Rocky Fork Ranch, November Newsletter
November 1, 2021
I see the colours everywhere as I drive around this beautiful place, we call Rocky Fork Ranch.
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This year’s Haunted Forest was a rousing success! We had 1,665 people go through this year. This is going to be a record year for attendance and our donation. We are so happy that everyone could come out and support our cause as raised record donations to fund research in the fight against Lymphoma. Huge shoutout to all the volunteers, and everyone who helped make this year’s Haunted Forest our best ever!
Thank You!
(The following is from an article in and issue of Campground & RV Park E-News, Issue 642 October 29th 2021)
JACKSON SPRINGS, NC – It’s dark and you’ve got that clammy feeling as you head into the woods. If you’re looking for a Halloween scare for a good cause, the Haunted Forest hosted by Sycamore Lodge Resort has kicked off its 19th season of spooky fun.
Organized and run by a small army of volunteers, the attraction has raised over $40,000 for cancer research over the last decade. This year is already shaping up to be the best yet.
“We are going like gangbusters! I think everybody is excited to get out again and do things,” said Rod Jones, operations manager of Sycamore Lodge, a luxury camping and RV resort located in Jackson Springs.
Held on three successive Saturday evenings in October, the Haunted Forest attracts some 500 guests per night. The annual fundraising event honors the memory of Sycamore Lodge owner, Steve Baldelli’s mother, who was diagnosed with lymphoma.
“Each year this project becomes bigger and better. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through. When we’re really busy, it can be a two hour wait,” Jones said.
The outdoor trail features 13 “rooms” connected by a woodsy path, plus a graveyard maze. Small groups are escorted through the attraction and there are surprises all along the way. Each room has a built-in escape hatch “just in case you can’t make it,” Jones said.
Max Gardner is one of the 160 or so volunteers that bring the Haunted Forest to life each October. Dressed as his scary alter ego, Mountain Man Max, he heads up the trail guide team. And like Baldelli, he also lost his mother to lymphoma.
“I would do this if only one person showed up. This is something I believe in,”Gardner said. “The best part is watching the faces. If a guest has a smile or a scared face at the end, we have done our job. And we’ve had rave reviews from folks going through this year.”
Tickets to the Haunted Forest at Sycamore Lodge can be purchased at the gate on Saturday, Oct. 23 or Oct. 30, 7:30 – 11:30 p.m., at 1059 Sycamore Lane in Jackson Springs. The cost is $12 per person (recommended for 12 years and over) or $10 with military I.D. All proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of North Carolina.
For more information, find the Haunted Forest at Sycamore Lodge on Facebook, or call (910) 420-3843.
Team Member Of The Month
Marlo Thomas
Member Of The Month
Tiffany & Brian Stanley
Our Member of the Month is Tiffany Stanley and he camp with his Husband Brian Stanley. They have been members since 2019, stayed at all of the seven resorts Gettysburg Better field Resort, North shore Landing, Luna sand Resort, Sycamore Lodge Resort, Wally World Resort, Rocky Fork Ranch Bass Lake Resort. They Love staying at Rocky Fork Ranch that they plan so many activities not only for the kids but for the adults too. Their Favorite Memory with us is Participating in the decorating contests for a Halloween. Their Favorite Activity is Bingo & Crafts! They enjoy Cooking anything over the fire.
John Allen & Dodie Makuch
November Contest Winners
Our Contest Winners are The Makuch family, which includes the Mother and Father: John Allen and Dodie Makuch, and their two Daughters: Teagan Makuch & Tesslynn Makuch. They have been Members with us for 6 Months. They currently stay with us at our Bass Lake Resort, camping in their 32-foot 2017 Coleman. When asked what they liked most about TRA, they said that everyone here is so welcoming! We are so happy to have them as a part of our TRA Family!
I see the colours everywhere as I drive around this beautiful place, we call Rocky Fork Ranch.
Let me start with what a wonderful Halloween weekend we had. So many terrific costumes, it was amazing! The weather was perfect, and the party I believe was a great success.
There is a chill in the air as we welcome the Fall Season! As mentioned last newsletter, my favourite time of the season.
What a crazy summer season at Luna Sands. We’re into November now, knock on wood, we haven’t had any hurricane threats this year.
Here’s a big shout out and HELLO to November!!!!! Now don’t just shoo off October because it was all amazing, fantastic, crazy, Scary, and fun.
What a summer this has been!! It went by super-fast with no time to waste. The weather for most of the summer was fantastic and lasted all the way through October.
That’s a wrap! Can you believe the season is over?! We’re still recovering from all the fun we had in October and our Halloween weekends. We have to admit Halloween is our favourite time of the year here at PAR and we love when our campers go all out!
We are so excited for this month as we approach the winter season. We have a lot of goodies this month and will end with a bang for a personal favourite, HALLOWEEN!!!
How do you get the most out of your #travel experiences? We are talking about it in our monthly newsletter. TRAVEL RESORTS OF AMERICA is a monthly newsletter focused on enriching your life and helping you create the best memories possible while on vacation.
Steve Baldelli
Steve Baldelli started Travel Resorts in 1986 at the age of 27 after a call from his friend Jim who had found some beautiful property in Pinehurst, North Carolina after a round of golf. Steve flew down from Minnesota to come to see the land and when he got there, there were 12 unfinished RV sites, a lodge, and a hole in the ground that was supposed to be a pool. He fell in love. Steve and his partner had no idea how to run a campground, but he knew he wanted to focus on three things: Taking people out of their normal element, making it close enough to home but far enough away to be a get-away, and making it affordable so all families could enjoy the campgrounds together multiple times a year.
35 years later, Steve has built Travel Resorts into 11 premier RV campgrounds from Florida to New York and now just recently has started venturing into the Midwest!
As a father of 3, an avid wine connoisseur, foodie, and lover of travel, Steve lives a busy adventurous life, but his heart is in providing the best camping memories to his members. You can find him at any of the resorts throughout the year, interacting with members, planting fun ideas in the activities directors’ heads, and always thinking about how to enhance our members’ experience. Because of Steve and his vision, Travel Resorts really is the definition of the Pursuit of Happiness.
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