Dick Grymonprez Seeking an RVIA Board Seat

Dick Grymonprez, director of park model sales, Champion/Athens Park Homes, is running unopposed for the park model RV seat on the board of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).

The post carries a three-year term.

Grymonprez is one of 13 candidates for eight RVIA board seats announced this week. The elections take place in August.

Two manufacturer seats, both with three-year terms, are in contention this year. The four candidates are Jack Cole, president, Lance Camper Manufacturing Corp.; Ned Collins, CEO, Columbia Northwest/Aliner Inc.; Bob Martin president, CEO and COO, Thor Industries Inc.; Matt Miller, president, Newmar Corp.

Three supplier seats with three-year terms are open on the board with four candidates running for the positions. They are Adam Dexter, president, Dexter Axle Co.; Jason Lippert, CEO, Drew Industries Inc.; Martin Street, president and CEO, Stag-Parkway Inc.; and B.J. Thompson, president, B.J. Thompson Associates Inc.

Four candidates will run for two at-large seats with a three-year term. They are Robert Grant, business development specialist, ADP Lightspeed; Bob Harbin, president, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.; Paul Hughes, national OEM sales manager, Velvac; and Bob Parish, vice president, manufacturer relations, GE Capital.

The official representatives from RVIA member companies will elect candidates in each category to serve on the board for the term beginning Oct. 1. The elections will take place electronically through August.

RVIA’s Nominating Committee is chaired by Jeff Rutherford of Airxcel and includes Andy Baer, KZRV LP; Gregg Fore, Dicor Corp.; and Jim Sheldon, Monaco RV.

RVIA Added PR Firm to Tout RVs with Media

Members of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Public Relations Committee were informed of the hiring of another consultant to promote the RV industry among national trade publications during RVIA Committee Week June 2-6 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

James A. Boyle of Boyle Public Affairs, McClean, Va., has joined Diane McNamara of Fire it Up, PR, Boston, under contract to generate publicity for the RV industry. McNamara has already been promoting the RV lifestyle in consumer periodicals.

Both have stepped up to help fill the void left by the untimely March 2 passing of Jon Tancredi, 46, who served RVIA for 20 years as a PR professional with Barton Gilanelli & Associates and more recently as president of Tancredi Public Relations.

The committee also recommended approval of partnership packages with ESPN, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated to promote RV tailgating at upcoming NCAA and NFL football games along with other sporting events.

The tie-in to sports is a natural connection for promoting the RV lifestyle, said committee Chairman B.J. Thompson of BJ Thompson Associates, Elkhart, Ind. ”Tailgating with an RV enhances a person’s interest when they attend sporting events,” Thompson said.

Thompson reported that the RV industry has received a large amount of attention from national media outlets including NBC, ABC, Fox and CNN in addition to exposure in Sunset and Midwest Living magazines, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

”Because of recent strong consumer demand for RVs, we’ve had quite a bit of interest from the national media,” Thompson told RVBUSINESS.com.

Additionally, the PR Committee asked the RVIA staff to coordinate an updated vacation cost comparison by San Francisco-based PFK Consulting LLC, the most recent of which was conducted three years ago.

The committee also heard that RVIA’s most recent Campfire Canvass of about 400 RV owners found that 71% intend to use their RVs more through the summer months than they did last year and that 78% cited outdoor activities as the reason they intend to use their RVs.

”Those are pretty good numbers,” Thompson said. ”Rather than us speaking in general terms about how great RVing is, we can go to the media with specific information.”

The Campfire Canvass is a biannual survey  conducted by Internet-based Cvent, McLean, Va.

The committee also recommended that Brad and Amy Herzog continue to be RVIA’s traveling spokespersons for the 14th year.

The programs recommended for approval by the committee are pending until final approval by the RVIA Executive Committee at its August budget meeting and the RVIA board at its annual meeting in September.

 

Record Turnout for RVIA June Advocacy Day

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) enjoyed its largest turnout ever for its 12th Capitol Hill Advocacy Day with 37 association members taking part in meetings with 83 different Congressional offices at this year’s event held June 5 in Washington, D.C, in conjunction with Committee Week, RVIA Today Express reported.

