New Band Hoping to Perform--"Brock & Roll Wailers"

We receive hundreds of requests to perform at either our Bluegrass Festival or our Cajun/Zydeco Event (as well as from those who wish to play at a Thursday night bonfire or Sunday night at the pool). Some musical claims are tough to verify--with today's high tech gadgets, anyone can make a CD sound halfway decent. I will never forget one of our Country Western Weekend performers from about 10 years back. He sent email after email...and he was from down in the TN area. Page after page of places he had performed, and an extensive song list. So we booked him for the Friday night bonfire. He was awful with a capital "A". Not just bad, but when he showed up alone (he was supposed to have a small band), he had no real instruments...just a "karaoke" type system, where he provided the vocals. I am guessing he really played at all the places he listed...ONCE. He would never have been invited back anywhere. With that said, we also hear about "child prodigy" performers...mostly in the fields of BG and C/Z. Today, we present a hot new duo looking to break into the club scene. On keyboard, and lead vocals, is Brock (also a strong percussionist). Backing him up (with a strong set of pipes, especially suited for those late, late night gigs) is Reed, who is also proficient in matching sounds from the horn section. Just figured it was time for a photo update of the boys, who are doing very well. Have a great weekend, as I will be down in New Haven at the Athletic Center for the State Open Wrestling Tournament. Perhaps Sunday's precip will stay as rain, but that is not what they are predicting. Still can't believe that "Fill Your Card" is winning in the Bingo vote.

Hot Winter Deals on a few Sites/RVs For Sale

This is the time of year that many families are out looking for seasonal sites. The RV Shows are winding down this weekend with Providence, RI being the last of the winter RV Shows. We already have more seasonal bookings for the upcoming 2009 season than we had at the end of 2008, and we typically see another 10-15 new seasonals reserve during March and early April. While we still have approximately 30 sites on hold for potential long term bookings, there are also a few sites and RVs that are "For Sale", either "FSBO" or via Strawberry Park. Including the following:

On Consignment through Strawberry Park

Site 25
Priced for Quick Sale!
2003 Breckenridge Park Model
Winter Water, Electric, Sewer, Cable
Great Family Location. Nicely Landscaped Site
$110,000

Site 166
2000 Breckenridge Park Model with loft,
4-season room
Extra Dry Well on Site
$128,000

Site 183
1994 Renaissance Park Model with attached
3 season room and large back deck
Grill Piped into the Gas Tank. Large Landscaped Site
$135,000--Reduced

Site 109H
Price Reduced
1999 Layton 39’ RV with 2 slides
Model 3975, Water, Electric, Cable
30’ x 12’ Three Season Room
Large Site with built in Drainage, Fenced
$138,000--Reduced

Site 210
1996 Woodland Park Park Model with loft, huge 3 season room, Water, Electric Cable
2 Decks, Large Site, Quiet Location, Nestled in the Woods
$140,000

Site 192
2002 Wildwood 37 BHS Travel Trailer
Water, Electric and Cable
Amazingly Landscaped Site, Huge Deck Hard Awning, Close to Activities
$150,000

Site 318
1997 Woodland Park Park Model
Site has water, electricity, cable
3 Season Room with 2 Decks, Large Spacious, with Open Field Behind Lot.
$159,900--Reduced

Site 18
2001 Quail Ridge Park Model with 4 Season Room
Site includes Winter Water, Electric, Cable, Sewer.
$179,000--Reduced

Site 9 (photo shown at top of page)
2001 Castle Point Park Model with 3 season room. Double loft, Pergo floors, large deck
Sewer is Available to be installed.
RV Trade-in welcome. Custom fireplace.
$189,900

RV Only (does NOT include site)

RV on Site 193
RV ONLY- 2003 Gulf Stream Mako
25 FRBW ½ Ton Towable,
Fully Loaded Includes Hitch and Cover
$15,000

Park Models located in Visitor Parking
Park Model—2008 Pullman Coach
Brand new Park Model on display—buy this one, or we can customize a floor plan
$55,600

Park Model—2008 Heritage
Brand new Park Model on display—buy this one, or we can customize a floor plan
$54,900

As of February 26, 2009. For Information – Please Call Sales Office 860-892-2086 (limited winter hours) or Main Office Toll Free 888-794-7944

This advertisement is not an offering. Sales of co-operative units will be made only in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Interstate Land Sales Act, the Connecticut Common Interest Ownership Act and any other applicable law and regulations. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from sponsor.

