CONY Newsletter Jan Feb 2012

In this issue:

Chairman’s Report 2

President’s Report 2

Marketing/Tech

Pointers

5

ADA & IRS Updates 8

Governance

Committee Report

10

Passing of Darlene

Ingram

16

Our VISION:

Campground Owners of

New York (CONY) will

be the model campground

association by providing

professionalism and diversity

in our programs, education,

services, advocacy and

support for continued growth

and collaboration within the

outdoor hospitality industry.

Our MISSION:

Campground Owners of

New York (CONY) is

an association dedicated

to the promotion, growth,

improvement and

development of privately

owned campgrounds in

New York State.

nycampgrounds.com

campcony.com

Volume 35, Issue 1

Jan / Feb 2012

CONY will again be participating along

with the Tourism Industry Coalition of

which CONY is a member in this produc-

tive event. This years date is set for Tues-

day March 6, 2012. If you would be inter-

ested in attending please let the CONY

office know so that we can help you with

registration and assist you in setting up

appointments with your local legislators.

Peter O'Connell of Hannan and O'Con-

nell Public Affairs will be accompanying

us to several appointments. We will have

a full agenda here are some of the bills

that we will be working on and sharing

with our legislators.

A00158 Prohibits the Adirondack

park agency from implementing any rule

or regulation relating to campgrounds

which is inconsistent with department of

health rules

A00151 Redefines "campground" for

the purposes of the Adirondack park

A02031 Relates to the right to cancel

a membership campground contract

A05561 Provides for the removal of

persons from campgrounds by the owner

or operator thereof, or his or her agent

A07667 Authorizes certain camp-

grounds without dumping stations to pro-

vide a list of dumping stations

Other initiatives currently known that we

will be discussing and working on include:

1) Tourism funding for the I Love NY

Program.

2) I Love NY website and other promo-

tional programs.

3) The establishment of a blue ribbon

commission to study the effect of compe-

tition between public and private outdoor

hospitality establishments.

To find your local Assemblyperson:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

To look up a pending bill:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/

To find your local State Senator:

http://www.nysenate.gov/

Join CONY at Tourism Action Day on March 6

Coming to Albany for Tourism Action Day? Consider staying

over an extra day for the Annual Empire State Tourism Conference, March 6-8, 2012.

Professional Development Seminars, Guest Speaker

Kenneth Adams, Commissioner of Empire State Development, Scholarship Auction of Great

Getaways, and MORE!

Details: Www.nystva.org

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Chairman’s Report

Christmas and the New Year

are finally past us. It was a

wonderful season and one that

is near and dear to my heart –

and my two 9 year old boy’s

hearts. They love the Christ-

mas season – and frankly

Sandy and I spoil them shame-

lessly. Probably not good for them, but it sure warms

our hearts to see the big smiles and hear the laughter

on Christmas morning. Over the break we had the

opportunity to go to lunch with Don, Traci, Suzanne,

Laurie and Clyde. It was a great time and another

opportunity to thank them all for the hard work that

each of them does for our membership. I am looking

forward to the coming season and all the exciting

things we are planning! I am excited to work with

our Board of Directors and see our association mov-

ing forward in exciting new ways.

I have visited other association websites and visited

with other association leaders and I am truly pleased

that the CONY members receive some of the best

benefits in the industry. Our brochure program costs

just $400 for 10 shows, at another association nearby,

the charge is $400 per show. Don has negotiated a

CONY discount through Suburban Propane that is

equal to the ARVC discount. The ads in the CONY

directory are less than many other comparable direc-

tories in other states. Our upcoming Zone Meetings

provide you with good information that is relevant

and timely and include a vendor show to help begin

the purchase process. Our association provides many

fantastic member benefits – are you using as many of

them as you can?

