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Fall is finally here! And while October signals the end of camping for some of our locations, we have still have a lot going on here, at TRA!
In this October Newsletter, we highlight one of our most exciting and spooky events at Sycamore Lodge, the Haunted Forrest! Sycamore Lodge Assistant Manager, Bobbie Seiler, writes about our Haunted Forrest, the 20 years of its charitable origins, and all the spooky fun to be had! The Haunted Forest runs from October 14th through October 30th. Be sure not to miss out!
With the arrival of October, camping season is coming to a close for our locations, but there is still plenty of fun happening going on at our open locations, especially the Fall and Halloween kind of fun! Be sure to check out the each Resort’s Newsletter for more info.
The Haunted Forest was started 20 years ago with a spooky walk in the woods which evolved into the 13 room, maze and graveyard event that it is today.
The charity LLS was chosen by owner Steve Baldelli in remembrance of his mother who had passed from leukemia/lymphoma.
Last year’s event generated the most sizeable donation to date of $25,705.21. The second largest was from 2019 with $13,857.27
Our amazing group of over 160 volunteers pull off this amazing feat every year on the last three Saturdays in October.
We average around 500 to 600 visitors each night of the event.
The total donation is compiled of other charity events as well prior to the Haunted Forest which include a car show, golf outing, auctions and the concession stand during the events.
Ashley Davis, Campaign Development Manager for The Leukemia & Lymphoma was present to accept the ceremonial check. Actual donation is sent prior to event.
Congrats to our Member of the Month, Laura Moyer!
Laura has been a member with us for 7 years! Frequently visiting our Bass Lake Resort location in Parish, NY. She enjoys our Cornhole tournaments and our Cards games, and she would like to see more them in the following seasons, possibly include an exchange in the card games, like the wine exchanges.
She has participated in some of Member Builds! When asked about what Member Builds we should do next, she said she would like to do something with the Lake, which could use more paddle boats, and help clear up the weeds and the muddiness of the water.
She would like to thank our employees, Heather & Norm, for a great job on everything they have done for Bass Lake Resort. She thanks them for all of their involvement with the activities that go on at Bass Lake Resort; Heather has done a great job stepping up, and Norm is doing a great job at the bar.
Thank you, Laura Moyer, for being valued member with us for 7 years!
And Congratulations again, for being our End of Season Contest Winner!
This month, we are celebrating Team Members from Bass Lake Resort, Gettysburg Battlefield Resort, Pymatuning Adventure Resort, and Wally World Riverside Resort.
We are celebrating these team members for being with us for 5+ years, some of them have even been with us for over 20 years! We are very lucky to have such a hard-working and dedicated staff for all these years!
This month, we are celebrating Team Members from Bass Lake Resort, Gettysburg Battlefield Resort, Pymatuning Adventure Resort, and Wally World Riverside Resort.
We are celebrating these team members for being with us for 5+ years, some of them have even been with us for over 20 years! We are very lucky to have such a hard-working and dedicated staff for all these years!
This month, we are celebrating Team Members from Bass Lake Resort, Gettysburg Battlefield Resort, Pymatuning Adventure Resort, and Wally World Riverside Resort.
We are celebrating these team members for being with us for 5+ years, some of them have even been with us for over 20 years! We are very lucky to have such a hard-working and dedicated staff for all these years!
Unfortunately, we lost our little boy after a routine procedure, a simple neuter. He just never woke up, despite all our veterinarian’s efforts. His pre-procedure labs and EKG were completely normal, he didn’t hemorrhage, he didn’t give any warning – he just … left. I don’t know how to describe how devastating his loss was without sounding overly dramatic, but I can tell you it was the absolute worst thing I have ever been through. We cried for days. The team here and our members were amazing – they grieved with us, and for us.
I will never forget that they were the reason we pulled through those first awful days. That … and this … Ironically enough, two days before Speck passed, I had jokingly entered him in an online photo contest. He quickly became a front runner in the state, and after he died, I just couldn’t bear the thought of him losing the Pennsylvania contest. So we voted daily, our friends voted daily, members voted daily, and got their friends to vote daily. And a week after Speck passed, he won 1st place, not just in the state, but in the world. Over 8000 entries from around the globe and our little Speck won. Imagine my surprise when $1900, his prize money showed up in our PayPal account the next morning. We had already decided something good had to come out of Speck’s passing.