For Sale By Owner

Site 421--Elaine L
(860)779-8696
(860)428-3674
2006 Chariot Eagle Park Model
**Site available for seasonal booking or for separate purchase**
Sleeps 6, 1 Bedroom with 2 sleeper sofas, Priced for Quick Sale
RV ONLY—Does NOT include site
$39,900--Motivated

Site 317--Kevin & Chris G
(631) 651-9662
W/E/C Site with deck & drywell
Site Only—Does NOT include RV
$105,000

Site 49--Jim B
Price Reduced
(203) 577-7538
(203) 879-7898
2005 Skyline Park Model with Hard awning. Site has water, elec, cable
Double Privacy loft Corner Lot
Sewer available site
$127,500--Reduced

Site 304--Carol N
(860) 859-0402
1997 Canterbury PM w/ loft, deck & awning.Winter water, elec, sewer, cable
Large corner lot. 2 storage boxes. Screen room
$139,000

As of February 26, 2009.
This advertisement is not an offering. Sales of co-operative units will be made only in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Interstate Land Sales Act, the Connecticut Common Interest Ownership Act and any other applicable law and regulations. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from sponsor.

Preston Voters Approve Hospital Land Purchase

In a rather close vote, the town of Preston has elected to purchase the former Norwich State Hospital property from the State of CT for $1. The 400 acre property purchase excludes about 50 acres over the Norwich border, and also excludes about 30 acres that was used as an ash landfill. The closing is set for Friday, and then Preston can once again begin marketing the property, determining the costs of ownership (security, insurance, clean-up etc), with the State of CT covering costs for the first year. For more info, see the articles in today's New London Day http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4736af89-4329-4eb9-993b-3acf2278c093 and Norwich Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x1056823423/Preston-narrowly-approves-buying-hospital-property. As noted in a prior posting, I was a bit unsure about the best outcome (and based on our Blog Poll, even more unsure about how the vote would play out), I remain confident in the group of individuals who have devoted thousands of hours as members of the advisory group for the town. Their efforts are probably not appreciated nearly as much as they deserve, and have been subjected to a variety of negative comments from folks who don't feel that anybody from rural Preston could possibly be sophisticated enough to deal with a project of this magnitude. Although the group did not always see eye to eye, and some members will no longer remain on board due to the outcome of this vote, they have always done what each believes is in the best interest of Preston...and they deserve the thanks of all residents.

Easter Weekend at Strawberry Park (April 10-12) & Dale Ann Bradley Preview

In 2008, Easter was so early (March 23) that it was impossible to offer an "Easter Weekend", as the water was not yet on to all campsites. This year, Easter falls on the most common time, which is the 2nd weekend of April (in 2010, it is a little earlier on April 4, and then in 2011, it falls about as late as it can on April 24). This is one of those years where Easter is on the same day as the final round of The Masters golf tourney (I guess it would be more proper to say that the golf event falls on Easter). Therefore, some Easter Weekend traditions return to Strawberry Park, including our Easter Egg and Candy Hunt early Sunday morning, egg coloring on Saturday, Bingo and a Saturday night dance. While the activities won't start until late day Friday, many campers who have Good Friday off from work do make this a 3-day weekend. There is still pretty good site availability, although we do have more campers than ever taking advantage of our spring special, which includes April 3rd through May 10 (Mother' Day Weekend). I guess since we are talking Easter, today's festival band profile should be on one of the Sunday morning performers. Dale Ann Bradley returns to our Bluegrass Festival once again this year, and she will be following Dry Branch Fire Squad on May 31. Dale Ann has been named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in both 2007 and 2008. Dale Ann performed here back when she was a member of the New Coon Creek Girls, and has appeared with her own band many times since. For more info, visit http://www.daleann.com/

