Grapevine City Council Approves Campground Expansion

"I'm happy to report,," says Joe Moore, "that City Council gave their approval last Tuesday night on a contract with Cooper General Contractors in Carrollton, Texas, to make improvements and expand The Vineyards Campground over the summer!"

"We've met with them to start the contract signing process, and this coming week we will have the first, important Pre-Construction meeting. We hope to begin real construction as early as the first week of May."

"It's been a long time coming, and soon we will turn dirt and make improvements, continuing with the awesome progress that we have made at the campground over the years. Thanks to all," shares Moore.

Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), also sent regards saying, "Kudos to all! We are excited to see the finished product, too." For more information, please visit the Fort Worth Star Telegram story on The Vineyards Campground & Cabins expansion news.

TRAILER LIFE Ups Campground Rating

On another positive note...
The Vineyards Campground was visited by representatives from Trailer Life—the well-known national campground directory—for its yearly campground assessment yesterday. Joe Moore, assistant director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Grapevine, reports that the campground continues to see a strong 1.5 point increase in Trailer Life's national ratings for this year as well.

Last year, the campground obtained an excellent rating of 8/8.5/9.5 out of a 10/10/10 (for recreation/restrooms/overall appearance). "I'm proud to let you know that we have improved to a strong 9/8.5/10 rating for 2010!, said Moore. "And, I especially want to thank all of the workampers and staff in the Lake Parks system for helping us obtain this postive recommendation to campers traveling across the nation... Keep up the great work!"

Love That Bass Fishing!

Great weekend with Mike, Nancy and Kyle McCutcheon, learning everything you ever wanted to know about Bass Fishing!

The Vineyards Campground is located on the southeastern shores of Grapevine Lake, has it's own boat ramp, and is a great location for a day of fishing. From March through October, Bass Fishing is at it's best here in Texas.

The two-day outdoor Pavilion classes were filled with about 20 campers who got personalized training about fishing from the shoreline or their boat. Both Mike and Kyle are two of the area's best-known and respected Fishing Guides. From rods and reels—to casting techniques—to hard and soft baits—to reading the landscape and water contours around the lake—the guys covered all of the master fisherman tricks and techniques. And, a good time was had by all.

The Friday night session kicked-off with a pizza party from our friends at Pizza Hut, and Chick-fil-A at Grapevine Mills Mall provided their yummy, new sweet rolls and coffee to wake-up the class Saturday morning and get us going.

Watch for more of the campground's Next2Nature education classes during the summer. We have the perfect spot for families to get outside, learn more and enjoy the outdoors right here in Grapevine.

Mmmmm—Good....Smores!

It was a great Friday night for making smores at the campground's new fire pit. This fire circle fits perfectly between the playground and our upcoming summer beach; so it was easy for lots of campers to find us. And, nearly 100 campers—young and older—showed up as the sun set on this beautiful spring day.

We made 'fancy' smores with peanut butter, fudge sauce, cinammon sugar, coconut flakes, sprinkles, or chocolate mint patties. But, we still served lots of the plain ol' good ones as well - graham crackers, Hersheys and hot, toasty marshmallows. We'll do this again...ya'll come back!

Hoppin' Good Times! Our First Easter Egg Hunt

We had a great turnout for our first Easter Egg Hunt on the campground!

The shorts and short sleeve T-shirt weather was perfect for the warm afternoon. Younger guests hunted for eggs with their parents, while older children took off running around to the back of the laundry room, gathering Easter Eggs as fast as they could.
More than 130 guests, and many family dogs joined the fun and enjoyed the afternoon together.















Four Easter Baskets were given as prizes for guests that found specially marked eggs. Adults also had 'grown-up' prizes—like firewood, T-shirts, and Vineyards coffee mugs—in large polka dot eggs hidden just for them.


















We cooled the afternoon off with cold and creamy soft-serve ice cream cones for everyone, thanks to our friends at Mister Softee. You can say we had a hoppin' good time!

Ukulele Debuts at Campground Jam Session

Cool, northwesterly winds did not hold back one young camper from getting a

private music lesson on his new ukulele Saturday night at the Jam session. The new vinyl sides kept the Pavilion warm enough to enjoy great conversation and a short music lession.

Entertainer and guitar player Pastor Rick Mang jumped right in and showed Brook how to play chords on his brand new ukulele. Then, the new friends played a couple of songs together, sharing a favorite Beatles song that brought a round of applause for both entertainers.

And special thanks to Mary and John for always serving as great hosts during our many campground events! Let's do this again...

Spring Jammin' - Saturday Night March 27 - Ya''ll Come

Weather's warming up...snow is gone! It's the perfect time to celebrate Spring.