We wanted him to be remembered in the place where we and so many other people had loved him, so we decided to donate his prize money to improve GBR’s dog park. When the folks at TRA (btw, the most amazing employer!) heard what happened to Speck, they matched our gift and decided this year’s member-build at GBR would be to give the dog park a major makeover. We are so grateful and honored TRA chose the dog park as our member-build this year. There is just something so Speck about making the dog park a safer and more welcoming space. In this way, he will always be remembered as the happy little dog who spread joy around the place he called home.
Unfortunately, we lost our little boy after a routine procedure, a simple neuter. He just never woke up, despite all our veterinarian’s efforts. His pre-procedure labs and EKG were completely normal, he didn’t hemorrhage, he didn’t give any warning – he just … left. I don’t know how to describe how devastating his loss was without sounding overly dramatic, but I can tell you it was the absolute worst thing I have ever been through. We cried for days. The team here and our members were amazing – they grieved with us, and for us.
I will never forget that they were the reason we pulled through those first awful days. That … and this … Ironically enough, two days before Speck passed, I had jokingly entered him in an online photo contest. He quickly became a front runner in the state, and after he died, I just couldn’t bear the thought of him losing the Pennsylvania contest. So we voted daily, our friends voted daily, members voted daily, and got their friends to vote daily. And a week after Speck passed, he won 1st place, not just in the state, but in the world. Over 8000 entries from around the globe and our little Speck won. Imagine my surprise when $1900, his prize money showed up in our PayPal account the next morning. We had already decided something good had to come out of Speck’s passing.
We wanted him to be remembered in the place where we and so many other people had loved him, so we decided to donate his prize money to improve GBR’s dog park. When the folks at TRA (btw, the most amazing employer!) heard what happened to Speck, they matched our gift and decided this year’s member-build at GBR would be to give the dog park a major makeover. We are so grateful and honored TRA chose the dog park as our member-build this year. There is just something so Speck about making the dog park a safer and more welcoming space. In this way, he will always be remembered as the happy little dog who spread joy around the place he called home.
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.
In order to participate in this promotional offer, you must meet the eligibility requirements and terms and conditions set forth in these Details of Participation. This promotion is sponsored by Travel Resorts of America LLC, d/b/a Travel Resorts of America (“Travel Resorts of America” or “TRA”), a North Carolina Limited Liability company whose address is 1930 N. Poplar Street, Suite 21, Southern Pines, NC 28387, in order to introduce you to our campground membership program. Travel Resorts of America and its affiliates and subsidiaries is the developer and seller of Travel Resorts of America memberships in multiple states and is the sponsor of this promotion. In order to participate in this promotional offer, you and your spouse or cohabitating significant other (if applicable) must meet the requirements set forth in these Details of Participation. If you and your spouse or cohabitating significant other (if applicable) do not meet these requirements, you will not be eligible to receive any gifts and/or accommodations in connection with this offer. If you are married or cohabitating with a significant other, you and your spouse or significant other (as applicable) are hereinafter collectively referred to herein as “We” or “Us:” The camping promotion being offered is provided by Travel Resorts of America, LLC. Each participant (if married or cohabitating with a significant other) must have a valid driver’s license, government-issued I.D., or, if not a US citizen, a current valid form of government issued identification. If you are an RV owner, you, or at least one of you (if married or cohabitating with a significant other) must be at least 21 years of age. If you are not an RV owner, you, or at least one of you must be at least 25 years of age and must have a gross annual household income of at least $50,000. (. You (or We if married or cohabitating with a significant other) must attend and complete an approximately 90 minute Travel Resorts of America® sales presentation and tour regarding the benefits of campground membership at the Travel Resorts of America preview center in the selected destination area. If married, or cohabiting, both individuals must attend and complete the sales presentation and tour together. Travel Resorts of America is not responsible for cancellations or interruptions due to nature, strikes, terrorism, or Acts of God. If you are a resident of a country other than the U.S. or Canada, you may be ineligible for this promotion and it may be withheld in the sponsor’s sole discretion. The following are also ineligible for this offer: Current members of Travel Resorts of America, current members of Camp Coast to Coast; current holders of TRA promotional offers; and those who have attended a TRA sales presentation without purchase within the past 12 months.
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