New for Oldies Weekend--Classic Car Show

Oldies Weekend (May 1-3) at Strawberry Park will feature something new... A Classic Car Show, with a $25 future reservation credit for campers bringing a pre-1975 vehicle to display, and a prize for the car receiving the most votes. Our goal is for some of our campers to bring their classic cars. I am hoping we can count on a few of our seasonals and owners to take part, and the plan is for this to happen late afternoon on Saturday, prior to that night's Shirley Alston Reeves concert. Way back in the early days of Strawberry Park, there were a few horse shows and car shows...but the weather proved to be too great a risk for events requiring an influx of day visitors. We are hoping that in addition to having some campers bring a few classic cars, we might be able to convince some of the local groups of classic car owners to join us. During the summer, the rooftop of the Mohegan Sun garage attracts many vintage cars on Wednesday nights, while Ocean Beach Park in New London also has a weekly show. For the first year, we will be thrilled to have 12-20 cars on display. We shall see. Tuesday (Feb 24) is the big vote in Preston regarding the hospital property. If our blog poll is any indication, the vote will be close. Remember, if you are a long term camper who wishes to vote, you may do so. Just be sure to indicate that you are on the "grand list" and not the "resident voter roll."

Dry Branch Fire Squad back for 2009 Bluegrass Festival

Over the years, there have been hundreds of different performers at Strawberry Park's 31 prior Bluegrass Festivals, ranging from local talent to rising stars like Alison Krauss and established icons such as Ricky Skaggs. However, I don't think that there has been a group that has been here more times than Dry Branch Fire Squad. The band has been around since 1976, and has performed at Strawberry Park more times than not. Not only do they provide great music, but Ron Thomason is as humorous and entertaining as anyone we have ever had on stage. He has taught English and math at many levels, and enjoys a variety of interests. I still recall one of the band's early t-shirts, something about the "evolution of Dry Branch", with Darwinian illustrations. It was a shirt worn often by Syl Serra, a long-time camper and former employee who sadly passed away a few years back from pancreatic cancer. Dry Branch was his favorite band (although I know he enjoyed giving golf cart tours to some of the lovely young ladies who have performed here, including Alison Krauss and Jenny Paquette at our CW Jamboree). Dry Branch also hosts a festival of their own in NY each summer (Grey Fox), so they have an understanding of what it takes to produce this type of event. Even if you are one of our long-term campers who may not be a big BG fan, I suggest you catch one of Dry Branch's sets. They will perform on Saturday, May 30 and will also host the gospel hour Sunday morning. We look forward to their return--and I am sure Ron will also be conducting one of our instrumental workshops (we just need to let him know if it will be guitar or mandolin).

http://www.drybranchfiresquad.com/index.htm

http://www.greyfoxbluegrass.com/general/home.php

Have a great weekend. If you are in the Worcester area, stop by the RV Show. I will be busy running another wrestling tournament over in Uncasville, but Matt, Brittany and Emily will have things covered up in MA.

Campground "Review" Sites

There are a growing number of websites that feature listings of campgrounds. Some are extremely helpful when prospective campers are looking for a campground. Strawberry Park understands that everyone has different tastes, and we cater to families seeking a clean, secure campground that offers events and activities for all ages. We have found the following websites that offer “campground reviews” to be reputable and useful. You are invited to see what others are saying about Strawberry Park, and we encourage those who have camped with us to post a review. Some are "generic" and well-known (such as Trip Advisor), while others are specific to the camping industry. Some are very easy to navigate, while others are a bit more complicated. Some require that you register to post comments, while others do not. Some offer the campground a chance to respond to any negative posts, while others do not. There are many campgrounds out there that would rather not have their prospective campers know about these type of review websites, as some can be rather critical. Are we naive enough to think that every single camper who comes to Strawberry Park will suddenly make us their favorite destination? No, we are proud of what we offer, and with the exception of a few critical comments (if you ever take the time to search "all reviews" by people who post a negative comment, you find that they are typically unhappy with life in general), most folks seem to have a pretty good time. Granted, if you are looking for a secluded mountain stream with nobody within a mile, Strawberry Park may not be for you...but if you are seeking a resort campground that caters to families, we think you will enjoy your stay. Give us a call.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g33894-d119854-Reviews-Strawberry_Park_Resort-Preston_Connecticut.html

