Hello Travel Resorts of America Campers! Welcome to the SEPTEMBER 2018 Newsletter. Here you can find updates on your favorite resorts and more!
THIS IS YOUR TRAVEL RESORTS OF AMERICA ONLINE NEWSLETTER
We hope everyone had an amazing summer! We loved seeing happy campers all over the map at our Travel Resorts of America resorts!
Read on to find out all about what is to come this year. So many exciting events and activities for you and all of our Travel Resorts of America Family!
Be sure to follow our Facebook pages for more information, updated all the time. Enjoy!
For any suggestions or comments on the E-Traveler, email us at: newsletter@travelresorts.com
GENERAL REMINDERS
- Want to be in the eTraveler? Send us an email with a photo of you and your family enjoying the resort and you could be in the next Newsletter!
- Don’t forget to join in on the Meet the Manager meeting at your Resort! Ask your Resort staff for the location and times of this meeting!
TRA Firewood Policy
In keeping with continuing to provide a great outdoor experience for our members and guests, as well as protecting the natural resources on our beautiful resorts, TRA will no longer be allowing members to bring firewood with them when they visit a TRA resort. By now, most Members are familiar with the numerous “Don’t Move Firewood – It Bugs Me!” campaigns that are in place in states where we have resorts. Our alliance with these state campaigns is intended to protect our trees and continue to provide our Members with the lush destinations our resorts offer. We have recently discovered damage at one of our resorts from the Emerald Ash Borer, and we wish to be more proactive in protecting our tree resources. Our Members who wish to have campfires, you will be able to purchase firewood at the resort store. Firewood that is sold at the resorts will either come from trees harvested on resort property, or from vendors who deliver certified insect-free packages of bundled wood. For more information on this spreading problem we invite you to visit websites such as www.dontmovefirewood.org or any of the state DNR websites. We appreciate your help and cooperation with helping to prevent the further spread of this problem.
Wally World Riverside Resort
Manager Update:
Hello folks,
Welcome to September! I also hope to welcome a little cooler temperature this month. With the kids being back in school our weekdays have been quiet.
We have been working on the roads that the rain has taken a toll on. We do still have some camp sites that hold some water after a hard rain and we will continue to work on drainage.
We used some of our new picnic tables at the potluck last weekend and then put them on sites. We will continue to replace tables until we have all great picnic tables. By this time of year, we are usually mowing weed and the grass growing has slowed down due to no rain. Not this year, we have had plenty of rain and we are still mowing like it was May.
Our season is not over yet, but I want to thank a couple of staff that has departed or will within a few days. Morgan, who has worked the front desk for the past six summers was excepted into the Police Academy. We will miss her dearly and wish her the best. Les our summer work camper is headed home to South Carolina after this holiday weekend. We so enjoyed having Les with us this summer. Les came to work expecting up to 30 hours per week but because we were short staff he volunteered to work many of his days off to help us out. Thank you Les!
I have a great team here at Wally World to get us through the rest of the season. Tonia and her team, Brian and Maryssa. Jerry with his team, Zeek, Mike and a few new faces Zyon, Jody and Luke. I have Mary in housekeeping who works split shifts to keep it all clean when and anything else that is asked of her. This is Shauna’s first full season as our Activity Director. She is doing a great job and loves when there is lots of participation.
I look forward to spending fall with all you campers. We have lots of things planned and will be a great time.
See you soon!
Barb McClintock, Resort Manager
Activities Update:
Hello everyone!
The end of summer is drawing near. With that being said, we still have several weeks of fun planned for you all. Our next big event we are working on is the Wizard of Oz themed Wine and Cheese weekend! We are having fun planning this event for your enjoyment. This has been such a fun season and it wouldn’t be possible without folks like you that participate in the activities and crafts!
Thanks again!
Shauna Wilson, Activities Director
Gettysburg Battlefield Resort
Manager Update:
Hello!
It is my pleasure to be writing my very first newsletter from Gettysburg Battlefield Resort. I am thankful to have been able to spend some time here with this crew. I have learned a lot, met some great people and had fun. I have to say it is a beautiful resort and the staff here is awesome!
We have had our share of rain this season. We had a rain storm in mid August that took out some of the roads. We just got some gravel in and the crew has been working hard on grooming all the roads. The last couple of weeks have been HOT, with record breaking temperatures. The pool has been very busy! We are looking forward to a little bit of a cool down in September.
Last week we had a “Super Sale” in the store. The team dressed up in super hero shirts and so did some members it was a lot of fun. It seemed to go over very well so we are planning on doing some more sales like that. Stay tuned for what Kathie and her team come up with next.
