Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
In this July photo, visitors to the Clear Lake beach in Wasagaming take advantage of the warm temperatures. A Riding Mountain National Park official says the number of visitors is up significantly this summer. The campground recorded a 10 per cent jump in campers compared to the same time in 2011. (FILE PHOTO)
The momentum built last year as Riding Mountain National Park carried forward to the summer of 2012 as people flocked to the park in record numbers.
"It’s been our busiest season in a long time," said Richard Dupuis, manager of visitor experience.
Last year, the success at the park could be easily attributed as many other campgrounds throughout the province were shut down for part or all of the summer season due to flooding. It appears this year, the park has won many of those first-time visitors back and the word has spread about the provincial jewel.
"The campground has seen a 10 per cent jump over last year," Dupuis said, adding that last year was a 10 per cent jump compared to the five-year average.
One of the biggest success stories has been the oTENTik tents, according to Dupuis. The tents, which provide all of the rustic experience of nearly sleeping under the stars with some of the amenities of home, have been full for the most part all season.
"They’ve been one of our best successes all year," Dupuis said. "We had more people around Wasagaming because of that. The more people that are in the campground, then the more people that use our services. We are always trying to maximize how many campers we can bring to town because it helps everyone from the park to the businesses."
Owner and operator of The Boardwalk in Clear Lake Sandra Shwetz said the store, which offers everything from ice cream to camping supplies and speciality coffee to souvenirs, has had a strong year.
"We’ve had a really busy summer and there was a lot of people around," Shwetz said.
She gives the staff at Riding Mountain National Park credit for working hard to attract people back to Wasagaming.
"I think a lot of people have re-discovered Riding Mountain," Shwetz said, adding the concert series and events like the Sonics and Sojourns festival continue to bring people back.
But one of the biggest contributors is the one no one can control — Mother Nature. Stated simply, when the sun’s out, people will come. And with record temperatures dotting the province this summer, so came the foot traffic at the park.
"It was almost a repeat of last year and it seemed July 1 someone came and flicked the sun on and it has been nice ever since," Shwetz said.
Shwetz has owned the store for eight years now and is a "fourth generation Clear Laker." She’s also proud that the original integrity of the town and the park has been upheld.
"We like the fact that the basic structures haven’t changed and it hasn’t been opened to over development," Shwetz said. "It still looks much the same as it did when I was a kid and people can still enjoy it the same way."
Down the street, the Park Theatre is always a crowd favourite and after switching to digital this year, which carried a hefty price tag of about $85,000, the reviews are in.
"It certainly proved to be a smart move to get into digital and we had many compliments on the sharpness of the picture and the quality of the sound," said Bev Gowler, who has owned the theatre for four decades. "It’s been a very pleasant summer and it’s gone really well."
Maybe the only downfall this year was the lack of one group that has at times flocked to the park in the past.
"There has been a marked lack of Americans," Gowler said, adding she believes the downtrodden American economy and strength of the Canadian dollar are the main reasons why so few of our neighbours to the south have visited the park this year.
But it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm for the season in a park that has the highest repeat visitors of any national park in the country.
"It’s a gem and once people see it they fall in love with it," Gowler said.
» ctweed@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition September 25, 2012
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The momentum built last year as Riding Mountain National Park carried forward to the summer of 2012 as people flocked to the park in record numbers.
"It’s been our busiest season in a long time," said Richard Dupuis, manager of visitor experience.
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The momentum built last year as Riding Mountain National Park carried forward to the summer of 2012 as people flocked to the park in record numbers.
"It’s been our busiest season in a long time," said Richard Dupuis, manager of visitor experience.
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