Story by CAMERON KILFOY

As we enter the summer season, there is only one way that certain Newfoundlanders plan to ring it in and that’s camping May two-four weekend.  In some households, camping over the long weekend has become an annual tradition. It is one of the ways they stay connected to their roots and pass this celebration on for generations to come.

THE EARLY BIRD

Preparation for this holiday takes some time and one camper says the earlier you get your campground ready the earlier the fun can begin.

“It’s best to go down a few weeks before and check everything out,” says Dwayne Noonan, a regular camper at Marine Park. “I like to go down and open everything up, flush out my lines, and make sure there was no damage done over the winter to the trailer, inside and out, and when everything is set up and in good working order it just means we can get right to it when the long weekend comes.”

Noonan has been camping with his family since he was a young boy. He says some of his best memories were made at the trailer and he wanted his children to have a similar experience while growing up.

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MAKING MEMORIES

“For them, it’s been better than we could’ve imagined,” says Noonan. “It’s mostly because there are so many kids around their age, they’ve made new friends over the past few summers and they get super excited to see them, at this point, we are just as excited for them to go up and make memories.” Noonan goes on to say how this holiday is just as important for the adults as it is for the kids.

Getting the chance to celebrate with your friends and family in a stress-free environment, gives people a form of an escape. Camping to Noonan is something that goes beyond the surface and has a truly deeper meaning to him. “It is some of the best family time that we get,” says Noonan.

“We have campfires every night, we roast marshmallows and hot dogs, and those are some of the good memories I have growing up camping, and I think my kids are creating the same kind of memories and I just hope it will stick with them and make them want to continue with this tradition down the road.”

BONFIRE CELEBRATION

Preparation begins even earlier for campground owners. Dewayne Fry is the owner and operator of Blue Fin Campground in Holyrood. Fry begins his preparation for the long weekend in January.“May two-four is our busiest weekend, seeing that it is the start of summer,” says Fry. “We start our reservations right after Christmas and when we get everyone booked in we start planning our summer events. For the long weekend, we start with a bonfire to kick off the celebration.”

In the spring, Fry goes around the campground to check for damage and to make sure everything will be in running order for the opening weekend. He starts by doing any maintenance that needs to be done, turning the water back on, and putting equipment out into the park that was in storage. Fry has been camping his whole life, he started as a teenager with his grandparents. He believes having the outdoor experience is what the long weekend is all about.

‘NEW ENTHUSIASM’

“The best way to describe it is, it’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders,” says Fry.

“The outdoors just brings this whole new enthusiasm and almost gives people a renewal after a long hard winter.” Even with the recent outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fry believes it will give people more reason to want to get out and fully embrace this holiday for what it is.

“It’s been a tough year for everybody and it’s been a reminder of how tough life is, the people I have been talking to are excited to be able to push that to the side and get out into freedom and fresh air,” says Fry.

MAY TWO-FOUR

He goes on to say how May two-four is his favourite time of year at the park and being prepared for the long weekend is the second most important thing you could do to ensure a stress-free time. He adds the most important thing is making lifelong memories.

Fry is excited to re-open the campground and have everyone back in the park, he considers them his extended family. He knows that our Newfoundland weather is iffy but hopes no matter what the weather brings that people come prepared to celebrate the holiday because being together is what matters.

“Regardless, go camping,” says Fry. “The benefits of camping on the long weekend, the joy it brings, will outweigh whatever the weather will hold.”

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David Snow and his family have spent the past 21 years building Marine Park into one of the most sought-after seasonal camping destinations in Newfoundland.

Now, Snow and his family are working to increase their overnight camping business by transforming their 450-site campground into Canada’s sixth Jellystone Park Camp-Resort.

“We want to be the best, yet don’t want to reinvent the wheel, and by becoming a Jellystone Park franchise we can tap into their experience and expand our overnight traffic,” Snow said.

JELLYSTONE FRANCHISE

Indeed, with an expanding network of more than 80 parks across the U.S. and Canada, Jellystone Parks have become one of the most sought-after family camping destinations in North America.

“It would take us 80 years to gain the knowledge and experience that we can acquire instantly by joining the Jellystone Park franchise network,” Snow said, adding that the network can provide his team with guidance on everything from developing organized activities to recommendations on vendors to use for campground products, services and amenities.

Snow also expects to dramatically increase his overnight traffic by having his campground featured on CampJellystone.com, the travel planning website for Jellystone Parks that attracts more than 2 million unique visitors each year.

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Jellystone Parks are famous for providing fun, family activities and themed weekends that include everything from crafts and games to wagon rides. Birthday parties with the bears and daily appearances by Yogi Bear are also very popular.

OPEN YEAR-ROUND!

Organized activities at the Marine Park-Jellystone Park will be scheduled from May through September, and will include campground parades, cookouts, dances, and themed weekends. Marine Park is open year round, but will have its grand opening as a Jellystone Park on Canada Day, July 1.

“We’re adding to our play structures and redoing our store to make room for Jellystone Park novelty items,” Snow said, adding that he also plans to introduce rental accommodations in the near future.

In addition to providing RV and tent sites, the park currently features 200-foot long water slides, a recreation lake with pedal boat rentals, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a Greco Pizza Xpress restaurant, and a large convenience store. The Snow Family also owns Parkside RV (parksiderv.com), which is a full-service RV dealership, also located at Marine Park. 

The Jellystone Park in Newfoundland will be the sixth Jellystone Park in Canada. Other Canadian Jellystone Parks are located in Borden-Carlton, PEI; Kingston, N.S.; Lower Woodstock, N.B.; as well as Niagara Falls and Toronto, Ont. 

‘PROUD OF OUR PARK’

“We’re proud of our park and what we have to offer. Always. There’s a long-held sense of pride with any family business. Seeing this place go from woods to campsites a family can enjoy makes all the effort worthwhile. You go from dump truckloads of dirt to seeing a family fishing off their back deck or sitting around the campfire and that makes everything we do here mean something.”

Now that they’ve become part of the Jellystone Park family, it’s upped the ante, says Snow. “Their model of Camp-Resorts are among the best campgrounds in the industry and they have a top-quality reputation for being fun, friendly, clean and service-oriented. Add that to our values of being the best there is, and I think we have a winning formula. We are excited for this season!”

For more information, visit marineparknl.com or campjellystone.com