I cannot believe it is Labor Day already. Where did the summer go? Kids are back to school now and things will be slowing down a bit. It is the time of year when we start working on winter storage sites. If anyone is interested in winter storage please see Richard for more information.
We are starting to gear up for the Halloween Parade and Haunted Trail. This year’s theme will be Twisted Fairy Tales! If you would like to help please get with Rick our Activity Director, you can email him at gbractivities@travelresorts.com. There are still a few spots left on the trail and we are always looking for volunteers, it would not be possible without help from our members.
Happy Fall!
Heather Powis, Manager in Training
North Shore Landing
Manager’s Update:
Greeting from Sunny Georgia! Summer has moved on and we are entering the fall season here at North Shore Landing. Cooler nights, sweaters (maybe) and campfires.
Things have been hopping here lately with lots of changes taking place. I have come down from Gettysburg, we have many other new faces on staff and the atmosphere is upbeat and exciting. From simple things like rearranging the store, to getting Kenny back on staff and construction underway on repairs of decks and structures. Maintenance is working hard to get roads cleared up, wifi working steady and all the daily projects that come at them. Housekeeping is on fire and has begun the process of revamping a couple of park models. This will be an ongoing project and will take a while as they can only do one at a time, but in the meantime, spring cleaning is underway (yes, I know it is fall). Grounds and host are working hard to improve the beauty of the resort and everyone is amping up their customer service skills.
New things on our horizon are repair of the Seawall scheduled to begin at the end of October. There are future plans for 16 new large RV sites up on top, and clearing out some dead trees and we hope to limb up the trees to open up the view of the lake again. We have also gotten a quote to pave the roads from the top to the bottom. So, we see exciting things in our future and can’t wait to share them with you! Happy Camping!
Lisa Fisher, Resort Manager
Activities Update:
August has been a busy month. Games, bonfires, coffee chats, and smores on the beach were enjoyed. Everyone looked good in their grass skirts for our Luau party. It was a good “cooling off” during a hot Georgia day with an afternoon ice-cream social – kids (and adults) really enjoyed that! Craft participants made Fall bread baskets to put that fresh baked bread in. Kids decorated Frisbees – then enjoyed a contest on the beach to see whose Frisbee was the fastest. As usual, we had a great turnout for Bingo on Friday nights – and enjoyed meeting a lot of new families who were visiting NSL for the first time and stopped by to play – most of them winning prizes. Potluck also continues to be very popular on Saturday nights – and several great movies were enjoyed after the delicious potluck meal.
We are definitely looking forward to some cooler weather and our Labor Day celebration with a fishing contest, barbecue and a five-piece band to dance the night away. Also coming up, Country/Western Night with a chili cookoff, more great times on the beautiful Lake Oconee beach area and an all-day flea market. Looking forward to seeing you all at North Shore Landing!
Glenda Kikta, Activities Director
Pymatuning Adventure Resort
Activities Update:
August went flying by with all the fun we had here at Pymatuning Adventure! We kicked the month off with our Luau Pig Roast. Over 50 campers joined us to enjoy a roasted pig and side dishes they brought to share. The kids were wearing their home-made leis that they made themselves during craft time! We’re surprised they made it to the pig roast after all the fun they had at the pool party. There are hours of fun when our giant 6-foot beach ball is involved. The fun didn’t stop there, chocolate weekend was next. The whole family came out to make their own candy bar. The creative juices were flowing with all the different combinations. Finally, it was time for the much-anticipated chocolate slip n’ slide! The kids had loads of sticky, chocolatey fun sliding through the pools of chocolate syrup, and we even got some of the kids-at-heart to join in on the fun! This month, we welcomed back the Brothers of the Third Wheel trike group for their annual trike weekend. It was a blast as always with their Chinese auction, 50/50 raffle, breakfast, band, and of course the trike games! The money raised in the Chinese auction was donated to the KOA Care Camps! Thank you BTW! Finally, we finished the month off with Royal Weekend, featuring our first Pymatuning Royal Talent Show! All our contestants were amazing. It was a tough decision to pick a winner between our awesome singers and poets. There can only be one winner, though. Congratulations to our first winner, Alyssa Yanek, with her awesome performance of Hell on Heels with her pink guitar! Thanks to all our campers for a fantastic August. As we get ready for Labor day and start preparing for Halloween and all the fun October brings we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and hope to see you here for all the fun we have planned!