Just last week we were cutting trees down and block-

ing them for firewood this coming year. It was in the

(Chairman’s Report continued on page 11)

Mike Papp

From the Desk of the President and CEO

Busy! One word that we often

use over and over to explain

society today and the place we

find ourselves in within to-

day’s rapidly changing busi-

ness environment. Technology

changes seem to be happen-

ing so fast that when we think

we are able to be comfortable again with what we

have learned and implemented in our businesses

someone keeps changing the game. I would recom-

mend a good book written by Spencer Johnson titled:

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with

Change in Your Work and in Your Life. Although this

book was written in 1989 it still rings true today that

you must embrace change and welcome it, not to be

scared of it.

First and foremost I don’t like to use the word

change because you have a 50/50 chance of change

being positive and 50/50 chance of change being

negative. I like to refer to change by calling it trans-

form or transformation; it seems that if you trans-

form something you might have a little more control

over a positive outcome, whereas to change some-

thing I believe you don’t have as much control. Well

this is one of the reasons that you must take charge

of yourself and your business and become aware of

where our industry is heading in the near future.

At our upcoming zone meetings we will have Clyde

Taylor of Taylor Communications deliver a key note

address entitled ―What if?‖ This program will take a

very candid look at the outdoor hospitality industry—

specifically camping and RV Parks in New York

State—from an entrepreneur’s viewpoint. It will fo-

cus on ―what’s coming‖ in our industry and what we

need to be doing to address both the opportunities

and challenges that lay ahead of us.

Some shocking news recently that Eastman Kodak

Company had filed for protection under the bank-

ruptcy laws. This once thriving company only 25

(President’s Report continued on page 7)

Donald G. Bennett, Jr.

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Truman Hartshorn, CPO, Region 5 Director and ARVC Board Region 2 Rep-resentative

Attendance at the 2011 ARVC

Outdoor Hospitality Confer-

ence in Savannah in December

scored a jump of 32% in com-

parison with the 2010 meeting

in Las Vegas. The new step-

pricing formula that lowered the cost to small and

medium parks and the Battle for Savannah contest

really produced results. Congratulations to the Mary-

land Association of Campgrounds for generating the

greatest increase in attendance year-to-year and win-

ning the sweepstakes prize.

Other winners in Savannah were the educational

seminars which offered a much improved learning

experience for the campground owner this year. I

was particularly impressed with the usefulness of the

information gained from the four technology and

marketing sessions I attended. The convergence of

the material in these sessions created genuine take-

home value which I will try to capture here.

It goes without saying that social media has now

come of age and has become a driving force in the

business world, and in the camping business in par-

ticular. Social media applications are transferring

power to the customer, our campers. We are not as

much in control of our businesses as were in the past.

Our customers are increasingly savvy with their smart

phones, both in making travel and vacation decisions

and in sharing their experiences.

Speaking of smart phones, we are all hearing that they

will surpass personal computers in number this year.

Mobile websites such and the new CONY application

will help us keep the lead in New York in terms of

assisting the customer find us, but we also need to

use our smart phones more productively. Let us just

think of two applications in this regard: 1) the Quick

Response (QR) Code; and 2) photography applica-

tions.

It is now important to offer a QR code on all our

documents and advertising material that can drive

customers to our websites. For those that are not

familiar with QR Codes, they are the small puzzle-like

squares that increasingly appear on documents and

merchandise. People with QR Code scanner applica-

tions installed on their smartphones take a picture of

the QR code, which directs them to a website. Here

is the CONY website QR code:

You can create a QR Code yourself by going to

google and typing in ―QR generator‖ and several

websites will pop up to choose from.

While I already knew the importance of a QR code in

bringing customers to my website, I learned at the

seminar that there should be a separate QR Code for

each page of the website so customers could directly

access an activities page, the rate schedule, and reser-

vations page, etc. It is also important to place a note

by each QR code to tell the user where it goes and

what it is about. QR codes will also become indis-

(Marketing/Technology continued on page 6)

Take home pointers on marketing and technology

Truman Hartshorn

Left: QR Code for

campcony.com

Below: QR Code for

nycampgrounds.com

Use your QR scanner

app on your smart

phone to read these

codes.

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Marketing/Technology

pensible to us to direct customers to other amenities

we offer such as geocaching, walking tours, trails, and

historical information.