During meetings in 44 House and 39 Senate offices, RV industry members were able to raise awareness of the RV industry at the federal level and discuss several key issues. Meeting topics included the strong recovery of the RV market, the renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade agreement, and the importance of preserving the second home mortgage deduction eligibility for RVs.

“Our members enjoyed a very productive day on the Hill meeting with legislators and their staff to educate them on the RV industry’s positions on key issues,” said Mike Ochs, director of government affairs, who organized the event. “This is an event that our members really enjoy. At the end of the day they are energized and excited about the work they have done to help promote the RV industry at the federal level.”

“The opportunity to meet face-to-face with our elected officials and develop a relationship is invaluable,” said John Draheim, CEO of Fleetwood RV. “It is tremendous to engage in meaningful conversations that lead to a better understanding and appreciation of the issues facing the RV industry.”

Advocacy Day has played a valuable role in helping RVIA secure key legislative victories in recent years, including:

• Exempting RV awnings from commercial width regulations.
• Having EPA adopt the CARB wood products standard for formaldehyde emission levels.
• Including RV retail and wholesale loans in the Term-Asset Backed Securities Loan Facility.
• Having tax breaks for motorhome purchases included in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

Park Model OEMs Pleased with New RVIA Role

U.S. park model builders played a central role during the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s annual RVIA Committee Week, held June 2-6 at the historic Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C. – more so than they have in years.

In an era when camping is trending in some cases toward more long-term stays involving an array of destination-style vehicles and camping cabins, RVIA has been focusing a lot of attention on park trailer builders who last year agreed to rejoin RVIA after an absence of 18 years and shelve their existing trade group, the Recreation Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA).

And it quickly became evident that park trailer companies are comfortable with their new association ties during Committee Week, where RVIA’s board of directors endorsed committee recommendations to change the name of the association’s “Destination Camping Committee” to the “Seasonal Camping Committee” to better reflect common use of those terms among RV park operators and the camping public.

RVIA, for public relations and marketing purposes, will now refer to these types of units as “Park Model RV’s” while using either of the terms “Recreational Park Trailers” or “Park Model RV’s” for regulatory and standards purposes. Behind the new nomenclature is a desire on the part of park model builders, the national trade association and many campground operators to accentuate their status as recreation vehicles that are essentially mobile and distinct from housing whenever such questions might arise among consumers, zoning boards and taxing bodies in the future.

“Really, it’s a rebranding effort,” reports Park Model RV Committee Chairman John Soard, general manager of Fairmont Park Models, a division of Nappanee, Ind.-based Fairmont Homes Inc. “We for a long time in the park model business have just wanted to be affiliated more closely with what HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) calls us, which is an RV, and we’ve just never had the word ‘RV’ in the actual name of the product. We wanted to have that name – RV – in there, and we are now ‘Park Model RV’s.’”

Soard is pleased with the RVIA staff support his company and the other 23 park trailer manufacturers who have joined RVIA since last year have been receiving in a number of ways — from seals to marketing to shipment reports — under the watch of Matt Wald, executive director of park model RV’s for RVIA.

“Those items are all important,” said Soard. “You have government affairs working hard to get a list of the code states and what their issues are and how to define park models. That was huge, and so was getting accurate shipping data. That’s a big deal, and we were very pleased with how that came about. Getting us RV seals was very helpful. Then, there’s the Show Committee integrating us back into the Louisville Show. That was a big deal for us as well.

“Again,” he added, “all of this took staff’s time and effort to get things done for us. These are all things that we all, as a committee, wanted to be addressed, and they were handled very professionally. All things considered, the recognition within RVIA of the seasonal camping market and how big it is, that was a big deal to us. I’d say, overall, it’s been an incredible first year with RVIA, and I’m very pleased how smoothly the transition has been going.”

Seasonal Camping Committee member Tim Gage, vice president over park models and cabins for Phoenix-based RV and manufactured home builder Cavco Industries Inc., agrees with Soard’s assessment.

