party last Sunday, and apologize for the parking struggles on the snowy driveway. Reed loved his little cake, and Brock liked singing the birthday song so much, that it has been requested at bedtime all week. He was also very concerned about Reed getting his shots at the doctor today for his one year visit. Both boys were very well behaved at the service for Carol Nardi yesterday, but it is not easy explaining to Brock about being quiet in church. Speaking of quiet, it is nice to hear the phones ringing again for summer reservations, as things get pretty quiet here in December, before the rush of January callers. Still sites for all dates, but rentals for Cajun are almost full, and sites with full hook-ups for Memorial Day and Bluegrass will probably be sold out in another couple of weeks. Lots of folks excited about Marty Stuart for bluegrass weekend, as I guess he has a weekly TV show...and many dedicated followers. Despite the slight resemblance, I don't believe he is related in any way to Brit rocker Rod Stewart (or "Year of the Cat" singer Al Stewart, which is probably why they spell it differently). For Cajun/Zydeco, Donna the Buffalo will be back...and they will also be at the Mohegan Sun a couple of weeks before appearing at Strawberry Park. Time to enjoy some of this sunshine and warm temps!!

Passing of Carol Nardi, site 304

2010-01-11T11:32:00.002-05:00

Following a lengthy illness, Carol Nardi of site 304 has passed away. While the obituary will be appearing in the Brockton (MA) Enterprise on Tuesday, arrangements have already been made for a service at the Preston City Congregational Church (across from the firehouse) on Wednesday, January 13 at 11AM. We at Strawberry Park send our condolences to her entire family.

RV Show Facebook Raffles About to Begin

2010-01-08T12:49:00.003-05:00

Today will be the first of our RV Show Raffles, with the winners being drawn from our Facebook Fans. At 3PM, Mary will call us from Hartford (if she remembers), and we will refresh our website homepage. A selected camper at the show will pick either the top or bottom row, and then a number from 1-5 to correspond with the 10 random faces who appear at that moment on our group of fans. The lucky winner will earn a $25 Strawberry Park credit on their account...and we will do the same on Sat & Sun. On Monday, we will draw the grand prize winner of a $100 credit on account. The theory is that there will be campers at the RV Show who will go home and become a fan of Strawberry Park on FB, thereby visiting our website. We shall see if the plan works, as we currently have 327 fans. If it fails, all of you who are already fans will have greater odds of winning. Looks like the slight snow this morning is over, and the weekend should be clear but cold. Not sure if I would want to be in the bleachers in Foxboro on Sunday. Tough night for the Texas quarterbacks in the BCS Bowl last night, between injury and futility (although the sub rebounded well in 2nd half). When Reed had some birthday cake the other day, he got blue frosting all over his face. I would say he looked like a smurf, but to be more hip, I guess he looked like an Avatar (if I had seen the film, perhaps I would name a particular character...but I can't). Reminded me of Lenny W's comment about his child looking like the Joker from Batman (red stuff on his face)...and Lenny went classic Cesar Romero, rebuffing the Heath L comparisons. If you don't recall Lenny (AKA Rob), he is one of the few folks who are consistently witty on Facebook (no offense to the rest of you, but have to rank him & Jeannine M high...something funny about those SP kids from the 80's). Speaking of Facebook, Jen has set up a FB page for the BG Fest and the CZ Fest, and we have attempted to become fans of most of the performers due to appear in June. Most BG bands have FB pages, but most CZ groups do not. If you would like to join, search StrawberryPark Bluegrass or StrawberryPark Cajun-Zydeco. Note that SP is one word on these pages...and we won't be doing as many updates as on our regular SP Fan page. Have a great weekend, and enjoy the NFL playoffs.

RV Show Season is Upon Us

2010-01-06T09:50:00.002-05:00

This coming weekend features the Hartford RV & Camping Show at the Convention Center, the first big camping show of the year. That will be followed by the return of the Boston RV Show on Jan 15-18, and then many more to follow. Stop by and say hello, as it looks like Mary, Allison and Emily will be at the booth this weekend in Hartford. As much as Jen & I would like to be there, we have Reed's 1st birthday party this weekend. He turned 1 yesterday (also a Happy 3rd Birthday to Lily on site 110). If you are joining us on Sunday for Reed's party, the Patriots play at 1pm, so some folks might get there early to catch the first half. The driveway is a bit slick, so bring your hiking boots. Jen and I attempted to attend the wake for Patrick and his mom last night, but with what appeared to be approximately 400-500 people in line, after about an hour, we had to get back to the sitter and Reed's melting cake. Our apologies to Pat Sr for being unable to make it inside, as we did say quite a few Strawberry Park staff members among the crowd.

Passing of Patrick Perkins Jr

2010-01-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

Patrick Perkins Jr (age 18) and his mother Darlene Miles passed away on New Year's Eve in a one-car accident in Griswold, shortly before midnight. Patrick worked at the Grill & Creamery, and was a very outgoing worker. He maintained a positive outlook, and enjoyed helping others. I will always remember him as the kid who would bring me a lemonade refill at Bingo on hot days without me even asking. Many of our campers will recall him if you see his picture shown here from the story in the NL Day (although that photo is a couple of years old) or in the obituary in today's Norwich Bulletin (photo can't be seen in online version). His father, Patrick Sr, worked on our security staff in 2008, and early in 2009 before needing to take time off due to an ankle injury, while Patrick Jr's grandmother Noreen has been part of our housekeeping staff. Calling hours are on Tuesday, January 5 from 5pm-7pm at Gagne Piechowski in Griswold. Additional information can be found at the links below. Strawberry Park sends our condolences to the entire family.