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/Connecticut/Preston.html

http://rvbuddy.com/post-a-review/

http://camping.about.com/od/campgroundreviews/l/blpcgndx.htm

New National Standards for Swimming Pools

You have probably heard about the new regulations for swimming pools regarding anti-entrapment design. The Virginia Graeme Baker Act is now in place, and requires that all pools have certain drain covers and structural designs that would prevent someone from becoming trapped by a drain that does not release when blocked. Replacing the drain covers will be fairly easy, provided that the covers are readily available (there has been talk of shortages, as every pool drain cover in the country must be converted to the new standard). The more complicated issue has to do with "Safety Vacuum Release Systems" and separation of bottom drains. If a pool has 2 bottom drains that are at least 3 feet apart, all that is needed are updated covers. For pools and spas that have only a single bottom drain, the options include adding a second drain (breaking through the pool bottom and installing another drain, then re-surfacing) or installing SVRS pump sytems that would prevent suction blockage. While work has been done on most indoor pools in the northeast, there have been some that have closed due to the complexity and cost of the requirements. All outdoor pool owners will be scrambling in the spring to be in compliance. We are currently looking at any and all options, and have received a range of "solutions" from various pool companies. We are purposely getting started early so as not to delay the opening of any of our pools, which typically consists of the hot tubs opening on the first weekend in May, and the large pools opening one at a time over Mother's Day and Carnival Weekend, with all pools open by Memorial Day. Unfortunately, none of the work can be started until the ice melts and the pools can be drained down--which hopefully is just around the corner.

Rhonda Vincent at Strawberry Park...and Google Analytics

While everyone knows about "Google" (whether in the noun or verb form), not everyone is aware of Google Analytics. I must admit that until about a year ago, I knew very little about it. Quite simply, if you have a business with a web site, it is amazingly simple to find out things such as "What cities/states are visiting my website?" or perhaps more importantly "How are visitors finding my website?" (such as through other links). It is really quite versatile, and best of all, it is free. Check it out sometime, if you have not already done so. Today's feature band will be one of the biggest names in bluegrass...Rhonda Vincent. We are pleased to have Rhonda back again this year (she will perform on Friday), and look forward to her new band members. As with almost all groups, there are line-up changes made every so often, sometimes due to folks starting their own group, and other times just some swapping around of key musicians. For a more complete review of one of Rhonda's recent performances, visit Ted Lehmann's blog http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/2009/02/palatka-bluegrass-festival-2009.html For more info on Rhonda, visit her site http://www.nemr.net/~rhondav/ She has always been a crowd favorite, mostly due to her musical skills, but also in part due to her willingness to meet her fans and treat them so well. Her band is also traditionally one of the hardest working bands in the business, on the road performing almost every night. If you have not seen her show, even if you are not a Bluegrass fan, you should see her on May 29.

Happy President's Day Holiday

Some local schools are off all week, others have a couple of days off, while some are off only today. Glenn is still at the NY RV Show in Suffern, where it has been quite busy, while Matt is finishing up in Springfield...also a busy weekend for the RV Show, as the good weather helped. Not many made Saurday night at the RV Show a romantic Valentine's date night...wonder why? I did hear a couple of "romantic movie" surveys that included both my favorite and Jen's favorite..."The Notebook" and "The Princess Bride" (you can probably guess which is whose). Unfortunately, I was busy all Valentine's Day running a wrestling tournament, but cany from Jen kept me going, as well as a nice card that Brock made. Looks like the votes on the hospital land purchase are running fairly even at this time. Some sad local news today, as a Preston teacher (1st grade teacher Cynthia Carano, age 45) passed away unexpectedly this weekend from a bacterial infection. Our condolences go out to her family and her little students, who will certainly face some difficulty when they return to school this week. http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=18117a6b-bc3a-4e00-8a6a-00fda6fabf79