Join us Saturday night, March 27, at the Pavilion for a great rocking JAM SESSION... Music will lead by Rick Mang, a local angler, guitar player, pastor, storyteller, and entertainer. He's expecting several campers to bring instruments and play along with him... see you 7-8:30pm at the Pavilion!

Birding for Beginners

Families that came to hear David Parson's birding class during Spring Break will be now be birders for life!

He captured everyone's attention with great handouts, tons of great bird picture books, and field guide resources. He encouraged all of us—young and old alike—to take up birdwatching as a lifetime hobby.

Luckily, the class was surrounded by geese, koots, and mallards noisily feeding in the mud and shallow waters by the Pavilion class. Dave took time to point each group out as they swam along the nearby shoreline. We also are home to several great egrets, nesting in quieter spots near the boat ramp.

Class ended with everyone making peanut butter Pine Cone Birdfeeders to take home and remember Spring Break on the campground.

RECIPE: Pine Cone Birdfeeders
1- large Pine Cone
2 spoonsful of any kind of Peanut Butter.
Spread peanut butter on all of the tips of
the pine cone. (Yes, this is messy, but
you are allowed to lick your fingers.)
1- Gallon ziplock bag
Place sticky pine cone in baggie, then
Add 1/2Cup or more of wild birdseed
Zip bag closed, and shake bag until all of the birdseed sticks to the peanut butter.
Next find a tree nearby a window, and wedge the pinecone tightly into branches. Watch birds feed from inside the house! Enjoy...

Discovering Park Rangers

U.S. Army Corp of Engineer Park Ranger Steve Perrin from the Grapevine office captured the attention of everyone from the minute he arrived at the campground!

Ranger Steve told us about his job and responsibilities as a park ranger—helping visitors enjoy the lake, preserving land adjacent to the lake, enforcing laws that govern the lake, and managing and protecting the abundant wildlife around and in Grapevine Lake as well.



And he reminded us, many times deer and wildlife come out of the Cross Timbers forest around the lake, and take a peek at humans too.

Children and adults alike had hundreds of questions, and enjoyed the stories of how the Corp of Engineers was first founded, thanks to efforts of George Washington and the first Continental Congress. We look forward to Ranger Steve coming again!

Kayaking - A Family Affair

What a wonderful way to spend Spring Break! Kayaking...

There's nothing more exciting than trying something new; especially when you snap on a life vest, look down at a Kayak bobbing in the lake, and decide you are ready to ride, baby. The Kayaks rented on the campground are the no 'tump-over' kind, so all ages can earn their oars without much trouble.

Reserve your kayak and any-size life jacket when you check-in at the Front Office. Kayak's are available for a few hours or a whole day to explore the shoreline around the camp.

There are several docks to launch from, or just push yourself off the shore anywhere and go for it. Let us know where to meet you, and staff will get you to the kayaks. We guarantee you'll love the experience, gliding on top of Grapevine Lake!

Camping on the Edge of an Historic Forest

THE CROSS TIMBERS FOREST
Little did we know before this Next2Nature class, how rare The Cross Timbers Forest is here in Grapevine until we heard Dr. Ray Chancellor talk about it Wednesday during Spring Break. As a lifetime birder, Dr. Chancellor told campers about the forest that hugs the full southern boundary of the campground.

It is filled with hundreds of historical post oaks, black jacks and a few pine trees. Yet, it's almost impenetrable because of the undergrowth of briers and thorny bushes, offering remarkable habitats for birds, squirrels, small mammals, and a few coyotes.

Plan to take a hike through our campground Nature Trail to catch a glimpse of these native Texas birds, trees and wildlife. There's an entrance/exit behind both the laundry room and the Front Gate office.

The Cross Timbers Forest is unique to America, and has been able to survive in only a select area in the central U.S. and North Texas. In the spring, the wide variety trees in The Cross Timbers bud out, providing a feeding frenzy to hundreds of migrating birds. So, bird watchers get your binocullars out this time of year!

Dr. Chancellor also gave a short lesson on Evening Sky Maps, showing all of the stars located overhead here at the campground during March. We learned to read star maps upside down in order to pinpoint galaxies and planets as well.

"Rockin" at The Campground

GEOLOGY AND ROCK COLLECTING

During Spring Break, national award-winning Grapevine 5th grade science teacher Krystyna Plut made our Next2Nature class "rock"! We never knew that rock-collecting and geological formations around Grapevine Lake were so interesting.