http://www.legacy.com/norwichbulletin/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=138148650

http://www.theday.com/article/20100102/NWS01/301029929

Year End Wishes

2009-12-30T09:50:00.003-05:00

As well as best wishes to all our campers, just a few thoughts as the year (and decade) come to a close. While I enjoy oldies music stations, and most mention that they play the hits of the 60's and 70's, not sure why suddenly they are also playing Michael Jackson stuff from the late 80's. Seems like his passing has caused stations to view his late work as oldies--I really don't want to hear "Bad", although I would be happy to hear "Ben" or "ABC" from the early days (which reminds me that at one point, there were only 3 hits to reach #1 with only 3 letters in the title, and he had 'em all). Would even settle for "One Bad Apple", which although it was the Osmonds, sounds enough like the Jackson 5 that they might consider having Donny portray The King of Pop in a film. My second request for the new decade is that "pressert" becomes accepted as a word and as an acceptable dining request. Sometimes, brunch is served with a parfait...so what is the big deal about ordering a dessert to enjoy before your meal? I'd much rather have a slice of cheescake before dinner, instead of onion rings. Lastly, something needs to be done about the letter "W". Why are all other letters monosyllabic, with none having 2 syllables, and yet "W" has 3? Makes no sense. It is ridiculous for abbreviations to be longer than the thing being abbreviated...when a team is just happy to "get the W", it takes twice as long as getting the win. Truncating it to two syllables is not enough, as it sounds to much like our previous President. What was Al Gore thinking when he invented the internet and decided to start everything with www? Takes 20 seconds just to say that...you mean to tell me there was not a better option? World wide web--3 syllables vs www checking in at 9. I don't know why people don't just say it that way...our website is world wide web strawberrypark.net. So much shorter. I'd even settle for "Globally Encompassing Net"--GEN would be so much shorter. "W" also causes trouble with little ones learning the alphabet. Brock has no trouble with the other letters, but I know when it comes to spelling his last name, those 2 killer letters are going to do him in. And besides, unless you write in cursive (and who still does that?), it really isn't even an accurate descriptor...double V would make more sense, but would still be three syllables. Therefore, I am proposing a re-naming of the letter "W". It may take a little while to adjust when singing the alphabet song on wagon rides, but I think we can be a vehicle for change (literally). In examing the other fine letters, there is a varied mix in those that are pronounced with the starting sound they make, followed by some random vowelness (such as "B" or "J"), and some end with their sound (such as "L" or "F"). Others are a little more inexplicable, such as "H". I am offering the following options, and will feature a survey on the blog seeking the most popular alternative. Keep in mind the letter won't change, just the pronunciation. Option 1: Wuh. Although it sounds a little like "Duh", it makes sense. Option 2: Wii (like the electronic game, also pronounced as "we" by some traditionalists, not to be confused with why, which is letter unto itself). Option 3: Ow. This may cause confusion for parents thinking their child is hurt, so I don't expect it to score well with that demographic. Option 4: Double U (for those resistant to change for the better). Spread the word, tell your friends to vote, make signs...whatever it takes. Happy New Year!!

Preparing for the January 2 reservation rush

2009-12-28T11:01:00.002-05:00

As we approach the New Year, looks like there may be some more snow on the horizon. Luckily, just about everything on the ground here has melted from the rains and warm temps that we had this weekend (which will all freeze solid tonight). Have had a few last-minute campers signing up for our BIC program in order to avoid the craziness that is January 2. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas. At our house, we have given up and allowed the "dining room" to become the toy room. Brock has gotten quite good at the air hockey game, while Reed's favorite is the illuminated power button on one of Brock's electronic toys. Who would have thought that the Giants season would be over, after they played so well last week...while somehow the Jets are still alive and control their own destiny, due to the stupidity of the Colts. Sorry, but I don't buy the whole "Super Bowl is all that matters" garbage. I can't recall half the Super Bowl winners of the last 20 years, but I can sure tell you that the Dolphins went unbeaten in '72. How many teams have a chance for immortality this late in the season? Not many, and it made the Pats vs Giants Super Bowl even more exciting. Just hoping my Saints can rebound, as it looks like the Eagles and Packers are playing as well as anyone in the NFC, while Pats, Colts and Chargers are the teams to beat in the AFC (with many others still alive). Lastly, hoping that any impending snowstorm does not cause too much havov with the New Year's holiday and the January 2 reservations fiesta. Have a safe & happy New Year's!!

Merry Christmas to Strawberry Park Campers

2009-12-23T08:58:00.003-05:00

Since we will be closing a little early on Christmas Eve (1PM), now is as good a time as any to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. As Jen & I didn't send everyone a holiday newsletter, here is what you may have missed. Also, thanks to our camper friends who sent Christmas cards to Strawberry Park, and a special thanks to a few of you who sent a little something extra. I won't mention you by name, but it was greatly appreciated and not necessary.

2009 Season’s Greetings from Jen, Dave, Brock, Reed, Harvey & Cooper
Although it may seem like it was more than 11 months ago, our biggest news of 2009 was the arrival of Reed Chapin Nowakowski on January 5. With an icy winter driveway, we slid down the mountain and into a tree on our way to the hospital. Everything else went well that day (obviously Dave is typing, impervious to the pain of childbirth), and Brock became a big brother. We struggled with his middle name, but since the hospital required it before we departed, Jen relented and the late great Harry Chapin became further immortalized. Much like when Brock was born just in time to meet David’s grandmother before her passing, sadly, Jen’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly shortly after Reed was born.

Harvey & Cooper have come to tolerate Brock chasing them around the house and tugging them by the collar, and Reed is ready to join the fun. Reed began walking about 2 months ago, before cutting his first tooth. Speaking of cuts, with great rewards come great risks. Reed was the first of the two boys to require a trip to the hospital after meeting the corner of the coffee table, resulting in a single stitch above his right eye. In keeping the car accident/trip to the hospital tradition, David hit a deer on his way home from work after being informed of Reed’s mishap. David was uninjured, but the same cannot be said about the truck or the deer.

Brock still enjoys the classics (“The Cat in the Hat” and “Where the Wild Things Are”), but probably prefers Curious George books above all others. He has started talking much more, and does well spelling his name (first only, as his last name may take until 3rd grade) and counting to 12 (the number of stairs we have). Brock has mastered forward rolls as a result of participating in his gymnastics class and bath time has become more enjoyable as both boys are enrolled in swim class during the camping off-season.

