Page 7 - JUNE2024

June 2024 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 7
By william nieman
restricted from serving guests. However, people wanted to travel, and there was a boom in RV sales, with over half a million campers sold in 2020 alone.
Bob and Anita Coco were among the RV campers who dis- covered the Newfound RV Park in Bridgewater, New Hampshire, that year. They had the time to do so because Bob’s Hockey Pro Shop had been a casualty of the pandemic. The couple loved their visit to the park, and dis- covered it was for sale, so they bought it in September of that year, with a loan from a credit union that served veterans. They made improvements, and the
CAMP
continued on page 8
A Sojourner’s Camp at Newfound Lake
Community
BRIDGEWATER – There is new energy at Newfound Lake, where sojourners have been trav- eling for generations to take in the fresh mountain air and pris- tine waters of the lake.
A campground that has been serving recreational vehicle campers for years has been taken over by new owners; two young entrepreneurs attracted to the natural beauty of an area with a long history of sojourners finding solace on the lake’s shores. With 45 RV sites, full hookups, a spa- cious lodge with a big-screen TV, a Golden Tee arcade game, pool table, ping pong, air hockey, and foosball tables, the newly chris- tened Camp at Newfound Lake offers seasonal stays, weeklong respites, and weekend getaways.
Rob Brady, a New Hampshire native and the park’s new owner with his partner Kyle Morin, worked his way through nearby Plymouth State University, where he majored in communications and played ice hockey. Brady has taken a hands-on approach to his new endeavor, sprucing up the campground with new paint, more signage, and a few new amenities to make a camper’s stay more convenient and plea- surable.
“Bob and Anita Coco, the previous owners, gave us many helpful suggestions,” Brady said. “We’re just trying to build on their legacy and take advantage of a great environment by leav- ing nature to do her thing. We know our campers come here to relax, and our goal is to make their stay as stress-free as possi- ble.”
Brady works closely with the facility’s manager, Craig Russell, to ensure the facility is clean and well-maintained so campers can relax while taking in the fresh mountain air. Russell is the head hockey coach at Plymouth State, a bustling college town only a 20-minute drive away that offers some excellent dining options. Bridgewater and nearby Bristol also offer some excellent options for dining out, should Newfound Lake’s denizens want a taste of something different than the campfire.
The long tradition of camp-
Craig Russell, campground manager.
ing at Newfound Lake can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century when well-to-do va- cationers stayed in comfortable, large cottages with state-of-the- art amenities, which in those days meant running water, electricity, and bathrooms with flush toilets. Vacationers of modest means were more likely to rough it, which meant pitching tents, dig- ging privies, and drawing water from the lake or the rivers of its watershed. In those days, tent campers squatted on empty plots along Newfound Lake’s shore- line. There were only a couple of commercial campgrounds, such as Merrill’s in East Hebron, and Nutting’s Beach near the Ledges, which was a favored place to pitch a tent.
Accommodations for the av- erage vacationer became more diverse and plentiful after World War l. Cottage colonies began to appear. At the south end of New- found Lake, Walter Prince devel- oped a resort bearing his name. In the mid-1920s, W.F. Darling would build Bungalo Village on West Shore Road, which was first known as Hiland Park and was made up of about 100 cottages. Other colonies, manors, and private cottages soon followed. During the second half of the 20th century, condominiums and waterfront-sharing associations began to dominate Newfound Lake real estate.
With the proliferation of a variety of summer residences on Newfound Lake – and the preservation of the shoreline by government, environmental agencies, and many young peo- ples’ camps – there is limited space and opportunity for today’s
Wooded RV sites.
campers to enjoy recreation in the Newfound Lake region. The challenge for those who set out on vacation in a recreational ve- hicle is not fighting the elements or maintaining a modicum of sanitary life; rather, it’s finding a site close to Newfound Lake that
can accommodate an RV, and also have tent sites that have ac- cess to modern facilities.
The COVID pandemic drove demand for such a camping fa- cility at Newfound Lake since air travel was curtailed and hotels and other short-stay resorts were
Units start at $219k
Protecting & Securing the Fun Stuff!
4 Sheetrocked, Painted & Trimmed
Premium 1150 Sq. Ft. Garage Bays
4 Security Gate & Lighting
4 16‘ Ceiling Height
4 14‘ H x 12‘ W Door
4 Roughed in for Climate Control 4 100 AMP Electrical Service
1853 Ragged Mountain Hwy, Alexandria, NH 03222
603.744.8526