Halloweekend Traditions

Each year, our guest amaze us even more. Their dedication, creativity, and love for Ocean Lakes and Halloweekends is something special. We love riding around to view campsite’s decorations and join in on the excitement. While the Marketing Team was out and about taking pictures and videos this week, we had the pleasure of meeting the guests at Site 3110 and Site K-48.

This week, we are talking with these guests to get the inside scoop on their Halloweekend traditions at Ocean Lakes Family Campground.

Meet Doug and Sheryl of Site 3110 |

Meet Doug and Sheryl

Q: How long have you been camping at Ocean Lakes?

A: I believe this is our sixth or seventh year of coming to Ocean Lakes. We stay about four or five times each year. This is actually our fifth Halloweekend!

Q: What inspired you to create this display?

A: The first year that we came for Halloweekends, there was a big group that had a tremendous display that was awesome and had so many people in line. We really enjoyed the fact that they put that much effort for other people to enjoy. We started decorating, then by our third year, we had a pretty good display. By that time, we had learned to book our campsite a year in advance so that we could pick which site we wanted. Two years ago, we started into more motion and animatronics, then last year was our first display of animatronics. This year, the entire display is animatronics.

Site 3110

Q: And, what inspired the theme?

A: My daughter actually inspired the theme. The idea was that the old lady in the rocking chair would move her mouth and possibly tell a story. She is by far the most complicated. She has four servo motors and three pneumatic cylinders. Finally, we settled on the Beetlejuice music. Our display is not designed to scare people, it is more so to be a display or a show for others to enjoy.

Q: Let’s get technical. Give us a few details of just what goes into this display, technically.

A: We have four computers, one main computer and three subroutine computers, which run each display separately. So, each display has its own sound and the ability to run by itself.

Computer Board

Q: How far in advance do you start planning and preparing your display for the next Halloweekend?

A: The day after Halloween is day one. We plan this year-round, 365 days a year. I make animatronics for a living, so I build animatronic props year-round; I have a shop dedicated to this.

Q: What do you love about Halloweekends at Ocean Lakes, and makes you want to come back every year?

A: I enjoy putting on a show that incorporates my capabilities. I even have an Instagram page where I post my zombies. I love what I do, and I love being able to share that with others.

Meet the Families of Site K-48 |

Here is eleven of the thirty-five to forty members!

  

Q: How long have you all been camping at Ocean Lakes for our Halloweekends?

A: About four years, and we always come the last weekend.

Q: You have become famous around the campground for your incredible haunted house! What inspired you all to do this?

A: This is actually our second year with the haunted house! There is a group of us that comes together, and we originally had our characters outside at our campsites. Then the rain played a big factor in the haunted house because we had a rainy, cold first experience. We got together and decided to build a haunted house for all of our characters.

Q: How long do you all plan and prepare for the next Halloweekend?

A: All year! We start when we leave here so we do better the next year!

Q: You stay for the week, so what does the week look like?

A: We arrive on Sunday and we get our campsites setup and our haunted table ready, then on Monday, we all start on the tent for the haunted house. By Tuesday, we start decorating, then on Wednesday, we got the graveyard finished. Final touches on Thursday, and we are ready to open tonight!

Haunted Table

Graveyard 

Decorations

Q: You all are a unique bunch – Explain that for us!

A: We are all from Monks Corner, South Carolina. We are not all family, but we are all like family. We share that bond of many, many years together. We go to church together, we eat out together, we go on other vacations together. We are all very close. We lost one of our members the year before last. Mr. Tommy’s wife, Mrs. Babe, passed and that was very hard on us. We all came together. There is about thirty-five to forty of us that come. This is our tradition. We plan eighteen months in advance so we can have the campsites that we want and stay near each other.

Q: You mention tradition. How is this a tradition for you all, and what does that mean for each of you?

A: This has become a tradition because we enjoy doing this together. We love to make other people happy and laugh – That is what it is about. Everyone here is so nice – Guests and teammates!

Q: What drew you to Ocean Lakes?

A: We heard it through the grapevine that Ocean Lakes put on an event for Halloween and we wanted to give it a try. Our first year was rainy and cold, but we had fun being together, and we just kept coming back. It is the family-friendly atmosphere that Ocean Lakes has. Everyone is hospitable, it is comfortable, you all make it feel like home.

Recap | Wow! What sweet families, and what amazing traditions. The heart they put into their campsite was surely inspiring and the love they share is what we are all about.

Until Next Time | You never know when the Marketing Team will be out and about looking for a good story, a great photo opportunity, or a fun video! Keep up the dedication and creativity, Ocean Lakes, we LOVE seeing our guests do what they do best – Being totally AWESOME!