2009 was not a big travel year, as we have mostly been catching up on sleep, since unlike Brock, there were not many (any??) “sleep through the nights” with Reed until very recently. We were able to take a day trip to Block Island (our young friend Lexi is a great helper with the boys), during which a decent wave caused Brock to become a little wary of the ocean, which took many day trips to the beach to overcome. We were also able to make it to the Cape and visit some family members we don’t get to see too often. Our longest journey with the boys was just recently, as we traveled to Santa’s Village in New Hampshire. Much like the waves at the ocean, Brock and Reed will require a few extra visits to Santa before the stranger danger wears off. Other than the long drive and the cold temperatures, everything else was enjoyable, and we even got our tree in the rain on the way home. Brock wanted the biggest tree in the lot, but we settled on the second biggest, one that just barely fits in the cabin.

Congratulations to David’s sister Lisa on her recent nuptials, to the Yankees on their World Series victory and to Derek Jeter being named Sportsman of the Year. Jen’s Red Sox did not fare quite as well, but now that they have Marco Scutaro, the sky’s the limit. Despite her loathing of the Yanks, Jen treated us to a trip to the new Stadium for David’s birthday present. Unfortunately for David, the Red Sox prevailed on that particular drizzly night in May. For Jen’s milestone birthday, we tried to pull off a little surprise party, but the pouring rain put a little damper on the plans. Her best present was having Kelly join us for a few days from her new home down in South Carolina.

Jen is still playing volleyball and the team has been playing quite well this season, currently battling for first place. Although neither of us played much golf this year, we look forward to the near future when our caddies are strong enough to carry the clubs. Brock has developed a nice swing, and has improved his putting. On other sports notes, David continues to follow the post-graduate wrestling careers of a couple of former wrestlers, and we took a recent trip up to Troy, NY to watch one of them wrestle for Hofstra. Although we may not catch as many Griswold matches as in the past, David will still be involved with some of the post-season tournaments in February.

It was a busy summer at Strawberry Park, following a damp June. Brock earned a few ribbons in running races, but usually came up short to a little one who got dragged by a mom for 50 yards. The boys enjoyed bonfire nights, and Brock was thrilled with the fireworks display atop the Mohegan Sun. In July, David escaped the campground for an evening with Jen to see Billy Joel and Elton John at Gillette. Jen got to relive her first concert-going experience after seeing them at the same venue 15 years ago. Jen did not play much Bingo, but did raise a few eyebrows when she was one of the winners on the progressive jackpot in September on her grandma’s lucky number. Nothing annoyed David more than the gloomy forecasts on almost every fall weekend (most of which were inaccurate). Much of the late fall was spent updating the website.

We promised ourselves that we would keep this down to just a page in a normal font (we know
most of your attention spans are like ours and, besides, we need to start on Reed’s birthday invitations).

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bing would be pleased

2009-12-21T10:41:00.002-05:00

After writing the title, I realized that most people today would connect the comment to that new search engine and not Mr. Crosby's classic "White Christmas", but let this be educational for the younger generation (although I do prefer the Four Tops version as featured in Home Alone). Back to the point, we received a fair amount of snow. Sorry, but I don't buy into some of the mega-totals, since there was considerable wind and drifting. Unless you have a legit measuring device that contains directly fallen snow and restricts drifting, I am doubting some of the unofficial totals exceeding 2 feet. Glenn & Jimmy have done a great job plowing the roads here at Strawberry Park, and most area schools had delays today (some even canceled--enjoy your snow day Kate!). Bringing the truck in for the deer repairs--could be out of action for a week. Just a reminder to winter campers: when the temps get down low, be sure your hose & heat tape are working, and many people suggest keeping the cabinets open to allow heat to get into the areas where the pipes may freeze. Some are strong believers in leaving the faucet trickling, but I am hesitant to suggest in case something clogs and you flood your trailer (maybe the tub is the best place to keep a drip). While I am sure there will be at least one more post before Christmas (need to put up our holiday newsletter), for those who may not check this as regularly, have a great holiday. Today is probably the last chance for gift certificates if you want them to arrive in time for Christmas. Enjoy the snow--we had fun running the luge course at the house.

Christmas Countdown...newsletter time is upon us

2009-12-17T12:23:00.004-05:00

Now that Christmas is only a week away, guess that means it is time to send out cards and a holiday newsletter. I will be sure to post a copy here on the blog for those of you who may not be on Brock & Reed's mailing list. Glad we waited until the last minute, since so much has happened in the last week (with Santa Land, Reed's stitch and the deer incident), plus the advantage of getting to comment on other folk's holiday letters & photos (guess my dear friend Vart lost a testicle this year...those are the kind of holiday snippets that should not go quietly into the night). Seems like some of the earliest cards we get are from our friends in the warmth of Florida. I guess that means they are really missing the snow (guessing Randy still wears his mittens down there when it dips below 60). Kind of thinking that with all this Facebook and blogging stuff, holiday newsletters may become a thing of the past for many. Camping shows are just around the corner, with Hartford kicking things off on Jan 8-10, and 6 other shows until early March. Looks like Bayside in Boston is back, but Long Island RV Show is not returning. Might catch us in Prov, Worc, Springfield, Suffern, Boston, Hartford, or Foxboro. Gearing up for January 2, which since it falls on a Saturday probably means more campers coming here in person to make their reservations early in the morning.

Looking more like Christmas every day

2009-12-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

Between the recent snow and the chilly temps, I guess we are heading down the homestretch to the holidays. Even if the deer had not made survived, $3200 is awfully expensive for a freezer full of venison. Have to make sure if I ever hit another one, I use an older vehicle. If you look closely, you can still see some fur. In retrospect, having a small deductible is nice, but lacking rental car coverage was possibly a mistake. Reminding any campers seeking gift certificates that you want to order them soon to receive them in time for Christmas. We offer them in any amount, and the money goes right onto the account of the recipient. Speaking of Christmas, we got back from Santa's Village in NH yesterday just in time for the afternoon rains, but that did not deter us from chopping down the 2nd tallest tree we could find (Brock wanted the biggest one, but it would not have fit in the house, as this one just barely makes it). If you ever head up to the Village in December, be sure to dress warmly and wear boots, as your toes can get a little cold waiting in line for things like seeing Santa. The reindeer were cool, and the boys enjoyed the train ride as well. Did not see any moose, but after the deer hit near home, maybe that was best.