“I think that the direction we’re headed in is going to be definitely positive for our segment of the RV industry,” says Gage, whose company in June introduced a new parkmodels.com website. “And I like the new branding, so to speak, as a ‘Park Model RV.’ That’s really what we are. I think that things have gone well.”

Gage appreciates the “phenomenal support” of Wald, who told WCM that standards inspections were the most pressing priority over the past year in integrating these new companies, which together account for about 3,000 units a year — a fairly small number vs. the RV industry’s estimated total wholesale shipment numbers of 310,000 for 2013. In fact, Wald says the need for consistent and professional standards inspections was one of the main reasons the park model sector wanted to rejoin RVIA in the first place after exiting in 1994.

“Everybody (park trailer builders) was very nervous about how that was going to go,” said Wald. “They had 20 years of experience with third-party inspectors who took a very different approach to the inspection than our inspectors do. Ultimately, the (RVIA) inspectors have found a very high degree of conformance with ANSI 119.5 (the park model standard) among the OEMS.”

Key Board Decisions in RVIA Committee Week

Watch today’s video for additional information about the following story.

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Board of Directors wrapped up Committee Week, held June 2 – 6 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., by approving a host of committee recommendations at their meeting on June 6.

According to a news release, in the area of industry education, the board gave approval to a new pilot program designed to help increase awareness of and participation in industry technician training and certification programs. Kicking off in July, the six-month pilot effort will utilize in-field representatives visiting RV dealerships in the Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) and south central (Louisiana and Texas) United States to test the new approach. The effectiveness of the pilot program will be reviewed at the end of the six-month period.

The field reps will work to establish relationships with service managers and technicians to identify those involved in service areas at the dealership and gather contact information. They will also examine what service training has been received at the dealership and what training may be needed. If training in a specific area is needed, the field rep would work to facilitate making that training available to the dealership and others within the region.

In other actions, the RVIA Board approved:

• Using the term “Park Model RVs” for public relations and marketing purposes while using either of the terms “Recreational Park Trailers” or “Park Model RVs” for regulatory and standards purposes.
• Adopting the 2014 editions of the NFPA 1192, NFPA 70 (NEC), and ANSI 12V Standard effective May 1, 2014 with a mandatory enforcement date of Sept. 1, 2014.
• Investigating the feasibility of participating in the development of a global RV standard (ISO) to identify the potential benefits of such an endeavor.
• Adding Class B motorhomes to the Retail Sales Activity (12-month Rate of Change) section of the Monthly Marketing Report beginning with the July report.
• Raising the spare/demo unit fee at the California RV Show from $300 to $400 for 2013.
• Increasing the registration fees for non-exhibiting attendees from $60 to $100 for members and from $120 to $200 for non-members for the 2013 National RV Trade Show.

The RVIA board actions were the result of recommendations from many of the association’s standing committees that met from June 2-4. Programs with specific budgets for FY2014 are pending until final approval by the RVIA Executive Committee at its August budget meeting and the RVIA Board at its September meeting.

Two Named to RVIA Board

RVIA named two new members to the board of directors at their meeting. Mike Farmer, vice president of sales and marketing for Carefree of Colorado, will fulfill the term of the company seat being vacated by Jeff Rutherford, who is leaving Carefree of Colorado to join Airxcel. Jim Hammill, president of Roadtrek Motorhome will assume that company’s seat which had been filled by Jeff Hanemaayer who is resigning.

National Parks Head Lauds Go RVing Program

The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) on June 4 welcomed Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, as its special guest speaker at the Great Outdoors Week Recreation Exchange, hosted jointly by ARC and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).

While complimenting the readiness of new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Jarvis’s remarks covered a number of key topics, including the challenges currently facing the National Park Service (NPS), the agency’s upcoming 2016 Centennial and new agency initiatives.

As it prepares for its second century, the National Park Service is encountering a number of significant challenges, from essentially flat visitation to aging infrastructure, and Jarvis commented that the lack of cultural and ethnic diversity among visitors and the irrelevance of the parks to too many young people were even greater concerns than the lack of growth in visitation. “We’ve got to connect to all Americans,” he said, describing the lack of diversity and youth as “a recipe for decline.”