Heather Logue, Activities Director
Rocky Fork Ranch
Manager Update:
Can you believe we are saying goodbye to summer time? I know I’ve said it before, but it is true that time flies when you’re having fun! Rocky Fork Ranch has enjoyed having each one of you stay with us this summer! From Memorial weekend to Labor Day weekend we have packed enough fun to fill the Hall of Fame stadium! I know you’re thinking that’s a lot of fun but if you were here this summer I hope you are shaking your head in agreement. Matthew and his awesome staff have kept everyone engaged. This past weekend we had our first of many “amazing golf cart race”. It was so much fun to watch teams compete and follow the clues until the last leg and Bob O’Brien and his crew won the event! We also rocked out an amazing breakfast and everyone left with full tummy and some great memories. Thanks to Bob for cooking and all the volunteers it was way too much to be work!
Our next breakfast will be during our Halloween weekends. But let’s talk about what you can come and do in September, so you can plan your stay. Superhero weekend come and honor some of the best hero’s our public servants with us. Family and friends’ weekend are a great time to bring a guest and let them see what they can experience by joining our family. Paul Bunyan weekend bring on your lumber jack skills. Oktoberfest to end the month is always fun for everyone. So, I will leave you with some pictures to remind you why you need to reserve your spot today!
Sharrie Yarber, Resort Manager
Sycamore Lodge
Manager Update:
And just like that another month has passed us by and August is gone! What a flurry of activity here at Sycamore! The weather has continued to be “warm” … with pop up storms just enough to keep us on our toes. As we head into September, I’m excited to see the season change here in North Carolina. I imagine the changing of all these trees is spectacular!
This month’s activities have kept me in stitches. With the chocolate slip n’ slide, Bob in his luau get-up (oh my!), and meeting Cap’n Jack Sparrow and his wife – it was a fun AND FUNNY month of activities with a lot of participation!
In my experience in the RV Resort world (in Ohio), Labor Day mostly marks the end of the season. While it ends “a season” here, it is the beginning of another – the Haunted Forest season! I can’t wait to watch this all come together and not only match — but to exceed — its success of years past.
The main tank for Phase II of the sewer project has been delivered and that project continues to move forward. WiFi is also still progressing. A few loose ends to tie up and then installation! For now, WiFi continues to be available in the Lodge, Store, Pool, Hen House and Game Room. Look for “TNCGuest” and the password is tncguest. We have rearranged the entrance to the Lodge a little and the mailboxes are no longer there. If you are expecting a package or any other mail, please check with the General Store.
Remember 5 mph … keep your pets on a leash and be sure to clean up after them. You will find pet stations with bags and cans throughout the resort.
Have fun, be safe, and I hope to see you soon! God Bless!
Jeanna Plants, Assistant Resort Manager
Activities Update:
Hello everyone from Sycamore Lodge!
August was an Awesome month of fun activities for all ages. We started out the month with our annual chocolate lover’s weekend where everyone got to slide down our famous chocolate slip and slide. We then made our forever smore’s crafts as a permanent reminder of campfires and fun. For our chocolate weekend we had our Ice Cream sundae social with lots of chocolate syrup to top it off. Later that day we had our chocolate pie eating contest for both kids and adults and then finished off the evening with Faith Bardill and the Back Row Saints Band to dance away all the chocolate from our systems.
The next weekend was our Luau Pool party weekend where the staff served lemonade to the members while wearing grass skirts (some got carried away with the skirts). We also had our big daddy splash contest for both kids and adults. There was a lot of splishing and a splashing going on too and walking under the limbo stick. We made tie dye t-shirts for our Luau craft. Later we had water gun fights and no one was exempt. We ended the night with the Cruize Control band to go along with our theme weekend.
The third weekend was our backyard cookout and chicken wing contest. I believe everyone camping came out to have some hamburgers, hotdogs and fixings. There were about nine entries to the chicken wing contest. Boy were they all good. We had a horseshoe tournament, some line dancing classes and ended the night with Dark Horse Band. A lot of good country music.
The fourth weekend Cpt. Jack Sparrow and Pirate Anne Bonny came out for our Pirates of Sycamore Lodge weekend to recruit members for his crew. They took several pictures with many of members, judged a pirate costume contest for kids and adults alike and if you didn’t join his pirate crew then you were forced to walk the plank into Davey Jones Locker Arrr. Dixie Sundown Band played music on the pavilion that night for a fun relaxing evening. After the band, we went searching for Pirate Booty(treasure) during a night scavenger hunt using only black lights for fun and prizes. Exciting month for all the staff and members alike.
Next month we are looking forward to our Labor Day fun, Hillbilly Olympics, Casino night and honoring our Native American’s weekends. The kids went back to school the end of August, so our weekly activities are winding down to just weekend activities. Next month we are getting ready for our annual Haunted Forest Event in October to benefit the Lymphoma/ Leukemia Society. So come out to Sycamore Lodge and let’s have some fun and get ready for the Haunted Forest. Thank You!
Bob Johnson, Activities Director
