Jellystone Park at Dogwood Valley welcomed Morrow County Chamber of Commerce members and their friends and family for a Business After Hours (BAH) open house July 29. The visitors enjoyed swimming at the lake, wagon rides and a camp supper in the pavilion.
It was “Christmas in July” theme week and “Yogi Bear” and “Boo Boo” were at the park to pose for pictures and bring a smile to children and their parents’ faces.
Owner and Manager, Diane Felber said that Jellystone in Mount Gilead employs 32 people at the park. Many of the seasonal workers are college students and recent high school or college grads. It’s often a first job for those young people.
Northmor High School grad Shelbie Wiseman said it’s been a great place to work this summer. Her family camps there and she will be a Muskingum College sophomore this fall.
Caysie Weikel is also enjoying her summer job at Jellystone. She is a student at River Valley High School and her family has a permanent spot at the campgrounds.
Caitlin Shelton’s family comes up from Madisonville, Kentucky to camp at Jellystone. She is a high school senior and loves working at the campground. She will have to return to Kentucky the first week of August since school begins there on August 5th. All three girls help out at the campgrounds and enjoyed helping with the Chamber Open House.
Chamber members Leanne and Gene Gompf of Mount Gilead were attending the Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours. They have a camper at Jellystone and have been impressed with the improvements the last few years.
Chamber members toured the swimming and recreation areas as well as the camp sites, swimming areas and camp store.
Pat Nesbitt and several of the Chamber members and their friends hadn’t been to the camp for several years. They were pleased to see it had most of the activities and all of the beauty they remembered from the past as well as many more activities and conveniences.
Some of the features in the park include the 250 ft. water slide and a 75 ft. tube slide. A few Chamber guests enjoyed the heated pool and guests could also enjoy paddle boats and canoes. Several had fun playing beach volleyball.
Felber said the standard of service is high for the Jellystone franchise and they needed to make several upgrades before they could meet the checklist of requirements. They brought in city water and sewer, set up a recreation program, built a fitness center, an activity center and put in 50-amp electricity for larger campers. They also built four new cabins and have remodeled and rebuilt the 2,000 sq. ft. store and office.
Chamber members and their friends enjoyed swimming, walks and a picnic supper in the pavilion with hot dogs, chips and a sundae. A few hopped on the tractor-drawn wagon to enjoy a hay ride at the end of the day.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent with the Morrow County Sentinel and can be reached at [email protected].
