Odds & Ends of June

Mr Magic on stage


The band "Black & White" poolside (a little after dark, sorry)



A soggy June is almost behind us, with the 4th of July Weekend coming right up, including Mud Wrestling and more. Couple of random thoughts. We hope to implement some Wi bowling next week, and as I got Jen the "Tiger Woods Golf" for her birthday, I gave it a shot. I usually stink at those games, and but on my first try after taking over for Brock, I got a double eagle, and thinking it was a fluke, a got another on my next swing (as Rocco M). A few bogeys and doubles after that, but I decided to retire with those amazing shots. While I used to love to see and catch snakes as a kid, Jen is not such a fan. She has had multiple sightings this year, including our house (while mowing the lawn), driving down RT 165, and in our flower garden at the site (that little garter snake slid right under the deck, much to her dismay). Had a nice crowd for Mr. Magic last night, as well as a few folks poolside for "Black & White", for what turned out to be a nice evening. Expecting a big crowd for Steve Wronker's first Monday night hypnosis show tonight--he usually has more photos on his website as well.

The Strawberry Park "Bubble" was put to use

Greased Pole (before the thunderstorm cut that event short)

1st Pool Volleyball of 2009

(with The Outriggers in the background)

Egg Toss Ribbon Winners (1st female tandem to win this season)

Just begging for a girl to dance on Saturday night

Amazing that there can be a tornado warning and torrential rains just a few miles from Strawberry Park...and then we get virtually nothing. Happened on Friday around 6PM, as we were about to issue a warning to our campers, when all of a sudden, there was nothing but a sprinkle. Many other parts were hit hard, including a confirmed tornado in Wethersfield, and heavy wind damage in most of the state. On Saturday evening, a cell popped up to our west, and another to the east, and they just kept pouring rain down on those places for a few hours, while we got almost nothing. I guess the giant, invisible weather dome covering our 150 acres is well worth it. Just a few photos from the weekend, including The Outriggers at the pool on Saturday. Today is a busy day for check-ins, with over 75 families arriving for their summer vacation week.

Looks like summer may finally be here

Ant Racers

Egg Toss Winners
Bonfire with Steve H

Running Race Ribbon Winners

Soccer Camp--Kids vs Parents

Thursday was a great night for a bonfire, with clear skies and warm temps. Sports camps are winding down, and a big crowd is arriving for the weekend. Bingo prizes will be at normal summer levels, following a few smaller sessions this past week (although those players had great odds of winning).

Red Cross Blood Drive Canceled for Saturday

Just received word that the Red Cross Blood Drive scheduled for this Saturday, June 27 has been canceled. As we had booked "The Outriggers" for a special poolside session to correspond with the drive, they will still play from 11:15AM until 1:45PM this Saturday...so enjoy. Hope to get a couple of sports camp photos posted soon. Looks like the weather is going to cooperate with our bonfire tonight (unlike last week's rain out).

Daily Activities have begun at Strawberry Park

Limbo Winners

The New Book Swap Library

Karaoke Stars

Despite numerous local schools still being in session, summer has begun here. Our sports camps are being held this week, with Glenn C running our soccer camp for 13 campers, and Coach Bruno conducting basketball camp for 9 kids. For some of you old-timers, don't confuse Coach Bruno with former Rec Director from the early 80's "Bruno". One is about 6' 4" while the other is about 5' 9". Had our first Monday night hypnosis show, with Jim Spinatto filling in for Steve, while we had about a dozen singers at Karaoke on Tuesday night (some more reluctant than others). I was able to get away for a few hours Tuesday morning for a charity golf outing at River Ridge for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), as the tournament was hosted by Lea's family. Her mom passed away a couple of months ago from the disease (some of you may recall Lea or her sister Cindy, who worked at the reservation desk about a dozen years back). Our foursome struggled on the front nine, but rebounded nicely to tie for third. I had to cut the round a little short to make it back for Bingo, as we were behind a rather deliberate group, who somehow managed to create a two and 1/2 hole gap between themselves and the 4 ladies in front of them.

Dave Wilson wins Horseshoe Tournament

Former Strawberry Park site owner Dave Wilson went undefeated on Saturday in winning the annual Strawberry Park Father's Day Horseshoe Tourney. Dave was here as a guest of Tim A, and their plan to meet in the finals was thwarted early in the day. Other trophy winners included Randy W, whose only loss was to the eventual champion, and Tom B, who battled back through the consolation bracket after losing to Bob Trottier. Fifty players participated in the event, which lasted much of the day. Father's Day also featured the first Sunday night appearance of "The Outriggers", who played at the Rec Center due to a light mist, while Mr. Magic performed for the kids upstairs. Despite the gloomy forecast, the actual weather turned out to be fairly decent this weekend, with Friday afternoon the nicest day we have had in some time. The impending Saturday rains held off until the evening hours, while Sunday was dry here as well. You'd be amazed at how many people call to ask about a cancel based on the long term forecast, and since 7 day notice is required, many people suddenly have medical emergencies. One of the great wonders of the medical world is how many more people are too sick to travel when the forecast is for rain, as no one ever gets sick enough to cancel when the weather is nice Even more remarkably, no friends or family members ever pass away requiring funeral attendance, unless the meteorologists are calling for rain--in which case, scores of people sadly move on, sometimes the day after the family called to cancel reservations, citing a death in the family (it must have been impending). We have always made exceptions to the cancel policy based on legitimate emergencies, but have had to require documentation resulting in a partial credit. Interesting article in the NL Day about the impact of negative forecasts on tourist based businesses. http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=4a6367b5-4a64-4828-92e6-5d5da2c6fadd

Hope you enjoy the photos from the weekend. Some horseshoe players went 0-2 and spent most of the day at the pool. Also, a big thanks to Bev R and others who helped establish the library book swap in the Adult Rec Center. Stop up and take a look, and perhaps drop off a book or magazine.