Tough Decision for Town of Preston on Feb 24

As most of our long term campers are aware, the Town of Preston has been trying to find a developer for the former Norwich State Hospital property, over 400 acres located across the river from Mohegan Sun. The first preferred developer (Utopia, an amusement park plan) wound up being dismissed due to an inability to meet requirements established by the town, primarily financial in nature. Following that, a new search narrowed the field to a pair of potential parties, each of which involved some housing, a golf course and other components. Due to the current economic environment, the chosen developer was unable to guarantee that certain elements of the project would be completed in a timely manner. The town once again was forced to part ways with another potential developer. As all of this was happening, Preston's option to purchase the property from the state of CT for $1 was quickly running out of time. While it may appear that the chance to buy over 400 acres for $1 is a no-brainer, there are serious contamination issues on the property. Although the state has not wavered on the time limit, it has offered to continue to pay upkeep on the property for an extra year if Preston were to purchase. The Board of Selectmen have voted 2-1 to go forward with the potential purchase, and it will now be put to a vote. Residents and those on the grand list (such as long term campers who pay personal property tax on their RV) are eligible to vote. Unlike some prior referendums where Strawberry Park has felt our best interests were served by a vote in one particular direction, it is not as clear this time. The advisory committee has worked long and hard to steer Preston in the right direction, but there are now two key elements at play in this vote: maintaining control of what is developed on the property vs potential tax increases. If Preston does not purchase the land, the state of CT can do whatever it deems appropriate with the land...and while it would seem like a wasteful use of such a prime piece of real estate, there is no guarantee that it would not become an ash landfill, a prison or a housing project that could greatly impact Preston's school enrollment. Conversely, if Preston buys the property, there is no assurance that a developer will be found to not only create a desired project, but to pay for the clean up (estimated to be in the $10 million range). If no developer is found, Preston will be facing a tax shortfall, as currently the state makes PILOT payments (payment in lieu of taxes) to the town. The vote will take place on February 24. Just for fun, we are conducting a survey in this week's "blog poll", so let us know your stance. If you ask me, I must admit to being rather ambivalent. Sorry. For more information, the following articles may shed more light on the situation (especially since I wrote most of the above from memory, unlike reporters who usually do research).

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=bd3ebb7f-f0ae-4a2f-aa01-6d4a0bda0f08

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=7e830fc4-c2e5-4aca-ace4-4a16ec10e39a

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=5e115ed9-88e0-4ed2-9b3d-9ca040dcb865

Or visit the Preston web site (which is well organized and kept up to date very nicely) http://www.preston-ct.org/

Enjoy the weekend, and perhaps you will see Strawberry Park at the camping show in Springfield, MA or Suffern, NY (but I will be tied up running a wrestling tournament). Oh, and a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone from Dave, Jen, Brock and Reed!

It's Good to See the Green, Green Grass of Home

Finally, a little warm weather has melted away most of the snow that lingered for far too long. The softball field is finally visible, although much too muddy for a game. Unlike most years, it appears that the 2 big camping shows on President's Day Weekend will be snow-free. Typically, Springfield Mass (at the Big E) and Suffern, NY (at Rockland CC) suffer at least one day of snow during the show. While it is not supposed to hit the mid-60's like yesterday, it should be decent. Folks are starting to think about spring and camping, which will be here before we know it. Both shows expect to be very busy...as was the Foxboro RV Show last weekend. If you are in NY, stop by and see Glenn...and if you are in MA, you may see Mary, Matt, Allison or Emily, depending on which day you attend. Speaking of green, green...today's featured festival band is "The Iguanas", who will be performing on Saturday, June 6 (Cajun/Zydeco Festival). The band just received an award for best Roots Rock Album of 2008 from "OffBeat Magazine" which covers all New Orleans based music. For more info on the band, who performed here a couple of years ago, see http://www.iguanas.com/index2.html