Another challenge cited by the director is funding. He described both the current economic situation and the federal budgetary process as “tough,” explaining that the Park Service is faced with the difficult task of managing “a perpetuity mission on an annual appropriation.”

Directly related to the funding issue is the agency’s $11 billion infrastructure-maintenance backlog, half of which involves roads. Other challenges include the wide-ranging impacts of climate change, Americans’ lack of interest in history and the need to enhance technical connectivity – seen as absolutely essential by young people – in the national parks.

Despite this daunting list, Jarvis remains optimistic. “They’re all fixable with some work,” said Jarvis, who described the Centennial — to be celebrated on August 25, 2016 — as an opportunity not only to celebrate but also to prepare for a second century of stewardship and public engagement by laying out specific actions to meet specific goals. Four goals that will be the focus of Centennial preparations entail connecting people to parks, advancing the agency’s educational role, preserving special places and enhancing organizational excellence.

Jarvis feels that connecting people to parks begins in neighborhoods, noting that agency outreach programming needs “to go to where the people are.”

As examples of the Park Service’s educational mission, he cited the lessons that can be learned by visiting Gettysburg or Vicksburg rather than just reading about them.

Meanwhile, Jarvis reminded the group that the first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather, was a marketing expert from the private sector who had successfully sold the national parks – “in the middle of nowhere” – to both the U.S. Congress and American people by partnering with the tourism industry, represented in those days by the railroads with the National Geographic Society and with the artistic community to attract people to these special places.

Today, in contrast, while the agency’s Organic Act tasks the NPS with both the regulation and promotion of the national parks, the regulatory side has been dominant.

Yet, he characterized the job done on the promotional side as “not so hot,” although, he says, the situation is changing. For one thing, Grey Advertising has been hired by the National Park Foundation to develop an over-arching campaign strategy for the national parks in conjunction with the Centennial. Utilizing this effort to build awareness of the National Park System will take a real marketing strategy, he stated, likening it to the RV industry’s Go RVing campaign, and will involve the use of well known figures from sports and Hollywood, as well as iconic events like the Tournament of Roses Parade and halftime at the Super Bowl. A successful campaign will also mean increased visitation and the development of a constituency for parks – as both stewards and philanthropists – among the next generation.

The agency, in turn, is also looking at new models for financing its operations, he reported, and is carefully evaluating the many different ideas for sustainable supplemental funding introduced recently during a gathering at the Bipartisan Policy Center. And he praised the innovative ideas that are coming from urban parks, involving community engagement, new partnerships, and the restoration of both lands and waters. Linking outdoor experiences with improved health offers another avenue for increasing interest in and support for the outdoors.

In fact, the medical community should be prescribing the outdoors, Jarvis asserted, telling people to “Go RVing, go fishing . . . take a hike and call me in the morning.”

He noted that the National Park Service would be co-sponsoring a conference with the Centers for Disease Control in 2014 on “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” – in partnership with national park concessioners – through which healthy food will be introduced into the park experience. And Jarvis invited the audience to join him on the national mall the following day for a special event featuring healthy food.

Jarvis said land-management agencies were working together to improve connectivity and access to public lands and have become involved in initiatives recognizing the contributions of various ethnic groups and appealing to children as well, including a new partnership with Sesame Street. He also reported that a new study on the economic impact of national parks was being undertaken and should be ready by 2016.

He concluded his remarks by describing the national parks as a great – and distinctively American – concept to establish places where all the people can enjoy the outdoors. “We are looking to use every one of our tools in our toolbox and every one of our partners . . . and every one of the land management agencies . . . to really re-engage the American public in this extraordinary asset,” he said.

Asked afterward during a question-and-answer period about the impact of the sequestration process, Jarvis described actions that had been taken to absorb the mandated 5% reduction in funding. Among them are delayed openings, facility closures, reduced hours and programs, more deferred maintenance, a hiring freeze, a decrease in seasonal employees and furloughs of park police. “I think we will muddle through this summer,” he said. “We didn’t close any parks.”

But he did express concern about the impact of additional funding cuts. All across the country, he asserted, parks are economic engines for the areas that surround them, meaning that park closures would impact far more than the parks themselves.

