b'CALENDAR OF EVENTS TACO Conferencefrom page 14 Florida RV Parksfrom page 32NOVEMBERThe second day of TACOs annual meet- Boyds Campground in Key West ingincludedtheassociationsannualBoyds Campground in Key West, one awards presentation, educational seminarsof Floridas oldest RV parks, was founded 7-10: Leisure Systems Inc. and its annual tradeshow, which featuredby a Canadian couple. Symposiummany new vendors, including JLM Con- Boyd and Elsie Hamilton were natives Northern Kentucky struction & Development; JTACR Real Es- of small prairie towns in Saskatchewan. Convention CentertateGroup;GlobalSatelliteSolutions;They drove to Florida the first time as Covington, Ky.Wild Things T-Shirts; Spot2Nite, a bookingnewlyweds in their homemade camper Contact: (800) 626-3720app; Pandion Alliance, a group purchasingin 1948, trying to escape Canadas bone-organization;andPlasterofParadise,chillingwinteratleastforalittle 8-11: 2021 Outdoor Hospitality which makes a variety of decorative prod- while. Conference & Expoucts. The tradeshow included an outdoorThey kept driving south and they Raleigh Convention CenterdisplayfeaturingwagonsbyConestogadidntstopuntiltheyarrivedatKey Raleigh, N.C.Wagon Co., Plains Craft Covered Wagons,TACOs Brian Schaeffer, left, and Randall Dally,West, said Henry Boyd Hamilton, a sec-Contact: (303) 681-0401a park model by Athens/Champion and aright, present the associations Park of the Yearond-generation co-owner and operator cabinbyLelandCabins.Portablebath- of the park. By the time they got to 15-18: KOA Conventionrooms and shower houses were also onof bungalows, cabins and cottages alongFlorida, the snowstorms had quit, and Raising Canes River Centerdisplay.the Guadalupe River and near the parksthey saw the Cubans picking coconuts Baton Rouge, La. Tradeshowvendorswerepleasedwithwater zone. The water zone, which is openand papayas. Contact: eKamprecord levels of attendancethrough October, features swimming pools, and park operator interestthree waterslides that are 196-, 242- and DECEMBERin their products. Its been334-feet in length and a water play area an extremely good show,with its own two water slides, a hydros-5-8: PCOA Convention & Trade ShowsaidDavidBaker,oftorm and interactive play features. Other at-Penn Stater Hotel & FreezeMiser, whose com- tractions include disc golf, gem mining, Conference Centerpanysellsproductsthatvolleyball, gaga ball, horseshoes, pedal State College, Pa. keep water faucets fromcarts, an outdoor playground and fishing Contact: 610-767-5026David Baker freezing.along the banks of the Guadalupe River. TACOs annual meet- The park also has a pub and pizzeria and aBoyd and Elsie Hamilton 15-18: Campground Owners Expoingconcludedwithagroupdinnerandcartoon cafe with menu items, including Branson Convention Center Hotel good news from the police, who locatedburgers,chickenwingsandtacos.Boyds Campground was started after the Branson, Mo.Dallys Ford F-350 in Houston in good con- www.jellystoneguadalupe.comHamiltons fell in love with Key West. Contact: 608-525-2323dition. The U-Haul trailer had not been re- Accommodations of the Year in the covered, however.Small Park Category: This award was pre-FEBRUARYTACO also handed out its annual awardssented to the Port Lavaca/Matagorda Bay during the conference. Here are the win- Kampgrounds of America (KOA) Holiday 3-5: Carolinas Annual Spring ners in the following categories:campground in Port Lavaca. Accommoda-Conference & Trade ShowLarge Park of the Year: This award wastions include furnished park models, which presented to Coyote Ranch Resort in Wi- KOA markets as deluxe cabins, glamping Embassy Suites Myrtle Beach chita Falls. Park amenities include threetents and RV rentals. Other park amenities Oceanfrontswimming pools, gaga ball, an 18-holeinclude a splash pad, a hot tub/sauna, a Myrtle Beach, S.C.miniature golf course and a 6,500-squarefishing pier and small craft boat ramp, aThe Hamiltons fell in love with Key Contact: 803-569-1986foot maze. Sand volleyball, tetherball anddogwalkandwatersportsrentals.West and returned the next year and be-basketball courts are also on-site. The parkwww.koa.com/campgrounds/port-lavacacamepermanentresidents.Boyd MARCHcomplements its RV sites with park modelsSupplier of the Year: This award wasHamilton initially worked as an electri-andsite-builtcabinsandcottages.presented to Rowley Insurance, a longtimecian, a skill he was taught while serving 4-5: OCOAs Spring Conference &www.coyoteranchresort.com TACO supporter and campground industryin the Royal Canadian Navy in World Trade ShowAccommodations of the Year in theinsurance provider that was originally es- War II. He later built homes and apart-Embassy Suites Columbus AirportLarge Park Category: This award was pre- tablished in 1948. The Supplier of the Yearments before deciding to open Boyds Columbus, Ohiosented to the Jellystone Park Camp-Re- was selected by a vote of TACO members.Campground in 1963. Contact: 614-221-7748 WCM sort in Kerrville, which features a varietywww.rowleyinsurance.comWCM Theparkcontinuesinoperation today with three generations of the Boyd family holding various positions in the business. The park has not only survived the ups and downs of the economy, the constant threat of hurricanes, including frightening experiences with Betsy in 1965, Georges in 1998, Wilma in 2005 and Irma in 2017, but the COVID-19 pandemic as well. But Hamilton said the park is doing just fine. He co-owns and operates the park with his brother, Danny.He said any cancellations were im-mediately filled by American snowbirds. American RVers have also been making up for the COVID-related loss of Cana-dian and European travelers. Domestic travelhaspickedup,fillinginthose gaps, he said. WCM36 November 2021Woodalls Campground Magazine'