Father's Day Weekend at Strawberry Park

Our annual horseshoe tourney will be held on Saturday, and for the first time, not only will trophies be awarded to the top 3 finishers, but we are requiring entrants to bring a beer or soda just as they normally do for our other tourneys. We will award the winner 60%, while 2nd will get 30% and 3rd place 10%. Tim A has asked that no generic Wal-Mart sodas be permitted (sorry Rich), as he has volunteered to help the champ carry the winnings, and figures that he might get a can as a tip. This weekend also features the first Sunday night appearance of The Outriggers, as well as a steak dinner on Saturday evening (tickets are $12, while they last). This weekend also marks the start of summer, with full daily activities. Please note that many schools are still in session next week, so the number of soccer and basketball camp attendees is down a little this year. Our first Thursday night bonfire will take place on June 18, kicking off summer with Don J. Hopefully, the weather will be more cooperative than the long-term forecast. Our last 3 school picnics are taking place this week, with kids from Mystic here today, while Narragansett RI will be here Thur and New London on Friday.

Strawberry Harvest Photos

Egg Toss Winners

Despite some cloudy skies, the rain did not impact the weekend very much...and Sunday turned out quite nice. We had 17 entrants for the Little Miss Strawberry Pagaent, and about the same for the Strawberry Dessert Contest. Juan, Mary and the Grill staff did a great job making about 20 gallons of strawberry daiquiris for the dance on Saturday night. Our Bingo crowds were a little smaller than usual for this weekend, but there were numerous big winners. While Jen did win a few times, she was not a grand prize winner. Even so, there were folks spreading false rumors as to the reason for her renewed Bingo luck, since the last time she was on a similar Bingo roll, Reed was on the way...and the same was true for when Brock was womb-bound. We are pretty sure that there is no similar cause-effect scenario in place at this time, and she believes that her success is due to her impending birthday on June 18, which she will sadly be forced to celebrate on a shared basis with me on Father's Day June 21. Sorry if one of the photos is sideways--I might be able to rotate it. Our dessert contest winners were from site 199K (Rapone party), with Danielle H taking 2nd and the Martins placing 3rd. As for the Little Miss Strawberry winners, Molly O the Hula Hooper was the Junior Princess while Tara was the winner in the senior division, with a Splish Splash routine and outfit.

Car Stickers for Long Term Campers

If you have requested a vehicle pass, it should be available in the office this weekend. We purposely wait until after the music festivals, as everyone needs to be wristbanded for those events, and it allows the gate staff a chance to know you better. All seasonals receive new stickers for the year, while owners only need to request a sticker if they have changed vehicles. If upon checking with the reservation desk you find that you do not have a requested sticker, please do one of the following: complete the "request for car pass" form available at the rez desk, or email david@strawberrypark.net with the following info: name, site #, name of person to receive pass and vehicle lic plate number. We printed over 250 car stickers this week, and hope to have taken care of all those new campers and those who submitted requests over the last couple of months. Stickers should be applied inside your vehicle front windshield, on the driver's side facing out such that the gate staff can see the sticker (which inlcudes site number, and in the case of seasonal sites, how many adults, teens and kids are registered on your site). Please note that the placement may vary by state, as some don't allow it near the top, while others don't permit it near the bottom. Also want to thank the vast majority of golf cart owners who have registered their cart for 2009--if you have not done so, please take care of that ASAP. Patrick will be here Friday night from 5pm-8pm to register carts--be sure to bring a copy of your liability insurance. Time is running out before the start of the summer, and unregistered carts will not be permitted to operate. This coming weekend features the 2009 Little Miss Strawberry Pagaent, as well as the dessert contest. Join the fun!

Catch up time...where to start?

Now that Memorial Day and the 2 music festivals are done, it is time to get caught up on some regular business. The car stickers for the seasonals are being printed today, and I hope to get many of the owner requests for vehicle changes done on Thursday. Received a note about the annual CT Campground Horseshoe Tourney, where campgrounds are represented by three teams of 2. The event will be held on June 27 in Windsor, so we will need to have a qualifier prior...may need to count the Annual Father's Day Tourney as such, as that is the weekend before. Everyone seemed to enjoy the festivals, including many seasonals and owners who attended the music. Saw a couple of regulars get roped into the vending area by a swarm of their young friends--I am sure they did not escape without having to buy some trinket or other. This week and next are busy picnic weeks, with 200 6th graders here today. Sports camps are only 12 days away, while many schools will be in session to start that week. This upcoming weekend features our annual "Little Miss Strawberry Pagaent" on Saturday and our dessert contest on Sunday. Should have some nice photos of those events. While it was a couple of weeks back, Brock had a fun 2nd birthday party on Bluegrass Sunday. His favorite gift came the following week, as 17 yards of screened dirt were dumped near the gate for the flower garden/waterfall project that Gene B is working on. Brock was out there with his hardhat, shovel and backhoe, wishing it could last forever.

Sorry so busy...Cajun/Zydeco coming up!

Sorry I have been too busy to post any new blog entries. I will direct you to http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/ for some great photos and comments about the recent Bluegrass Festival. This upcoming weekend features our 13th Annual Cajun Zydeco Blast from the Bayou, with music Thursday through Sunday. I do have a few photos from Memorial Day that I forgot to post, including Egg Toss and Running Race winners.