TGIF...cuz Thursday kinda stunk

2009-12-11T09:47:00.002-05:00

Looking forward to a journey north, first trip to Santa Land (or something like that) up in New Hampshire. Just wish the weather was more tropical and the drive was not so long. If you had any wagers on which of our 2 boys would get a stitch first, the winner is....Reed! With a full month of walking experience, he somehow took a digger into the table. If the cut were anywhere other than on his eyebrow, they could have just glued it (sounds cool, and having never seen that done, I was looking forward to that option). Just one little stitch, and he was brave. While waiting in the hospital room, Brock cut his lip, but since they were not offering any "buy one get one free" sales like everyone else at this holiday time, we told him to be a brave big brother and suck it up. So in case any of you might be expecting a holiday photo from Santa Land with the boys, my guess is that Fat Lip and Black Eye (as we may see some reindeer or totonka up north, we have given the boys new Native American nicknames) won't be doing much posing for anything but a profile. I guess the good news is that when, years from now, Reed asks why he had a shiner for Christmas, we can tell him it was because he asked Santa for too many presents and the elves roughed him up. Although we are heading to NH with one of Jen's good friends who have a son Brock's age, in this job market, the thought of bringing Jen's mom crossed my mind, as Santa Land must always be looking for seasonal elves. Getting back to why Thursday was a rotten day (as if a hospital visit were not enough), our tradition of car accidents on days when heading to Backus Hospital for Reed is still alive! You may recall that when we went in January for Reed's delivery that we slid down the icy driveway and hit a tree with Jen's car. Last night, I got the call about the cut as leaving work...and proceeded to take out a deer on the way home. At first, I thought for sure I needed to call my neighbor with the large freezer (and to taunt Jody on Facebook that I got a deer before he did), but the big lug struggled to his feet and wandered off into the woods. While the airbags did not deploy, some decent damage to the front of the truck, and I have left the hair and saliva in case Allstate needs evidence. I tend to see deer most nights on the way home, but this guy caught me off guard. Since the accident was so close to home, I was a little worried about herd retribution while at the hospital, but there was no addtional damage or antler graffiti when we got home. I guess the only thing that could have made the day worse would have been if I were a Steelers fan.

Cajun Zydeco Festival Line Up Nearly Complete

2009-12-09T13:46:00.002-05:00

Strawberry Park will present our 14th Annual "Blast from the Bayou" Cajun Zydeco Festival on June 10-13, 2010. It is always difficult to choose bands, as there are some folks who are always looking to see new faces on stage, while there are a few bands that the dancers expect to see back almost every year. For 2010, we have 2 of the top 3 Cajun bands (in most people's opinion), with The Pine Leaf Boys and Steve Riley returning (figuring Beausoleil would round out the "top 3" and they were here a couple years back and will probably return in the future), as well as Cajun newcomers JimmyJo & The Jambol'Ayuhs from Maine, as well as Jesse Lege and Bayou Brew. On the Zydeco side, for the first time, we are presenting 3 of the premier LA/TX artists (each of these 3 considered to be among the top 5 in the world) with Geno Delafose (pictured) and Brian Jack back from 2009, and Chris Ardoin making his return after being away for a couple of years. In addition, Li'l Anne (from NY) returns, as well as Dennis Stroughmatt (from Ill). Each year, we also present some dance bands that are not quite Cajun or Zydeco, and for 2010 we are pleased to see the return of the Derailers, as well as Donna the Buffalo (been a couple of years since the herd rolled in) and Girl Howdy, with some swing dancing. Still finalizing the specific days on which some of the performers will appear, but it looks to be our strongest line up ever. For more info, see the website http://www.strawberrypark.net/cajun-zydeco-festival/ Reservations start on January 2.

Looks like winter is now upon us

2009-12-07T10:46:00.002-05:00

Not a ton of snow fell down here, but it was a little icy...and the worst part is that it has not all melted yet, and may not do so before the next batch of weather on Wed. Might have to start thinking about long pants soon. Jen took the boys to see Santa at a mall in RI (Santa does a great job, so she goes there each year). Brock was fine but Reed suddenly developed stranger anxiety, which is not like him. Gave him another shot yesterday, but same clinging result. Will try again, as we are heading north to Santa's Village (or something like that) up in NH this weekend, so I know I will need long pants for that trip. My Saints got a little lucky yesterday, and I know many downtrodden fans today (Pats, Steelers and Cowboys). Great night of college football finishes Sat around 11PM, including UConn, Texas and GT. All these undefeated teams, and no playoff in sight. Personally, I will consider the Obama presidency a success if he is able to enact a playoff during his tenure. Just Bob and I taking the calls this week, as Mary gets a little time off beforet the New Year's rush on January 2. She has been a big follower of the Tiger Tales, citing TMZ as the most reliable name in news, so here is one for her: If Tiger is getting all this action AFTER getting married, what was his life like BEFORE he got hitched? Forget the pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors...I think Wilt Chamberlain's self-proclaimed record of 10,000 may have been in jeopardy (permission granted to Jay or Dave to use on late night, in case they follow this blog).

Congrats to Grammy Nominees

2009-12-03T09:04:00.002-05:00

As usual, there are a few of our scheduled performers at the upcoming Bluegrass Festival or Cajun/Zydeco Festival who have received nominations this year, as well as some past performers. For Best BG Album, Rhonda was nominated once again (this will be the first time in about 7 or 8 years that she won't be here...looking forward to having her back in 2011), as well as Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and a few others, while the Greencards, who will return for BG, were nominated in the Country Instrumental Song category (Carol Young of the band is shown here from last year, courtesy of Ted Lehmann's photo). For C/Z, The Pine Leaf Boys were nominated once again, and they will be back up north in June. Our Bluegrass line-up is now pretty much complete, and has been posted. C/Z should be wrapped up in another week or so. So far, no reports of any major tree damage from last night's storm, but there were many branches down in the area, with some power outages and vehicle damage throughout the region. I guess we should enjoy the temps in the 60's today, as it supposed to get a little more wintry this weekend.