So, what’s his message to Congress?

“What we do is not a cost,” he said. “It’s an investment. It has enormous return.”

Editor’s Note: Sponsoring ARC/s Recreation Exchanges are the following organizations: American Association for Nude Recreation, American Horse Council, American Motorcyclist Association, Bureau of Land Management, National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, National Marine Manufacturers Association, National Park Service, National Tour Association, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association, RVIA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest ServiceThe American Recreation Coalition (ARC) on June 4 welcomed Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, as its special guest speaker at the Great Outdoors Week Recreation Exchange on June 4, 2013, hosted jointly by ARC and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).

 

 

RVIA’s ‘Media Buzz’ Distributing Major Stories

Each month, MediaBuzz, a service of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), delivers top RV news stories in print and broadcast straight to your email inbox.

The latest “Buzz” shows in a consolidated way how much the RV manufacturing and park and campground industries have hit the media “airwaves” during recent weeks in an significant way.

To read an entire article or to watch a broadcast clip, simply click the article’s title. To keep up with RV news hits in between issues of MediaBuzz, visit RVIA’s newsroom. You can also subscribe to receive e-mail alerts via RVIA’s RSS feed by following the instructions on www.rvia.org <http://www.mmsend2.com/link.cfm?r=142466011&sid=25059502&m=2699581&u=RVIA&j=14206008&s=http://www.rvia.org/>.

Demographics and Economy Driving RV Surge

The first quarter was a kind quarter for the recreational vehicle industry. Building on three years of continuous growth, the RV industry experienced an 11.2% gain in units shipped in the quarter compared to the first quarter in 2012. And that growth is expected to accelerate.

As reported by the Goshen (Ind.) News, the industry’s forecast issued earlier this year by Richard Curtin of the University of Michigan predicted a 7.5% gain in units shipped for 2013. That gain would mean 307,300 RVs would be sent by manufacturers to dealers. Such a gain would be a significant jump over the low year of 2009, when 165,700 units were shipped during the height of the recession. But a much larger gain would be needed to reach the record year of 2006 when 390,500 RVs went out the doors of RV factories.

“Every year has been an up year since 2009 if you graph it out,” said Doug Gaeddert, a Forrest River Inc. general manager and chairman of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), which compiled the quarterly totals.

“One thing,” Gaeddert said of the reason for the continual gain, “is the economy is in much better shape than the media would lead you to believe.”

He said the bank industry has solved its credit crunch, which resulted in RV dealers being unable to finance inventory during the recession and consumers who wanted to buy RVs having to have the best of credit and lots of collateral.

Another factor in the resurgence of the industry is that more people in North America are reaching the ages where they want to travel and camp in RVs.

“The demographics are in the right place,” Gaeddert said. “So the sun and the moon and the stars are lined up real well.”

To read the entire article click here.

RVIA: April RV Shipments Jumped 19% YOY

Wholesale shipments to retailers of all RVs were measured at 32,054 units in April, a gain of 10.8% over last month and a 19% increase over the same month last year, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has announced.

As reported by RVBUSINESS.COM, the April monthly level of RV shipments represented a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 315,000 units, the best April total in six years.

Totals for all towable RVs were reported at 28,274 units in April this year, the best April total for towables since 2007. Motorhome totals reached 3,780 units this month, their best April since 2008.

Year to date, shipments of all RVs through April this year were at 111,476 units, up 13.3% over the first four months last year with double digit gains in conventional travel trailers, Class A and Class C motorhomes.

Latest Briefs for RV Parks and Campgrounds

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.

From RVIA Today Express:

Richard Curtin, director of the Consumer Research Center at the University of Michigan, will provide the initial outlook for RV wholesale shipments in 2014 during remarks at the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) Committee Week at the Joint Committee Luncheon, taking place from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 3.

His presentation will also include the latest projections for year-end 2013 totals and an examination of the general economic climate.

Curtin authors RVIA’s RV Roadsigns, the association’s quarterly forecasting newsletter and has directed RVIA’s RV consumer demographic research since 1980.