In the photography

arena I learned about

the Photo Cube which

is a small tissue-box

sized printer that pro-

duces photo quality

pictures from a

docked iPhone. It also

connects to an android

phone and sells for

about $100 from Ama-

zon. With this device

it is easy to capture

images of your guests that you can share with them.

The second photography tool is the Postagram Post-

card application (app). Once this app is downloaded

on a smart phone, you can take a photo of your

guests and send it to them

by postal mail for 99

cents. What a great mar-

keting idea!

With all the new applica-

tions for smart phones

and tablets and the intro-

duction of 3G and 4G

service, the consumer is

using more data. The de-

mands for Wi-Fi access

will also increase. As the

demand for more band-

width grows, the necessity

for the tiering of service

will also grow. This means

that parks will have to

offer different classes of

service, and have a pay plan for more bandwidth.

The need for premier service will expand as the use

of gaming devices, Netflix, Skype, and other applica-

tions grows.

It is increasingly obvious that we offer an experience

at our campgrounds, not a product. The amenities we

offer are what counts to our customer. A camp-

ground provides a lifestyle experience. With this in

mind, we need to create a sustainable advantage for

our park. By differentiating ourselves from the com-

petition we create a marketing advantage. As a park

owner, we should do things that others cannot dupli-

cate. The look and feel of the facility is the most im-

portant in this regard. Price is not as important, for

example, as creating a memorable wow factor such as

upgraded landscaping or flower gardens.

Providing a unique experience for the customer is the

best way to create loyalty. By focusing on amenities

we affirm that we are in the hospitality and entertain-

ment industry. This is what customers think of as

value, and in providing this experience we should ex-

ceed customer expectations. Improvements to facili-

ties are also a good place to spend marketing dollars

as this will improve the experience.

In summary, we need to remember that our custom-

ers are on vacation and place a high value on a great

experience. This is where the Postagram mentioned

earlier fits in the equation. By taking a picture of

each guest while they are at your park and sending

them a picture they will receive when they return

home along with a note thanking them for camping

at your park, will not only create a memory, but a

loyal customer.

(Continued from page 5)

iPhone Photo Cube Printer

Postagram Application

2012 Northeast Conference on Camping

Thursday, March 22nd thru Saturday, March 24th

Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center

Sturbridge, Massachusetts Registration materials are now available as PDF documents.

http://campnca.org/

conference

NEWS

7

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years ago had over 70,000 jobs in the Rochester, NY

market alone. It is mind-boggling to me just how

quickly things that once were very important and vi-

brant have become irrelevant and insignificant due to

changes in technology and a company’s misfortune to

not see what transformations needed to occur to

make sure that the vitality of the company and the

industry continued.

Now for most of us our businesses are on a much

smaller scale than Kodak with its thousands of em-

ployees, but the importance of the message should

ring clear. Your CONY board of directors, officers,

members, and staff have been working hard to make

sure that our sector of the outdoor hospitality indus-

try will continue to thrive into the future. CONY’s

mission statement reads: CONY an association dedi-

cated to the promotion, growth, improvement and

development of privately owned campgrounds in

New York State (I do not know of any time in my

short tenure as President/CEO of CONY of the

many projects and programs that are being explored,

discussed and implemented as we have today). Just

one example: our coming Smart Phone Application.

In the industry applications are nicknamed ―apps.‖ I

am excited for the upcoming release or our very own

app. By the end of 2011, 52% of Americans owned a

smart phone and will be able to download our ―app‖

to their phone. The app has many features, such as

showing how many miles away you are from a park,

providing step by step directions with the push of a

button right to a park’s door, finding parks by the

amenities offered, links to park websites, email capa-

bilities, and more. Your park can even utilize a special

offer or coupon on the app. If your park chooses to

offer one, the consumer can share your park’s listing

with their friends and families and even have the abil-

ity to make online reservations to stay at your park.

The Smart Phone App is just one of the latest pro-

jects that your Board has worked on diligently from

concept to reality. Many more projects and programs

are currently in the works and I look forward to their

announcement and many other updates at the up-

coming zone meetings.