Who dat? Saints beat Pats!

2009-12-01T10:34:00.002-05:00

Those of you that know me as a Yankee fan probably think I despise the Pats as much as I do the Sox, but that is not true at all. In fact, I will root for the Pats in almost all games...except vs the Saints. Would love to see a Super Bowl rematch from last night, but that could be tough for both (with Vikes looking good, and Pats having even a tougher road). My affinity for the Saints comes from my freshman year of college at Tulane in N'awlins, where every day was Mardi Gras. I am guessing after Katrina, there must be a decent number of casual football fans who would like to see the Saints do well. To make it an even better sports day, Derek Jeter was named Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year. Just a quick reminder to all those BIC folks who called to reserve yesterday...please make sure to have deposits paid within 7 days. Always amazes us each year when there are campers who dial away to get through early...and then end up with a deleted reservation because they did not follow through with the deposit. Remember, the Strawberry Park office is open Mon-Fri only in December (we will resume weekend hours in January). For others looking to avoid the January 2 rush, consider becoming a BIC Camper. And finally, Scrubs returns to TV tonight.

Monday Morning Madness

2009-11-30T11:35:00.002-05:00

As today is the first Monday after Thanksgiving, that means two things: it is the first day of wrestling practice in CT and it is the first day for BIC reservations to be made. Even though I no longer coach, the start of the season still has meaning, and Jen & I took the boys up to Troy, NY (Bud and Mary's hometown) to see Tyler B wrestling for Hofstra. He and the team had a tough day against many nationally ranked teams, but it was worth the drive. Looking ahead to tonight's MNF with the Saints and Pats. It has been nice to speak with many of our frequent campers who have called (or driven out to see us, as in the case of Mike W and John D and a few others). Always nice to find any little glitches today for the 100 or so BIC campers before the real craziness of Jan 2 (and thanks to George P for finding an error on the website regarding check-in days for the log cabins). As usual, the phones are constantly busy from 8am until about 10am, but by then, 90% of the BIC folks have gotten through...so it is fairly quiet for the rest of the day. Still trying to work out one little kink in the rez system, which is not giving our 4th of July week campers the regular weekly rate (as it should), and is instead calculating the holiday weekend plus 4 nights. I am sure our tech support friends up in Canada can figure out the error in my ways.

Obituary & Funeral Information for Jacob Biber

2009-11-25T09:31:00.003-05:00

The obituary for Buck's father appeared in the local papers today http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theday/obituary.aspx?n=jacob-biber&pid=136404088, and as noted, funeral service will be held on Sunday at 1PM. Please have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday, and congrats to Kenny F, part-time Rec Staff member, on his acceptance to the school of pharmacy in his accelerated degree program. Maybe CVS will give you a raise and you can buy your sister Lexi that horse she's been wanting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our campers

2009-11-24T13:44:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone has a great holiday and enjoys some football, whether on TV (Lions could be boring, Cowboys have scored about 10 points in 3 weeks and the Giants are on too late for my turkey-induced bedtime) or of the local high school variety (my alma mater NFA is playing New London, and it could be a long day for the Wildcats). The Strawberry Park office will be closed on Thanksgiving, and we will also be closing early on Wednesday. We will re-open on Friday, and this coming weekend is the last weekend with office hours until January, as December features Mon-Fri office hours. On Monday, we begin taking reservations from those enrolled in our BIC Program (and the real football game this week is on Monday night, with Saints vs Pats). Last week, I had mentioned a tought start for summer rec staffer Tyler B and his collegiate wrestling debut with Hofstra, but he rebounded quite well and placed 2nd in a tournament in North Carolina, defeating last year's high school national champion in the semis. At this time, it appears that the funeral service for Buck's father will be held on Sunday, November 29 in Norwich at the Beth Jacob Synagogue http://www.bethjacobnorwich.org/ 400 New London Tpk (about 10-15 minutes from the campground) tentatively at 1pm. Details should be finalized later today, and the obituary is expected to appear in the local paper on Wednesday. I will send out an email and post the specifics on Wednesday morning, once everything is determined.

Jacob Biber 1915-2009

2009-11-22T09:22:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, Jacob Biber passed away in Florida with his sons Buck, Ben and Joe at his side. He is survived by his wife Eva. Jake had battled cancer, and it had recently returned. As many of you know, the past few months have been very difficult. At this time, funeral arrangements are incomplete, but they will take place here in CT, most likely on Monday, Nov 30. While many of you know Buck & Sonia and Josh and Melissa, most of our current campers may be unaware of Jake's story, for while you may know that he founded the Preston Trading Post, this was long after his emigration and struggles that were documented in his first book "Survivors", published in 1982. It is still available in print, and the following are excerpts from some reviews: "This is a story of man's inhumanity to man and the struggle of two people whose very survival is in itself a miracle. It is a story that needs to be told... it is a true story." "For those who were not interned in the camps, the War was no less real or devastating in its impact. Survivors brings that point home with telling force." ~Ivan Katz, New Haven Register"Survivors by Jacob Biber is the kind of book you want to read in one sitting." ~Elizabeth Lengyel, The Day, New London"Once in a while, a book arrives from a little publishing house that turns out to be a little diamond. Such a book is Survivors by Jacob Biber." ~Bill Pike, Willimantic Cronicle"Despite its tragic theme, Survivors is not a depressing book, it is an inspiring one." ~Margaret Vasington, Hartford Courant. The following comes from an early issue of The Preston Pipeline, and offers a glimpse into Jake's story (as he often contributed poetry to that publication). Preston Trading Post was started in 1974, by Jacob Biber, in the then vacant Biber Egg Farms, processing plant. Jacob, a Holocaust survivor, settled in Preston with his wife Eva, and had three sons. They settled on a dairy farm, the barn of which, later would become the original Preston Trading Post. Mr. Biber eventually converted his dairy farm to chicken farming, as this was a popular activity in Preston in the 50's and 60's. The extent of the business grew and the business was shipping eggs to large chains in New England and New York. In 1973, Jacob sold the business, but kept the property. In traditional New England style, Jacob was restive and industrious. He determined to occupy himself, and the buildings, with a small retail business, and still sell some eggs, but also sell estate furniture, antiques, collectibles, and the like. This was the Trading Post's beginnings. In 198 1, two weeks before Christmas, a terrible fire destroyed the original structure. The Bibers were undeterred. Using their existing warehouse, (a former chicken coop), they converted it to the store that stands today. His son Joe continues to operate PTP. Jake published another book titled "Risen from the Ashes" just a few years ago, and despite being 94 years old, retained his accuity. His 2nd book is described as follows: When Jacob Biber and his wife Eva escaped from the Ukraine, after a series of harrowing adventures that saw most of his family killed by the Nazis, an uncertain future awaited the refugee Jews. In the ruins of postwar Germany, Biber and his family and the other survivors were herded into temporary camps erected by the Allied soldiers, unable to return to their destroyed homes in Russia and other parts of Europe. Many would go to Israel, others would come to the United States, still others would seek South American homes. This is the moving story of what happened to the remnants of the great Jewish civilization in Europe, and how each individual began rebuilding his and her life anew.