RVIA’s Committee Week 2013 will take place from June 2 – 6 at the Mayflower Renaissance Washington in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the five-day event, standing committees, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors will meet to set the association’s plans for the upcoming fiscal year. The Go RVing Coalition will also meet on Monday, June 3. The event concludes with the Board of Directors meeting on June 6 where committee recommendations are reviewed.

For more information about Committee Week, contact Doreen Cashion in the Meetings and Shows Department at (703) 620-6003 (ext. 324) ordcashion@rvia.org.

MISSOURI

From the Maryville Daily Forum:

A gift from a local nursery operation is making things a little greener this spring at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

Mozingo Park Manager Grant Evans and his crew have spent the past few days planting about 40 oaks and sugar maples donated to the 3,000-acre recreation area by Don Hollingsworth, who operates Hollingsworth Peonies southeast of Maryville.

Evans said Hollingsworth delivered the saplings after digging them up to make room for additional horticultural projects at the commercial flower farm.

It was a welcome gift, he said, since increasing the tree count at the city-owned lake is a stated goal but one that, at least for now, isn’t supported by a lot of funding.

MANITOBA

From the Winnipeg Sun:

Roughing it in the great outdoors now comes with access to wireless networks.

As the camping season gets underway, the province announced three Wi-Fi hotspots had been installed at Winnipeg Beach Provincial Park, with nine new hotspots coming online in the next two weeks at Birds Hill and Falcon Beach. Campers will receive passwords and coverage maps when they check in at campground offices, provincial officials said.

That isn’t the only improvements the province has made to campgrounds this year. Washrooms and showers have been upgraded at Birds Hill, Hnausa, Rainbow Beach, and Manipogo provincial parks, while six new yurts have been built at Childs Lake Provincial Park.

COLORADO

From Fox 32, Denver:

Colorado’s newest state park, Straunton State Park, will open to the public this weekend.

The park is of U.S. 285 near Evergreen. It’s a 1,720-acre stretch of rocky outcroppings, grassy valleys and historic cabins.

The land was previously owned by physician Frances Staunton, who gave the land to the state decades ago.

“Our grand opening is the culmination of years of planning and development by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in partnership with many organizations and individuals,” Staunton State Park manager Jennifer Anderson said in a news release.

“This park is her legacy,” Anderson said. “As her beneficiaries, we have the opportunity to enjoy and care for the landscape she treasured.”

The park opening includes several activities for children and families including fishing demons and a live raptor display.

NORTH DAKOTA

From the Minot Daily News:

Not even late ice or low water could keep North Dakota’s state parks from their official opening day this week. The parks are operational on a limited basis all year round, but summer hook-ups and facilities aren’t brought on line until the weather permits. This year it almost didn’t.

“Late ice started to make things a little antsy,” said Gordon Weixel, state parks spokesman. “Then it got real warm out. Last Thursday Lake Metigoshe was still covered in ice.”

The ice left Lake Metigoshe Tuesday (May 14), just in time for the official summer opening of Lake Metigoshe State Park. A similar situation existed at Graham’s Island State Park at Devils Lake. Ice there disappeared just in time to install boat docks on Wednesday.

“There was a little bit of complaining, but everybody’s pretty happy right now,” said Weixel.

Click here to read the entire story.

VIRGINIA

From WTVR-TV, Richmond:

Edwin Barry Hughes, a camper at  Bush Park Camp Resort in Middlesex County, died following a dance at the campground Saturday night (May 11).

Sheriff David Bushey told CBS 6 News that Hughes got into a fight with a security guard after the dance. Sheriff Bushey said when his officers got to the scene they found a breathing, but unresponsive Hughes on the ground next to a guard shack. He was put in an ambulance to be taken to the Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester, but died on the way there.

“This is still an ongoing investigation and our guys are still running down leads, interviewing people in and out of the area,” Major Mickey Sampson explained.

The resort’s manager alleged Hughes had been drinking and when he left the campground driving a golf cart with no headlights on, a security guard stopped him for it.

The manager claimed Hughes charged the security guard, who then radioed the others who were near the front entrance. At the gate by that entrance is where the rest of the story gets murky.

Investigators are now waiting on the Medical Examiner’s office to declare a cause of death.

 

 

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