The CONY board continues to set the goals of the

organization at a very high level, and has worked over

my tenure realizing the goals one by one. CONY

member campgrounds have also risen to the many

challenges over the past several years and have come

out stronger than ever. As an industry we have en-

dured many challenges from unstable weather, high

fuel prices, terrorism, war, unemployment, to contin-

ual infrastructure improvements in our parks such as

Wi-Fi, 50 amp electricity, new and improved ameni-

ties, rental units and cabins and the list goes on and

on. CONY member parks have a great story to tell

and we must continue to find any means possible to

get that story out there. Our industry is definitely

transforming and we will continue to work hard on

your behalf to make sure that we are taking the lead

in that transformation, embracing the future and con-

tinuing to grow and prosper. All this could not be

possible without your dedication to our industry and

our organization. Thank You.

The list of member benefits, programs, and projects

seems to grow longer and longer as the years go by. I

am often frustrated to hear that ―I didn’t know I

could do that with CONY,‖ ―I didn’t know that

CONY did that‖ or ―I didn’t know CONY could

help me with that.‖ The CONY board has made it

their mission to try to communicate member services

and benefits in a more clear and concise manner util-

izing tools such as our member binder system and

other means to enable more direct communication

with our members. To get a better handle on what

YOUR association is doing I urge you to also become

more involved with CONY. Several opportunities

exist each year whether it be one of four zone meet-

ings across the state, our annual conference and trade

show, region meetings held in your region in mid

September. Don’t forget you are welcome at any

CONY board meeting. Read the e-newsletters, mail-

ings, and newsletters for updates and tips. Don’t for-

get if you have any questions or something that


(President’s Report Continued on page 9)

President’s Report

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2012 ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Rules and Regulations

With the upcoming ADA (Americans with Disabili-

ties Act) revised rules compliance date set to take af-

fect March 15, 2012 I have included some reference

information for you to utilize in working with the

new regulations.

The ADA Department of Justice Standards: ADA

Standards, http://www.access-board.gov/ada/

index.htm

You will want to note that Privately owned camp-

grounds fall under the Title 3 Classification Public

Accommodations and Commercial Facilities begin-

ning on page 39.

I also have found that the U.S. Access Board an inde-

pendent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for

people with disabilities as a terrific resource. The

board was created in 1973 to ensure access to feder-

ally funded facilities, the Board is now a leading

source of information on accessible design. In 2009

at our annual conference one of our speakers was Mr.

Bill Botten an Accessibility Specialist. If you should

have any questions Mr. Botten is available by calling

(800) 872-2253. He has also directed me to some of

the training sessions in the form of webinars

(basically a webinar is an online presentation that can

be accessed at any time.)

The US Access Board conducted a webinar on re-

quirements for Accessible pools and spas. You can

click on the link to access the archived webi-

nar: Accessible Pools and Spas Webinar, http://

www.access ib i l i tyon l ine .org/Archives/

index.php?app=4&type=transcript&id=2011-03-

03

For additional opportunities upcoming as well as ar-

chived webinars are available for you to utilize. You

can find them at: Upcoming and Archived ADA

webinars, http://www.access-board.gov/

webinars.htm#upcoming


CONY President and CEO

2012 IRS Updates

Payroll tax break extended until February 2012.

Please go here for details: Payroll Tax break ex-

tended, http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/

article/0,,id=251650,00.html

The 2% tax break on the Employee's share of Social

Security has been extended until February 29, 2012.

Discussion on a long term extension is taking place

and we’ll notify you if a further extension occurs.

1099's: Don't forget those subcontractors and non

employees that were paid over $600. Go here for a

link to 1099-Misc: http://www.irs.gov/

businesses/article/0,,id=243429,00.html

I have received many inquiries about the Em-

ployee Vs. Subcontractor classification debate. With

our seasonal businesses it is easy to misclassify work-

ers. If you have questions relating to who is an em-

ployee and who is a subcontractor, the IRS provides

some guidance with the determination. Employee

Vs. Subcontractor rules: http://www.irs.gov/

businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html

Please go here for updates 2012 Mileage Reim-

bursement Rates: http://www.irs.gov/

newsroom/article/0,,id=250882,00.html

As always please consult your tax advisor/attorney on

the applicability to your individual situation.


