KOA Expanding Popular Free Camping Event
Kampgrounds of America’s popular Come Camp With Us Day event will be expanded for 2007. Since 2004, KOA has offered campers throughout North America a free day of camping at participating KOA campgrounds the second Friday in May.
In 2007 the event will be called “Come Camp & Care With Us Weekend,” and will be expanded to offer a free Saturday of camping on May 12 for those who stay as paid guests at participating campgrounds on Friday, May 11.
The event is intended to expose more people to the joys of camping by offering them a free night, as well as to encourage campers to both begin camping earlier in the spring and to consider KOA campgrounds close to home. Expanding the event to a weekend will allow KOA campground owners to plan more activities for guests.
The 2007 event again will serve as a major fundraiser for KOA Care Camps for children with cancer. The 38 Care Camps, located throughout North America, offer children with cancer and their siblings a chance to experience summer camp in a safe environment while continuing with their medically supervised treatments. In 2006, donations from campers and sponsors accounted for more than $100,000 for KOA Care Camps.
For more information about the event, including a list of participating campgrounds, or to make reservations, visit www.koa.com. For more details about KOA Care Camps, go to www.koacarecamps.com.
Great Outdoors Week Coming In June
Great Outdoors Week 2007, slated for June 11 through 15, will highlight efforts to enhance outdoor recreation for all Americans in the 21st century. Topics to be addressed in a series of forums among recreation leaders throughout the week include improving health through recreation; children and the outdoors; declining visitorship and access to public land; public-private partnerships; ensuring strong recreational trails and scenic byways programs, and more.
Great Outdoors Week takes place in Washington, D.C., and is coordinated by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). Events will be hosted by more than a dozen federal agencies and national organizations. This year an exciting new effort to link National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (May) with Great Outdoors Month (June) will focus on the enormous potential of the Great Outdoors to be the country’s “outdoor physical fitness center” for combating childhood and adult obesity. This is a timely topic for Great Outdoors Week. Obesity, particularly childhood obesity, is the focus of a new national media campaign recently announced by U.S. President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush. The campaign will enlist animated movie favorite Shrek to encourage children to eat better and get regular outdoor exercise.
A special focus of Great Outdoors Week this year will be “Byways 2021,” a year-long initiative celebrating the National Scenic Byways Program’s 15 years of accomplishments and creating the blueprint for a vibrant future.
Details about Great Outdoors Week 2007 can be found at wwwfunoutdoors.com.
Yellowstone National Park Seeking Employees
With the spring and summer travel seasons here, Yellowstone National Park concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts is seeking seasonal employees to fill up to 3,000 positions. The company is looking for folks to staff the park’s lodges, campgrounds, restaurants, gift shops, and concessioner-operated tours and activities.
Lodges begin to open in early May, and all park facilities are fully operational by June 10. Closings begin in mid-September, with two lodges remaining open until mid-October. Since many seasonal workers are college students who will return to school before the lodges close for the season, the company is looking for workers who can stay until the end of the season.
Sites in an employee RV park are available for a nominal fee, and laundry service and meal plans also are available.
For more information about employment opportunities, call (307) 344-5324 or visit www.yellowstonejobs.com.
Country Coach Purchased By Private Investment Group
It was announced on February 16, 2007, that a group led by Riley Investment Partners had entered into a binding agreement to purchase Country Coach Inc. from National RV Holdings Inc. According to published reports, the deal calls for a cash payment of $38.75 million and the assumption of $13 million in debt.
The deal also marks the return of Bob Lee, who founded the company in 1973, to the Country Coach family as chairman emeritus. Mr. Lee will provide ongoing counsel for the company’s management team. It was reported that Mr. Lee, Country Coach president and CEO Jay Howard, and senior vice president for sales and service Jim Howard all are part of the investment group.
Motorhome Manufacturers Featured In Guide To Factory Tours
Two motorhome manufacturers “” Jayco Inc. and Winnebago Industries Inc. “” are among the in-depth featured tours in the latest edition of Made In The U.S.A. ($21.95, Avalon Travel Publishing). Airstream, Coachmen Industries, Country Coach Inc., Fleetwood Enterprises, and Monaco Coach Corporation received mention as well.
Authors Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg have traveled to hundreds of companies throughout the United States to compile their visitors guide to the best factory tours and company museums. The book has individual listings for more than 300 companies. Each listing includes a brief history of the company as well as a description of what you will see during a tour. It also includes specific tour information such as cost; freebies; video/DVD presentations; reservations; days and hours; how long you should plan to stay; minimum age; whether there is disabled access; group requirements; gift shop; directions; and nearby attractions.
For more information about the book, visit www.factorytour.com. It is available from bookstores, through online booksellers, or by calling (617) 734-6184.