Buck and his family have appreciated the concern that so many campers have expressed over the course of these last few months. On a personal level, I must thank Jake for playing a great part in where I am today. When the holidays roll around and you watch Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life", about how one life can impact so many, you sometimes forget how true that is. If you remove all the obvious ancestral ties, there are probably a few hundred people, perhaps more, who, if not for their existence, your own life would be readically different. As I began working summers at a local tomato farm, my father had recently changed jobs and after many years at Gorin's Furniture and Campo's in New London, had begun working at the Preston Trading Post selling furniture for Jake. Being a Preston native, I had recalled visiting the Post many times, and distinctly remember buying thousands of baseball cards from the "original store", and remarking that I was getting a great deal because they were selling "old" cards at current prices. When I was old enough to find a non-farming summer job, I applied to Strawberry Park, and I am sure that there was a little nepostism in helping me land work at the business run by my dad's boss's son. If not for Jacob Biber, I would not be working at Strawberry Park, would never have met Jen and had our two wonderful boys. Thank you Jacob, and in an attempt to offer the proper Yiddish blessing, "Alav hashalom". Our thoughts are with the entire Biber family.

Can we trade Nov for Oct (and a month to be named later)?

2009-11-20T15:03:00.003-05:00

Once again, looks like another beautiful November weekend, already surpassing the number of great weekend days in October. The "summer water" is now off to all sites (winter water remains on for our long term winter caretakers), and some preliminary leaf work has begun. I did get a few emails from folks who could not see the new website, but in most cases it was the result of a "bookmark" not being refreshed. The office will be open this weekend, but just a reminder that the month of December is the only time when the office is closed on weekends, as we resume reservations and office hours in January. Today's website feature note: On the directions page, you can zoom in and see an aerial of the campground. While we were able to donate any unopened goods from the Grill & Creamery to the local shelter, we do have a few tubs of opened ice cream that we can't donate, and since the freezers will be going off soon, we may have some free dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner if you can't find a pumpkin pie. I am tempted to put up a survey question about a remaining performer slot at the BG Fest, but until the festival crowd starts viewing, it may be a limited response...so I will wait. I did add a little google search tool to the blog in case you want to find something from blogs gone by. Speaking of days gone by, heading to a surprise birthday party tonight for a former fellow employee. It was so long ago (she worked here during HS and college and is now celebrating the big 4-0) that there is absolutely no risk of her finding out from this blog--but if you do run into Kevin or Nini between now and 6:30 tonight, don't say anything. Now that the website is updated, time to focus on the brochure, since RV Show Season is less than 2 months away.

Welcome to the NEW strawberrypark.net!!

2009-11-19T12:00:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the many folks who helped find any little glitches with the new website, as it officially launched today. We are still in the process of going through all the "links" to make sure that they do not refer to an "old" web page. Also, thanks to those who have taken the time to provide reviews at either Trip Advisor or the ARVC website. Strawberry Park had a high enough score average to receive national recognition, but did not have enough total reviews (50 were needed and we had 40-something). Special thanks to our facebook friends who took the time to offer a review--hope your crops didn't fail while they went unattended. It is now time to focus on the brochure, as camping shows are just around the corner, with Hartford and Boston each happening in January. Now that virtually all the leaves have fallen, the first round of leaf clean up has begun. Thanks again to so many who bagged and raked their own site (and in the case of some folks like Bob G down around site 261, some sites around them). Many of the large piles have already been picked up, and the bagged leaves are next. As noted recently, the line-up for Bluegrass is nearly complete, and we are now focusing on finalizing Cajun/Zydeco. If you have not already signed up for the email notified on the new website, it will alert you whenever anything new is posted to the homepage...which will probably be a weekly type of thing, not nearly as frequent, in-depth or personal as the blog.

Camper Reviews & Comments

2009-11-18T11:49:00.002-05:00

One of our website pages features information about various campground review & ratings pages. There are quite a few out there, and some are easier to navigate than others. Whenever you have guests posting comments, you have to expect that there will be a few folks that were unhappy with some aspect of their visit. Overall, the vast majority of comments that are posted are quite positive, and our overall average scores represent some of the highest of any campgrounds. As we prepare to launch our new website this week, we invite any of our campers who have not already posted a review or provided a rating to do so. Although Trip Advisor is not for "campgrounds only" (like most others), it has earned a reputation among travelers as a resource, so feel free to add your two cents http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g33894-d119854-Reviews-Strawberry_Park_Resort-Preston_Connecticut.html. A fairly recent addition has been reviews through "Go Camping America", part of the Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, http://www.guestreviews.com/Members/EmailTemplates/SurveyInvitation.aspx?CustomerId=273. They offer a simple scoring survey and provide feedback to the campgrounds (unlike many of the other review sites). Many folks appear to view "RV Park Reviews", but their format can be a little confusing, as multiple campgrounds show up together if they are in the same town http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/Connecticut/Preston.html. If you have a few minutes, we invite you to offer your thoughts.