CONY President and CEO

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WHAT A

WONDERFUL

WOMAN

It was my extreme pleas-

ure and honor to have

worked with Darlene In-

gram for twenty years as

CONY's and my personal

secretary in the CONY

office when it was located

in Dansville, NY.

NO one could have been more dedicated to her job

than Darlene. Her untiring efforts helped make

CONY the organization it is today. My deepest sym-

pathy goes out to her three children, Don, Karen and

Laurie and their spouses and especially her two beau-

tiful grand-daughters, Taylor and Rachel, who were

the "twinkles" in Darlene's eyes.

I have received many letters of condolence relating to

Darlene's passing. The following I believe tells it all.

Received from Jim Vokes, former producer of the

CONY Campground and RV Park Guide:

"Tell her loved ones not to morn but to celebrate Darlene's life

because she touched and brought joy to so many people and she

will live forever. God Blessed Darlene and us as well for know-

ing and working with her.”

“MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU DAR-

LENE. PLEASE GIVE MY BEST TO GENE.”

Thank you Darlene,

Bob Klos

CONY Executive Administrator

1976 - 2006


CONY can help you with please don’t hesitate to call

the CONY office.

In closing, I am honored to serve the organization as

your President and CEO together we can continue to

accomplish great things. I know you are BUSY but I

promise if you make time for CONY you will not only

be glad you did but it just might help you identify not

only who moved your cheese but also learn how to get

it back.

See you at the zone meetings!

Respectfully Submitted,



President’s Report

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News from the CONY Governance Committee

The governance committee for

2011/2012 includes the fol-

lowing members: CONY 1st

Vice Chairman Bill Perry, Kim

Foro, Doug Brown, Scott

Sherwood, Truman Hartshorn,

and Ed Marden.

The governance

committee has

many goals that it

would like to accomplish this year. One

of our first goals is to increase member-

ship. This is generally a challenge but

with all of the member benefits and ser-

vices we currently have in place and what

is being worked on hopefully prospective

members will see all the value of being a

CONY member.

Another goal is that we would like to

increase collaborative partnerships for

the organization. With the increase of

membership hopefully we will be able to

also increase our vendor base and the

number of exhibitors that attend the

expo and zone meetings. With the in-

crease in memberships and vendors this

will help keep our overall membership

dues down as well as allow us to better serve our

members with more benefits and services.

In the last 3-4 years CONY has brought back the

show program, designed a new logo, collaborated on

a DVD, implemented an E-news letter, created an on

line reservation system, produced bags for shows, up-

graded to a full color directory, added a digital direc-

tory to the website , and is set to unveil a new smart

phone app soon.

Your CONY board is always looking for new pro-

grams and technology for its members. If you don’t

realize it just to let you know that CONY is per-ceived to be one of the top three Campground associations in the entire country. That says a lot

for your board and President. This started with Clyde

Taylor four years ago when we realized that we

wanted to BE THE BEST!

Other goals we will be trying to achieve will be to

work to continue showing our existing members all

the value that CONY brings to their business whether

it be from marketing, education or advocacy. We also

want to study our regions and explore realigning the

regions to coincide with the New York State

vacation regions, which will possibly elimi-

nate two regions.

At this time the committee would like to

challenge each and every campground owner

to bring a new member to CONY. I’m sure

we all know a non-member campground.

Over the years we have all heard some camp-

ground owners say they don’t need CONY.

They are able to run their park on their own.

Spending all that money I don’t see the bene-

fits, and so on. I would like to challenge this

by saying, Many things go on ―behind the

scenes.‖ Most people that are not directly

involved with their organization don’t realize

all that CONY is and does. A lot of which is

legislative issues. Our ―Watch Dog‖ Pete

O’Connell, diligently keeps an eye on the

people in Albany, making sure that laws

don’t get passed which could harm our busi-

nesses.