Jonathan Edwards returns to Strawberry Park

In our continuing profiles of festival performers, we feature Jonathan Edwards, who has been on our stage at both our Folk Festival and our Bluegrass Festival. This year, he will take the stage on Sunday, May 31 during the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival...and he will be joined by Taylor Armerding on mandolin & vocals and Stuart Schulman on piano, fiddle, bass & vocals. Always a crowd favorite, he is most known for his hits "Sunshine (Go Away Today)" and "Shanty". For more info, visit his website http://www.jonathanedwards.net/_pages/index.php

Passing of Herbert Jones, Site 381

We are saddened to announce the passing of one of Strawberry Park's site owners, Herbert Jones. He and his wife Linda have camped on site 381 for many years, and he had battled cancer for the last two years. You may recognize their grandchildren Jose and Jordan, frequent attendees of bike races, dodgeball and other kid's activities. The obituary from the 2/10/09 Norwich Bulletin is re-printed below, and the mailing address that we have for the family is 46 Otrobando Ave, Norwich, CT 06360.

http://www.legacy.com/norwichbulletin/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=123970489

Herbert R. Jones December 12, 1954 - February 7, 2009 NORWICH - Herbert R. Jones, 54, of Otrobando Ave passed away Saturday at W.W. Backus Hospital with his family by his side, after a two year courages battle with cancer . He was born December 12, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York son to the late Hurbert and Ann Marie (Ritz) Jones. On October 9, 1976 he was married to Linda Wieland. They were married for 32 wonderful years. Herbert was employed with Anchor Glass for 23 years. He then worked for Rand Whitney for 11 years. His best things in life were to play pool and spend time with his grandchildren. Besides his wife he is survived by two daughters Jennifer and Christine Jones, three grandchildren Jose, Jordan, and Ariana, six brothers Paul, Glen, John, Burt, James, and Robbie, one sister Kathy, his favorite mother-in-law Bertha Wieland, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a sister Marlene. A Mass of Christian burial will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Church, Jewett City. Interment will follow in the Pachaug Cemetery. Calling hours will be Wednesday from 6:00 - 8:00PM at the Gagne-Piechowski Funeral Home 490 Voluntown Rd, Rte 138 Jewett City, CT

Extreme Home Makeover from Voluntown

Perhaps some of our campers watched "Extreme Home Makeover" last night, as it featured the story of the Girards of neighboring Voluntown. If you missed the story last summer, following a fire which destroyed their home, the father and oldest son drowned at Green Falls in the Pachaug State forest. In December, the old house was demolished and a new "castle" was built for the family as they were sent to Disney for the week (which was the same week our family was at Disney, but we did not bump into them). If you missed the show, it was a tear-jerker. The next time you are out this way, take a ride by the house. It is on RT 165, about 2 miles past Buttonwood's Ice Cream, on the left, just before Town Pizza. You can't miss the solar panels, and the house itself is quite large. The region really worked together, and local carpenter volunteers included Chuck & Mark.

Shirley Alston Reeves of the Shirelles Returns to Strawberry Park

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Shirley Alston Reeves will return to Strawberry Park for our Oldies Weekend on May 2, 2009. The former lead singer of the Shirelles has appeared here in the past, but it has been a few years since her most recent visit. Be sure to take part in our current survey, helping choose our favorite song. For more info on Shirley, see her myspace page at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=97843136

We are also pleased to have the Outriggers as the band that will take the stage before Shirley. The Outriggers will also make numerous other appearances at Strawberry Park throughout the season, and although all dates have not yet been confirmed, it looks like they will be poolside on the following Sunday nights: July 19, Aug 9..as well as the Sunday afternoon of Labor Day Weekend (Sept 6) and Saturday night Aug 29. More dates to be announced. Find out more about the band at http://www.the-outriggers.com/