Festivals vs Concerts

2009-11-17T15:30:00.002-05:00

Every now and then, someone shows up at one of our music festivals thinking that it is some sort of free offering. Not quite sure how they figure the bands would get paid, but it would be good to consider the value of attending a festival vs attending a concert. Let's even assume that the headliners are the same for each, with a concert offering a perhaps a preliminary act followed by the star of the show. If you attend a concert in any city, you need to pay for parking. This could range from $5 if you are lucky, to upwards of $20 or more. Joining us for the day at the festival? Parking is free. If you attend a concert, you can't bring in any food or drink, so be prepared for movie theater pricing if you want a soda or a snack. At a festival, you can pack a picnic basket or cooler of your favorite food (or you can visit our snack bar...or try something you can't get at a concert: food from a specialty vendor such as The Chili Brothers). Ever think about taking your kids to the concert with you? If you do, you'll need to pay full price for a seat, same as an adult. If you plan on leaving them home, you need to shell out $$$ for a sitter. At most festivals (including ours) kids are free, and teens are 1/2 price. Ever consider asking the hotel next door to the concert venue if you can take a swim in their pool? Not likely, but at one of our music festivals, you and the family can swim in the pools, realx in the hot tubs etc. At a concert, you might get to see 1 or 2 performers, while on a Saturday during Bluegrass, there are 7-10 different acts taking the stage. At a concert, what are the chances you can talk with the stars either before or after their performance? Not very likely, but at festivals, most of the acts are hanging out, selling CDs and mingling with their fans. Lastly, just a thought for some festival attendees who don't understand why it costs more to see a Cajun/Zydeco band up here than it does to see them in their home state of LA or TX...please consider travel costs for the bands, many of whom must fly up north. And for the folks who expect the shows to be free? In these days of fiscal care, there are not many towns that are budgeting free concerts for their residents (although some events are still subsidized by the towns that host them). Strawberry Park is once again looking forward to presenting a world-class line-up of talent for both our Bluegrass Festival on June 3-6 and our Blast from the Bayou Cajun/Zydeco Fest on June 10-13. It should also be noted that the price for a weekend pass has gone up a total of $1 in the last 5 years, with more big names than ever. We look forward to you joining us in June.

Advance Screening of new website

2009-11-16T12:44:00.002-05:00

We are offering an advance screening of our newly designed website (Sherman would be proud of my theatrical terminology), as we expect to launch the new site later this week. Please let us know if you find anything that does not seem to work (such as any links), as it may take a week to work out any kinks. http://www2.strawberrypark.net/ I don't really know how some of the technical stuff works, but Leslie and her fine friends at Streamlined Development have been working to make the transfer painless. Tough day for some football fans on Sunday...what is worse, getting dominated all game and knowing it was ugly (the Cowboys vs Packers), or winning all game and blowing a late lead (the Pats)? I'd lean toward the Pats loss being more painful. For those who recall our Rec Staff from the summer, Tyler B is a former Griswold wrestler who made it to the New England finals as a senior, and is now at Hofstra, a top 25 division 1 program (there have been very few CT wrestlers who have gone on to wrestle at major college programs). He beat a blue-chip recruit from Minnesota to earn his first ever varsity start on Sunday, and wouldn't you know that he drew the last bout of the day, and despite Hofstra being favored over Buffalo, it all came down to his match. He wrestled well, and kept his opponent scoreless, getting a lead, and increasing it to 4-0 with a takedown with just over 15 seconds left. Suddenly, something that I don't recall happening to him in a long, long time...he got caught, reversed and taken to his back for a 5 point move and lost 5-4, giving Buffalo a 16-16 tie. Jen and I watched on the internet ($5 for a live feed), while Matt was actually in Long Island and went to watch. Just want to let him know that we are all proud of his accomplishments, and hope he rebounds well. I don't know if I have been so involved in watching a match since I left coaching many years ago, but Tyler and his classmate Brock (yes, there are more Brocks out there) were both part of our Griswold program, and were both State Champs and New England finalists as seniors (the last time I watched such a painful loss). Good new is that since I have no close ties to any current wrestlers/athletes, I won't be a suffering fan until Brock & Reed start playing sports.

New website almost ready

2009-11-13T16:08:00.003-05:00

Hoping to launch the new website by the end of next week, as we prepare for the early BIC reservation calls on Nov 30. For you music festival fans, the line-ups are becoming finalized, and should have a list of Bluegrass performers early next week...with the Cajun/Zydeco roster to follow shortly thereafter. Look for some new photos, many of which were submitted by campers. Speaking of photos, Bill & Brenda Dias (winners of our Bocce Tournament on Columbus Day Weekend) recently returned from Vegas where they renewed their wedding vows in celebration of their 40th anniversary. They would like to invite their Strawberry Park friends to view the video from Graceland Chapel (Elvis presides over the ceremony), and it is available on the www.gracelandchapel.com website until Nov 23--just search for William and Brenda Dias. While their daughters and grandchildren could not make the trip to Vegas, they were fortunate to meet up with some dear friends who now reside in Las Vegas and were able to serve as Best Man and Matron of Honor, Pastor Linda M and her husband Ernie. Congrats to the couple on 40 years of marriage.