I personally feel that being part of CONY is a huge

asset. I have not only saved tens of thousands of dol-

lars along the way, but also have learned a great deal

in being involved on the board, talking with other

campground owners, and in the seminars that I have

attended. My membership with CONY and all the

benefits out weighs the time and money spent over

the past 17 plus years.

————————————

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to meet the challenge of bring-

ing a new campground into CONY, you can start by inviting

them to join you at a CONY Zone Meeting coming up in

March. PLUS...EARN A $100 RECRUITMENT FEE FOR SIGNING UP A NEW MEMBER! See

your CONY member binder for a copy of the recruitment form.

Bill Perry

“At this time the

committee would like

to challenge each and

every campground

owner to bring a new

member to CONY.

I’m sure we all know

a non-member

campground.”

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40’s and quite comfortable work

weather. I know many camp-

ground owners were taking advan-

tage of the mild winter weather

and getting a great deal done out-

doors that usually has to wait until

spring. Then winter finally arrived.

This week we have finally had

some snow which means all the

snowmobile and skiing fans are

finally getting excited to be able to

go out and play. The temps are

pretty cold, minus 7 this morning

which means we will probably

have to let the remaining work wait

until spring.

That’s okay, because there is plenty

of work to do indoors. CONY

staff and Board are preparing for

the upcoming Zone Meetings, get-

ting ready to launch the CONY

APP, meeting with potential new

campground owner members,

meeting with a potential new

CONY charity (more to come

soon) and working on creating new

member benefits.

There are many things you should

be getting ready this winter season:

Have you updated your web-

site? This is something that

many of us forget to do, but it

is very important. You never

get a second chance to make a

first impression!

Have you scheduled time to

meet with vendors? Meeting

with them during these slow

months can save you a lot of

time in the spring when you

are busy getting things ready to

go for summer.

Have you set your goals for

this summer? Better customer

service, cleaner facilities, hap-

pier and more efficient staff –

set the goal then prepare to

measure it though the summer.

If you have a camp store – do

you rearrange it every year or

every other year? You should

– if people know you store in-

side and out, they will spend

less money! If they have to

look – they will find – lots of

things to buy! This also gives

you a chance to clean, clean,

clean!

Is your site map ready for the

season? Is your rack card

ready? Have you ordered your

guest passes?

There are many things that need to

be done and the list above is but a

small list but maybe this will get

you in the mood or motivate you

to start getting these things done.

I hope you are all as excited as I

am about the upcoming zone

meetings. I am looking forward to

seeing each and every one of you

that attend the meetings and I

hope that all of you will. Make

some time to visit with us for one

day and I hope you will walk away

feeling great about the summer and

your membership at Campground

Owner of New York.

It’s all good!

Mike


Chairman’s Report

Every effort is made to print accurate information.

CONY, along with contractors and advertisers

will assume no liability for errors or omissions.

We will gladly reprint any corrections.

The CONY Newsletter is published by the CONY

office, providing its members with industry

related information. For information, article

suggestions or advertising inquiries, call:

800-497-2669 or 585-586-4360. Or e-mail us at:

[email protected]

Campground Owners of New York,

1 Grove St. Suite 200, Pittsford, New York 14534

nycampgrounds.com (consumer website)

campcony.com (corporate website)

Don’t forget to let the CONY

office know how many cases of

directories you’ll be picking up at

the Zone Meetings! Directories

come 50 to a case, and you can

indicate # of cases on your

registration form, or email CONY

at [email protected]

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CONY Spring ZONE Meetings

Reminder to Register

Read the information on the previ-

ous page to see why you should

plan to attend one of the CONY

Zone Meetings this spring!

Meetings will be held:

March 27 Lake George, NY

March 28 K i n g s t o n , N Y

March 29 S y r a c u s e , N Y

March 30 B a t a v i a , N Y

Registration materials have been

distributed to all members via e-

news and in hardcopy format via

regular US postal mail. If you did-

n’t receive your form, please con-

tact the CONY office as soon as

possible at 585-586-4360 or

[email protected].

Your prompt RSVP will ensure

that we have enough materials, as

well as breakfast and lunch, for

everyone at each meeting, and that

vendors will be prepared to meet

with you during the mini trade

show.