Krystyna passed around common sedimentary rocks filled with marine life shells that she had collected around the lake, and taught the class how to test rocks for calcium deposits. She continued to introduce all types of rocks -igneous rocks formed by hot lava, and metamorphic rocks whose minerals change during time and extreme environments.

Campers also had a hundred questions about all the samples she brought, as well as the hadrosaur, a duckbilled plant-eating dinosaur that lived about 96 million years ago in Grapevine. The tracks—imprints several inches deep in the sandstone bedrock were discovered on the north shore of Grapevine Lake in 1982. The Corp of Engineers office on Grapevine Lake still has a mold of that original footprint on display.

The class ended with a really fun nature craft! Guests made 'Rock Critters' with smooth river rocks, pipe cleaners and big eyes. Everything from snakes, bugs, spiders, butterflies, frogs and many unknown creatures creatively were glued together.


Rock collecting will never be the same...

Bass Pro Outdoor World Came to Campground

WHAT'S NEW IN OUTDOOR COOKING

Bass Pro Outdoor World, nearby at Grapevine Mills Mall, came to The Vineyards Campground Monday to show off some of the latest and greatest ideas for camping this year. Jeremy Chapman, manager of Bass Pro's outdoor camping, brought out new portable propane grills and folding stainless steel barbecue tools, a niffty jalepeno grill tray, cooktop stoves, and everyones favorite— the latest "Pudgy Pie Iron."

Camper's shared their favorite recipes for the pie iron—and one was for a Black Bottom Cherry Pie! Here it is: On one slice of buttered bread, lay 1/2 a Hershey bar on it; then on the other piece of buttered bread, put 1/4 Cup of cherry pie filling and a shake of cinnamon sugar. Close pie iron, toast in the campfire. It's "happiness on a plate," we're told!

Kids tried a few of our own campground recipes—Ants on a Log and Dirt Dessert! It was great messy fun making them and especially, eating the desserts. Recipes follow for you to enjoy too.

Ants on a Log
Slices of celery, washed and dried; then fill with Peanut Butter
Top with Raisins (ants crawling across the peanut butter)
or use Craisins, if you want Fire Ants on a Log

Dirt Desset
Jello Chocolate Pudding Cups, cold
1-package of different colored Gummi worms
12-15 Oreos, or more

Take paper tops off pudding cups, and stick in several Gummi worms, burying them in the pudding, but letting a worm or two hang over cup. Put oreos in a ziplock baggie, crush them until they look like dirt. With a spoon, sprinkle the 'dirt' over the pudding cup, then dig in and eat it all up!

Spring Break "Next2Nature" Classes Were Great Fun!

We had great times together at the Pavilion in our Spring Break Next2Nature classes, learning about Grapevine Lake, the wildlife here, and the Cross Timbers Forest surrounding the campground. With an array of very interesting speakers, all were encouraged to get outside more and enjoy our parks and lakes. We had a few days of light rain, but it didn't stop us from getting together to listen, learn, laugh and make a few fun crafts!

FISHING on Grapevine Lake
Workampers Mike and Nancy McCutcheon shared secrets Sunday morning about where and how to fish on Grapevine Lake; especially the best Bass fishing places near the campground and on the southside of the lake.

Mike—a fishing guide—brought Lake maps to identify the best places to fish, rods and reels for everyone to try out, and tips on bait and lures. He menitoned several tournaments and encouraged others to try them out. Both Mike and Nancy have received trophies for being
the best in several Bass Fishing tournaments..

At the end of the morning, all of the children got to choose their favorite slippery, crawdad fishing lure as a campground keepsake. The McCutcheon's will be back in April for a more in-depth class on fishing Grapevine Lake.

Spring Break Fun - Next2Nature Classes All Week Long

We have a great week planned on the campground. We will be celebrating National Wildlife Week, so join us at the Pavilion and hear the experts talk about enjoying nature. Children welcome, come casual, no RSVP just show up. Classes during the week will be from 2-3pm every afternoon.

March 13, Saturday
The first class features world-traveler and nature photographer Bruce Rosenstiel. He specializes in macro-photography, and is well known in the Grapevine area for his beautiful portraits of butterflies. Bruce will also share his best kept secrets for photographing wildlife, and return often during the year to teach classes.
And, SECRET #1: You must always be at "eye-level" with the subject when photographing it. In order to take a picture of these campground visitors, Bruce laid down on the grass to get eye-level with the subjects before clicking the shutter.

