Prairie Village News 5/10/16

Faron Wahl, Manager

It began with a tent, and lantern, and a camp stove. My wife and I started camping with our two children when they were very young (one still in utero, actually). As years went by and we found ourselves more physically tired upon returning from camping than before we left (the opposite of our whole reason for going), we graduated to a basic camper.

Some of the best memories our family has logged (and there are a host of them) are times spent together while camping. Both of our now college-age kids would to this day name camping as one of their most looked-forward-to events in a year’s calendar. And judging by the explosion of camping requests logged at the village this spring, our family is not alone.

To be sure, we’ve seen a certain amount of swell in camping here over the past couple of years. But the tidal wave of camping requests hit us this year well before we expected those waters to rise. In March alone, we booked more than 350 nights of camping for the season, a figure never before approached, or even imagined, at that early date.

It should be no great surprise, one would think. Camping families know that scoring a spot at a popular park on a summer weekend requires a computer connection to the reservation system precisely 90 days out, coupled a focused mind and catlike reflexes to mouse-drag that choice site into your e-shopping cart before the next person grabs it. The calm, general availability of camping at the village does indeed beckon to those weary of trying in vain to post their name on any available campsite within a 20 county area.

As it goes with positive growth, it has become necessary to institute a couple of changes in camping fees and policies in order to maintain organization and consistency through this growth. As of May 1, for those desiring to leave their camping units unoccupied at the village and then return at a later date to camp, the cost will be $10 per day. This does not apply to the week prior to the Jamboree as we encourage folks to bring those campers early. This option is not available in high priority or 50 amp. sites.

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Consignment auction 2016 is in the rear view mirror, and we couldn’t be more pleased with how the day played out. No rain with temps in the 60’s, lots of solid consignments, and a great crowd of interested auction-goers…most of the ingredients for a great day of bidding! I’d be remiss, however, if I failed to declare the star mark of a good auction: the auctioneers.

You can labor for weeks over advance planning and the incessant details of such an event, but the actual auction’s power meter is direct-wired to its auctioneers. Volunteering their professional skills this year were Rick Becker, Mike Corcoran, LD Henrichs, Duane Schmidt, and Al Kooima. These gentlemen spent their entire day with us, smoothly advancing down the swaths of consigned items and equipment like a finely tuned baler handling windrows of cured alfalfa. I heard many comments from folks who enjoyed their day all the more because of the professional yet light and friendly approach taken by these guys. Our deepest thanks to Al, Duane, LD, Mike, and Rick. Our hats are off to you for your kindness and generosity shown to Prairie Village.