“We will be known as the Cleveland Sandusky Jellystone Park,” said Pamela McCreary, adding that the 150-site park will have new signage and other improvements, including an outdoor movie area and rental accommodations, when it reopens in the spring.
McCreary said her business has been doing well with her existing offering of family activities and amenities, which include a gaga ball pit, a mining sluice, a cafe and a three-acre catch and release fishing lake. And she expects that she would continue to do well even if she and her husband continued to operate as Country Stage Campground.
But she said becoming a Jellystone Park will bring a new level of excitement to their park with new activities and entertainment and, of course, Yogi Bear™ and Boo Boo™.
“Jellystone has always been my franchise of choice,” McCreary said. “I grew up with Yogi. Look how fun is that!”
Only Jellystone Parks have Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, and children love to interact with them. Jellystone Parks are also famous for providing fun, family activities and themed weekends that include everything from crafts and games to wagon rides.
Themed weekend activities, such as Hawaiian weekends, often include limbo contests, sand castle building and a luau. Mardi Gras themed weekends include parades, cookouts and dances, while Christmas in July weekends include campsite decorating contests, campsite caroling, cookie and ornament making activities. The increasingly popular Halloween themed weekends include costume and campsite decorating contests and trick or treating activities.
All of these activities give Jellystone Parks the ability to provide families with experiences they can’t find anywhere else.
There are currently 81 Jellystone Parks across the U.S. and Canada, and the network continues to expand as growing numbers of family owned campgrounds join the Jellystone Park franchise system.
McCreary said Jellystone is a good fit for her park.
“Our park is already very family oriented and very friendly,” she said. “We treat people like they are all our friends. We sell fun. We tell our staff, ‘Smile and talk to people like you’ve known them all your life.’ It starts at the top.”
It’s an approach that has enabled the McCrearys to build a large following of repeat campers who come back to their park year after year. They expect their customer base to grow even larger once they become a Jellystone Park.
For more information on Country Stage Campground, please visit its website at www.countrystagecampground.com. Ohio’s other Jellystone Parks are located in Holmes County, Mt. Gilead and Akron, all of which can be found at www.CampJellystone.com.
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