Other classes this coming week will be:
March 14, Sunday - Secrets to Fishing on Grapevine Lake with Mike and Nancy McCutcheon. Both have won many tournament awards for Bass fishing.
March 15, Monday - BASS PRO OUTDOOR WORLD will show us all the latest and greatest gadgets for Outdoor Cooking. And we'll make 'Dirt Dessert' and 'Ants on a Log.'
March 16, Tuesday - Krystyne Plut, national award winning science teacher, will talk about geology and rock collecting for a great outdoor hobby---both for adults and children.
March 17, Wednesday - Dr. Ray Chancellor, who has served in the federal and state wildlife departments, will talk about all of the wildlife in the beautiful Cross Timbers Forest that surrounds the campground.
March 18, Thursday - The Corp of Engineers will talk about the history of the development of Grapevine Lake, even the dinasaur tracks that were uncovered years ago!
March 19, Friday - David Parsons, a long-time birder, will teach a 'Birding 101' class, encouraging all ages take up the outdoor hobby of watching birds.
March 20, Saturday - The First Day of Spring, we will serve fancy S'MORES. Come celebrate with us at 6:30-8pm near the playground.

We do hope you enjoy your Spring Break with us. If there's anything you need, just check in with the Front Gate folks. We're glad you chose to stay at The Vineyards!

Clean Sweep!

Thanks a million! Our hats go off to Keep Grapevine Beautiful and their team of volunteers who worked all Saturday morning to beautify The Vineyards. Many great high school students, local citizens and campers volunteered to do a clean sweep of the miles of shoreline surrounding the campground.

Several took the four campground kayaks and picked up trash that had floated into nearby sloughs during last month's heavy rain. Job well done...and most appreciated! We're now ready for Spring Break...

There's A Moon Out Tonite

Unbelieveable full moon rising over Grapevine Lake tonite. A little haze in the sky made it illuminate the campground for a few minutes—and it's moments like this that makes RVing the best thing in the world to do.

And this even makes you want to break out in song...but the question is which one? Blue Moon ... Moonlight Becomes You.. Moon River ... Moonlight in Vermont ... Dancing in the Moonlight? What's your favorite?

Rowing for Rubbish

Come join our friends at Keep Grapevine Beautiful next Saturday morning, March 6, and let's get the shoreline around the campground cleaned-up. All ages are welcome to join in. Bring your life vests, wear your boots, and help us pick up some of the debris that washed up from the lake and high waters. Bags, gloves and grabbers will be provided. Also, there will be a few kayaks, canoes and some john-boats available for those who want to work out on the lake.

Sign-in at the Pavilion at 8:30 a.m., work awhile, then join the group at 11:30 a.m. for lunch over at Big Daddys in the sailboat marina across from the campground. Big Daddy's is locally famous for their great hamburgers, so join all of the KGB helpers on Marina's International's deck for lunch. Know that we really appreciate your help!

Love Your Pet!

Of course you love spending time with your pet ... and Saturday, February 20, we want to make your pet feel extra special on National Love Your Pet Day!

Whether it's a good scratch or a tummy rub, a longer walk around the campground, or just a bit more attention—stop by the Front Office Saturday to pick up an extra treat for your pet.

And, if your pet loves to travel with you from campground to campground, let us know. Post comments or a great story about your favorite traveling companion right here on our blogspot. Or, email us a picture of your pet at thevineyards@grapevinetexas.gov, and we'll be happy to post them as well.

You Say Goodbye, and We Say Hello... Workampers Needed Now

The Vineyards Campground, known for it's outstanding staff, are pictured here receiving recognition at a Grapevine City Council meeting for being an award winning campground—TACO's 2009 Best Medium-Size Campground! So, it's hard to say goodbye to fellow workampers and friends as the camping seasons come and go each year.

Yet, it's a natural cycle in our Workamper industry. The City of Grapevine's Lake Parks system, which includes The Vineyards Campground, has openings now for several 6/12-month contract positions. These 'experience-preferred' positions are for dependable, hard working couples that have great customer service skills.

Interested couples will need to be available to begin work within the next 6-10 weeks (March/April 2010), depending on the exact position. Applicants will be interviewed in person or by telephone, and then a review panel will consider the best-qualified applicants for each position. A full-service site, discounts on store products, laundry and a daily stipend are provided with each position.

Positions do have varied schedules and park locations, but will average 10-14-days per month/per couple. The Lake Parks currently need:

+ Three Park Attendants: collect daily fees, sell Annual Boat Ramp Passes, and monitor park activities.

+ One Park Host: clean cabins and restrooms, order campground supplies, assist with campstore and special events.

+ Two Campstore Attendants: monitor store, rentals, inventory, special events, Annual Boat Ramp Passes, and all duties associated with a camp store operation.

Please contact Joe Moore now at jmoore@grapevinetexas.gov if you are interested in joining the award-winning team.