We look forward to seeing you in

March!

***

MEMBER BENEFIT

UPDATE:

Co-op Mailing Program

You’ve printed up all those rack

cards or brochures, now you have

to figure out how to get them out

into the hands of prospective cus-

tomers. Have you considered the

low-cost and easy to use CONY

Co-op Mailing Program?

For only 20 cents per piece, CONY

will insert your rack card or bro-

chure into a packet with the

CONY directory, and mail it di-

rectly to people who have actively

requested NY camping informa-

tion. You get an extra boost in

your promotion by sending your

own detailed information right to

the consumers who are interested

in camping, and may decide to do

it in your park.

You’d pay more than double that

amount to send our your own bro-

chure, and you’d have to take the

time and find the recipients to do

it, too.

Enrollment is on a rolling

basis—we’ll include your

piece as long as we have

copies and payment in hand.

As your stock gets low we’ll

let you know so you can de-

cide to send more.

Go to campcony.com and

login to the member pages

to retrieve a contract, or

contact the CONY office at

5 8 5 - 5 8 6 - 4 3 6 0 o r

[email protected]

for a copy.

NOW is a GREAT time to get

involved, the new directory is

available and inquiries are start-

ing to increase for 2012.

CONY is always working to provide

value for your membership, including a

wide range of member programs, dis-

counts and benefits—we’ll be sending you

an update soon with a comprehensive list

of your current benefits and services. But,

we’re always adding more, so keep up to

date on www.campcony.com.

CONY also has a great group of associ-

ate members looking to serve you. Be sure

to consult your Handy Reference Guide

of Associate Members included with your

n e w s l e t t e r , o r a g a i n , v i s i t

www.campcony.com.

Member News

Providing Quality Protection

for your Campgrounds

800-836-7860

www.calbranch.com

Jane Peers

Jenelle Ademovic

http://www.calbranch.com

14

EXTRA

Teresa Hall Mitchell, 59, Executive Director of the Seaway Trail Corpora-tion, passed away January 24th, at her home in Clayton with family at her side.

Teresa was a longtime advocate for tourism, first working for the Thou-sand Islands Bridge Authority from 1972 to 1986 marketing the 1000 Is-lands. She played a key role in devel-oping the Great Lakes Seaway Trail

into a national scenic byway, and for years had a hand in many developments affecting New York State tourism. CONY has long collaborated with Seaway Trail on tourism promotion.

Teresa will be missed by many in the tourism industry across the country, and by her many friends and family. A complete obituary, including where to make memorial contributions, is online at:

http://www.newzjunky.com/obits/0124mitchellobit.htm

Photo used from Newzjunky.com obit page

Teresa Mitchell—Seaway Trail’s Champion

15

EXTRA

It felt a little like old home week at

the RV show in Edison, NJ.

CONY had the exact same spot as

last year (conveniently located just

steps from the door to the parking

lot!) and I saw many of the same

exhibitors as last year. There was

even a gentleman who walked up

to me and said ―Hey! I remember

you from last year.‖ It was my

perfect ―in‖ to tell him how ex-

cited we are about all the great up-

dates to the guide this year and to

show him how to use the QR

codes with his phone.

Friday was bustling, with people

piling in as soon as the doors

opened at 1 PM. Saturday began

slowly, in part because of the

weather. But it picked up in the

afternoon with relatively steady

traffic until the end of that day.

Sunday was pretty low key and was

the lighter of the 3 days. Overall,

it didn’t feel as busy as it did last

year but the buzz was that atten-

dance was up and I gave away sig-

nificantly more guides and partner

brochures than I did the year prior.

However, the highlight of the

weekend was still the gigantic

sandwich I got from Harold’s New

York Deli, located about 2 miles

from the convention center (see

photo at left). This was one half

of my sandwich, that I actually

turned into two human sized sand-

wiches with a little meat left over

for a snack later. Yummy!