Thanks for the photos

2009-11-11T11:56:00.003-05:00

Thanks to so many for sending some great photos that we hope to use in the 2010 brochure and on the new website (launching by Nov 25). Nice to see so many have joined our Facebook "fan" site, up over 140 now. I had mentioned seeking newer photos, and made reference to some of our former campers, which made me think of how often odd items become permanent nick-names. At teen softball in the 80's, there was a camper named Rob who often wore a Mets jersey (Dykstra), and his nickname became Lenny. In fact, most people here thought his name was actually "Lenny", and 20 years later, when his parents refer to him in talking with me, they say "Lenny" because they know that I'll know who they mean. Another prime example is long-time employee Jon M. There are probably plenty of folks who think his nickname of "Pills" is some inappropriate quaalude reference, but it came from his classic Pillsbury Doughboy t-shirt. I guess I even answer to "Gilligan" pretty regularly due to the hat. A few others that come to mind, including another Mets fan, this time an adult. Since "Bud" was already a nickname for Walter, it did not change...but when a 2nd adult starting showing up at adult softball in a Met jersey, he became "Bud Light", which 15 years later is still how he is known by many (in fact, I am not sure I know his real name). Camp nicknames are often needed when there are multiple people with the same first name (we had 5 Georges pose for a photo last year, and half the horseshoe players one weekend were named Tom), and some classics have been provided by Rich L. Unfortunately, most of the ones he attaches are derogatory and sarcastic, so I can't repeat them (but they are very funny). Ever since "Cranky Phil" left, there has been no real need to refer to "Black Sox Phil", as he is the only Phil in town. And yes, Cranky Phil earned that one (how many horseshoe players force their inexperienced partners to practice at the trees between games?). I am sure there are plenty of other examples, but that is more than enough. One Gene becomes "Scoop", one John becomes "LJ" (how is someone that big Little John? I don't want to see Big John). And who could forget the one that many kids called "the many with the funny hats". Not sure what the native American translation would be for that title that Roger had...might just have to ask Eskimo Dave.

Photos Wanted for 2010 Brochure

2009-11-09T09:27:00.003-05:00

As we put together the 2010 brochure and update the website, we are seeking some new photos to be included. Probably have enough Halloween costume photos, but other than that, looking for HW decorated sites, activity action shots (other than mud wrestling), or anything else that you think might be usable. Keep in mind that it should hopefully include stuff that makes it a "Strawberry Park" photo, differentiating it from a shot that could have been taken at home. Could use a kid on a bike (with helmet, off course), and maybe a volleyball, washer toss, disc golf and bocce photo, among others. I guess the easiest plan would be for the photos (please don't include too many in one email) to be sent to me at david@strawberrypark.net, with subject "photos". I will also put a note on the Facebook page, which last I knew had almost 100 fans. Hope everyone enjoyed the nicest weather weekend of the entire fall season.

Congrats & Best Wishes to Emily on her Wedding Day

2009-11-07T08:31:00.002-05:00

Long time gate staffer Emily is getting married today, and it looks like a beautiful day. I think the reception is over at Lake of Isles, so crashers will be welcome. Perhaps some of them will eventually meander over to Jewett City tonight where the Outriggers will be playing. As for me, looking forward to enjoying the first weekend off since April. Perhaps some raking leaves and gutter cleaning is in order...but only if Brock's raking blisters have healed and Reed can overcome his fear of heights. Just kidding--have a great weekend, and enjoy UConn vs Cinci in primetime football action tonight (I keep thinking former employee and UConn alum Dave "Hinch-Cat" must be a wreck after the Huskies have been winning every game of the season late in the 4th quarter, only to find themselves 4-4 and dealing with the aftermath of their tragedy. Tonight is the night for redemption Hinchey!

Enjoy this weekend's weather

2009-11-05T09:05:00.002-05:00

Maybe my much-maligned meteorologists will be right and the weekend will be nice, for although there are no activities happening (other than perhaps a celebratory Yankee Victory Parade), the water is on through at least Nov 8. Probably a good weekend to do a final cleaning of the trailer and to bring home any stuff that might freeze up over the winter, such as jars of baby food. If you are heading this way, a reminder that The Outriggers are playing just a few miles down the road on Saturday night in Jewett City. Jen & I did enjoy a nice anniversary dinner at the Inn at Woodstock Hill last night, which is where we had our brunch the day after the wedding. Nice place. Got home just in time to see Godzilla wreak havoc on Petey and his Philly phriends. Jen is thrilled that she can now associate our anniversary with World Title #27.

November Reminders

2009-11-04T13:24:00.002-05:00

Will be sending out a November reminder to all of our long term campers along with the final electric billing of the season. Thanks to Jen for setting up the new Facebook page--hope you "friend" us. Or "fan" us, whatever the terminology might be. Working on the new website design, and hope to go live just before Thanksgiving. For our blog followers, you get advance notice of the newsletter highlights. Some leaf work is being done, but most will take place in the spring. Remember, daily trash pick up has concluded for the season. Next year's calendar of events shows that Oldies Weekend will be a couple of weeks later than it has been, with Memorial Day happening so late. All 4 Halloweens will be in October, including HW #4 on Oct 29-31. The annual unit owners budget meeting was hopefully going to happen in November, but still working on the details and waiting for the accountants, so it looks like it may be delayed until January (notice will be mailed once the date is set, and will be posted here as well). Our annual New Year's Eve Party is taking a one year break. With New Year's Eve on a Thursday this year, we may face the struggles of last year, with many having difficulty getting here after work. Already looking forward to next year, and will try to check with The Outriggers this weekend (they are playing just down the road in Griswold on Sat night) about next year. To be honest, it is not a bad idea to take a year off from the usual routine. Also, there were a significant number of guests who were unable to make it last year and expected a refund. Many had trouble understanding that the ticket price simply covers costs of entertainment and door prizes. Also, a quick reminder that unless you are a designated long term caretaker, the daily use of your campsite has concluded for the season. You can still drop in for weekends, but daily use is not permitted this time of year. Looks like the water will remain on through the upcoming weekend, even though some cold temps are predicted and perhaps even a little frozen precip. Since the Yankees did not clinch on Monday, looks like I may need to get score updates during our date night out for our anniversary tonight.

New Addition to Facebook

2009-11-03T08:29:00.002-05:00

Today we've launched our Facebook Page. On the right hand side of this page, you will see a link to become a Fan of Strawberry Park. We will be posting regular updates and some photos throughout the year. We will continue the blog for those of you looking for further wit and satire from Dave.