Posting Milestones for our Campers

Do you have a birthday or anniversary in the near future? We would be more than happy to post a note in our Strawberry Park blog...and who knows, maybe someone that does not know you well enough to know your birthday would decide to send you a lovely card. Probably not likely, but I am sure your kids would love to see their names mentioned in a birthday wish on the Strawberry Park blog. Readership is growing daily...and we will soon reach double figures in subscribers. Over the next few weeks, we will try to introduce you to the performers at our Bluegrass and Cajun/Zydeco Festivals. Today, we will start with Red Molly (since they were so good about adding our festival to their calendar of appearances), who appeared at our Folk Festival back in 2007. We look forward to having this trio back for our Bluegrass Festival, and they will appear on Saturday, May 30. For more info on the group, please visit their website at http://www.redmolly.com/

Bluegrass Festival Line Up Complete

The line up for the 2009 Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival on May 28-31 is now complete, with the recent addition of The Boston Boys. This year will also feature the addition of a folk music and dance tent on Saturday, May 30, with Tracy Grammer, Girl Howdy, Red Molly & The Kennedys. Local Bluegrass fans should note that Del McCoury will be performing at the Little Theatre in New Haven this weekend (see http://www.guitartownct.com/ for more info). Del was at our event about 5 years ago, and always puts on a great show. He has also started to host his own festival (DelFest) on Memorial Day Weekend, down in Maryland. Local Cajun/Zydeco dancers are reminded that the Mardi Gras Ball in Pawtuxet, RI is just a few weeks away (Feb 21), with Steve Riley and more http://mardigrasri.com/

Strawberry Park BG Fest http://www.strawberrypark.net/bluegrass.htm

Performer Schedule http://www.strawberrypark.net/bluegrass_schedule.htm

While I was a little off with my snowfall predictions for yesterday, the roads were somewhat slick. Can't wait for this weekend's thaw.

Memories of the Blizzard of 1978

With a snowier (and colder) than average winter, thoughts go back to the February 5 storm of 1978. Hard to believe it was 31 years ago. The only thing I recall vividly was that it was an early school dismissal (much like today is for most schools in the region), and since I had nothing special to do at home, I figured it would be a good chance to skip the bus and work on my basketball skills in the gym. Unfortunately, as a dumb 7th grader, this meant as the snow began to pile up, I had no ride home. Luckily, my gym teacher (back then you could call "phys ed" teachers by that title) offered to give me a ride home...which took an hour to cover the 2 miles to my house. I mention this only because looking at the current radar, the snow is falling quite heavily, especially to our east...and there is not a great deal of movement in the track of this current storm. Therefore, I am predicting snowfall totals greater than those currently forecast (2-4 inches). While it won't match the 24 inches or so that fell in '78, it will make us wish for spring even harder. The good news is that the weekend could see us hit 50 degrees, with some serious melting possible. That should get folks thinking about camping. After all, with pitchers and catchers reporting soon, the first day of camping season can't be far behind. In fact, it is just 2 months from today.

RV & Camping Shows All Month in Feb

February is peak season for the RV & Camping Show circuit, with Foxboro on this upcoming weekend (Feb 6-8), followed by a pair of big shows on President's Day Weekend (Suffern, NY and Springfield, MA), with Worcester, MA and then Providence on the following two weekends. There are two shows that we had traditionally attended, but are not taking place this year. The Bayside Expo Show in Boston, which used to be a long, 9 day event spread out over two weekends, did not happen in 2009. The other show that appears to be taking a year off is the Long Island RV Show at Nassau Colliseum, as they have not yet confirmed a date (usually the first weekend in March). With more and more campers gathering info on the internet, the future of these type of trade shows is in question. Some have moved into new, glamorous convention centers, but this causes expensive parking for the attendees. There will probably always be room for the shows that keep it simple and do it right, regarding parking and admission and reasonable hours, such as Springfield...but don't be suprised to see more of these trade shows dwindle out in the future. While it is always nice to see familiar faces stop by our booth, it is hard to determine the success of attending these shows. Jen & I have enjoyed running the booth at a few shows, and even when Brock was an infant, we could greet the visitors (and the little cutie definitely attracted more folks to the booth than my goofy hat), but with Brock at 20 months and Reed at just a few weeks, I am not too sure how enjoyable or productive our attendance will be...so don't be surprised to see someone else staffing the booth this year.