Traci Adedeji

CONY Executive Assistant

On the Road for the CONY Shows Program

We’ve kicked off the 2012 CONY

shows season, and so far I’m con-

fident we’re having another good

year for brochure distribution, and

the outlook looks positive for the

summer travel and camping sea-

son. As of this writing, we’ve at-

tended RV shows in Cleveland,

OH, Pittsburgh, PA, Toronto,

ON, Edison, NJ, Hamburg, NY.

We’ve also had a presence at other

shows such as the one in Roches-

ter, NY, with members taking

CONY directories to distribute in

their own booths.

Overall, we’ve encountered show

patrons who are excited for their

camping trips, looking for a variety

of camping and vacation destina-

tions, both near and far from

home. Attendees in Cleveland are

crossing NY to get to New Eng-

land and New York City. Toronto

folks are interested in getting over

to the Adirondacks. Attendees in

Pittsburgh wanted to get up and

see Niagara Falls, but also the

Hudson Valley and Catskills. And

they’re happy that they have infor-

mation at the show to help plan

their trip.

I have been pleasantly surprised by

the enthusiastic response to our

directory cover, showing a man fly

fishing at High Falls in the Adiron-

dacks. Several times a day I hear

comments like, ―Where is that!‖ ―I

want to go there!‖ ―That place

looks beautiful.‖ I congratulate the

CONY membership for selecting a

cover that is resonating with the

public at the RV shows.

We have also started implementing

plastic bags into the shows pro-

gram. CONY printed a quantity of

large plastic bags, to have on hand

with our brochures. Members sup-

ported the project through their ad

placements on the bag. Anecdo-

tally speaking, compared to last

year, we’ve noticed a marked in-

crease in the amount of literature

patrons pick up with a handy bag

to carry it. Thanks to our advertis-

ers for making a bag a reality!

In February we’re off to Spring-

field, MA, and Suffern, NY. In

March we’ll be in Montreal, QUE

and Syracuse, NY. And in April

we’ll be in Binghamton.

From the show in Hamburg, NY...

Suzanne Bixby

Marketing & Communications

Director

Reporting from Edison, NJ

Dear CONY Family,

It is with deep regret that I inform

you that former CONY secretary

Darlene Ingram of Dansville, NY

passed away January 15th. Dar-

lene was the secretary for CONY for

over 20 years. Her death notice

(modified from the Hornell Evening

Tribune) reads as follows:

Darlene Ingram, 74, died Sunday (Jan. 15,

2012) at Noyes Memorial Hospital in

Dansville, after a long illness.

Darlene was born in Dansville on Sept. 19,

1937, the daughter of the late Darwin and

Aldine Luce. She was a graduate of the

Dansville Central School District, and on

Oct. 13, 1956 she married Gene Ingram,

who predeceased her on May 16, 2003.

Prior to her retirement she had worked for

Campground Owners of New York in

Dansville. She enjoyed knitting and giving

her creations to friends and family. Darlene

was a member of the American Legion

Women's Auxiliary in Dansville. She was

an avid bowler, and she and Gene enjoyed

bowling.

Darlene is survived by her son, Donald

(Tammy) Ingram of Dansville; daughters,

Karen (Mike) Corbin and Lori (Randy

Drake) Ingram, both of Dansville; brother,

Norman Luce of Florida; sister, Betty Jean

(Charles) Howe of Dansville; grandchildren,

Taylor Ingram and Rachel Drake of Dans-

ville; several nieces and nephews. She was

predeceased by her brother, Thom Luce.

A funeral was held in January. Internment

in Union Cemetery in Scottsburg. Memorial

contributions may be made to the Daniel

Goho American Legion Post Building

Fund, 34 Elizabeth St., Dansville, N.Y.

14437.

Cards of sympathy can be sent to:

Ingram Family, 212 Main St., Dans-

ville, NY 14437

Sincerely,


(Darlene continued on page 9)

Darlene Ingram—Former CONY Secretary

1 Grove Street, Suite 200

Pittsford, New York 14534

Then CONY President Janine Paddock (left)

presents a gift basket to Darlene Ingram at a

dinner marking Darlene’s retirement from CONY.

CONY Newsletter Jan Feb 2012

Documents

Transcript of CONY Newsletter Jan Feb 2012