Sun N Fun Blog: RV Resort, Vacation Homes, Vacation Home Rentals in Sarasota, Florida

With three young ones of her own, Skyler 9, Lucas 6, and Forest 3, Lifestyle Manager Tracy Goodman knows the importance of getting kids hooked on reading young. She and her husband Bryce have made a habit of reading to them everyday. That was the inspiration for her starting our first annual Read S’more Books program for pre-to middle schoolers this past season.

Using a list from Scholastic that suggested age appropriate material, the 6-week program, which went from July 1st to August 12th, encouraged youngsters by providing them with a reading log where they could keep track of the books they were reading and how much time they spent reading every day. Tracy hoped for a minimum of 20 minutes per day. For pre-schoolers, that meant parents reading to them. Based on the response, Tracy’s hopes were exceeded.

There were incentives for everyone participating. They would show up at the office, show Tracy their log and she’d present them with a prize basket from which they could choose things like silly bands, stickers and sidewalk chalk.

Now, Tracy is hoping to get a library started for next year’s program. Anyone who has books their children are finished with can drop them with Tracy or, if you’d like to make a donation to the program of books or bookstore gift cards, please do. You’ll be giving a child a gift they’ll have for the rest of their lives.

When we think of fire engines, we think of fire engine red. But on September 27th four fire trucks will be arriving in Sarasota that are pink. And they’ll be manned by firefighters in pink. That’s right, pink.

These brave firemen are here for a very special cause – to help raise funds for local organizations that provide support for women battling cancer. You won’t be able to miss them because they’ll be staying at Sun-N-Fun the nights of the 26th and 27th. We couldn’t be happier that they’ve accepted our offer of lodgings and a place to park the trucks before and after they head into the community on their mission.

The trucks and firemen are part of the Guardians of the Ribbon Pink Heals Tour. Operated by firemen in pink uniforms, and aided by local firemen, police and politicians, they visit various cities around the country, using the trucks as the centerpiece of their fundraisers. All of the money raised at the events by these great guys will go to our local chapters of the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure, and Team Believe. It’s all intended to help children and women like one-year old Lilly Murphy, who has an extremely rare form of cancer behind both her eyes, and long time Sun-N-Fun resident Carol Williston, one of many Sun-N-Fun breast cancer survivors. We told you about them in our April and June newsletters respectively.

The pink fire trucks tour is the brainchild of Glendale, Arizona fireman Dave Graybill. Graybill’s message is simple,  “We as men in this country honor our women and at the very least will wear pink in support of their fight against cancer, all cancer.”

Two years ago, Graybill bought a fire truck on eBay, had it wrapped in pink, donned pink gear and drove to 32 cities across the country to rally support for breast cancer survivors and research. He raised money by selling pink t-shirts and getting people to sign the truck with messages. His effort has grown every year since and now there are pink trucks visiting nearly every state in the union.  There are even plans underway for the first of what the organization hopes will be five pink fire stations across the country.

Leading the charge here is new Fire Chief, Kenneth Ellerbe, who learned about the event from members of Team Believe. “Cancer touches a lot of people directly or indirectly. And 5% of Sarasota’s firefighters are women – more than the national average,” the Chief says proudly. “So it’s particularly important to us and why I wanted our department to be a part of it.”

The Chief, who came to Sarasota from Washington, D.C. a year ago, was drawn here by what he felt was a strong sense of community spirit. “I could tell from my first interactions with people that the people of Sarasota care for one another and treat each other with kindness.” He hopes that spirit will be on display for this event.

The pink fire trucks will travel down the east coast of the state and then come up the west coast, holding events in thirteen different cities. Right now, the Chief’s plans are for a parade to greet the trucks as they head down Fruitville Road on their way to Main St. From there, the trucks will disperse to various locations around town, where they’ll sell t-shirts, mugs and paper ribbons for people to purchase and demonstrate their support. That night, there’ll be a celebration for the visiting firefighters, organizers and anyone else who would like to attend.

The Chief, like so many of us, has personal reasons for getting involved. In addition to being the father of a young woman in her twenties, he helped see a friend through the process, from the mammogram and discovery of a tumor, a double mastectomy, chemo and finally recovery.

We hope you’ll turn out in force to support those organizations in our community that are leading the fight to find a cure. So come out and buy a pink tee and a ribbon. The team at Sun-N-Fun will be wearing them, because as the tee’s all say, Real Men Wear Pink.

To learn more about the trucks and the tour, link to Pinkfiretrucks.org

Leslie Davis was always hearing patients rave about Sun-N-Fun at the chiropractic office where she works part-time as office manager. So a couple of summers ago, she decided to bring the family to Sun-N-Fun on a day pass and see what all the talk was about.

One day was all it took to convince her, husband Brian, and their two sons, Tim 16, a junior at Lakewood Ranch High and Jake, 11, a 6th grader at Nolan Middle School, to buy a Summer Swim Pass. Soon the family became regular weekend guests.

Leslie, a sun worshipper, loves reading poolside – she just finished a Harlan Cobain suspense thriller, “The Caught,” she calls “awesome” – and listening to disco on her iPod, even though she’s much too young to have danced to it. Donna Summer’s her favorite.

Brian, who has a tile and flooring business, Square One, enjoys unwinding in the whirlpool and hot tub. According to Mom, Jake’s addicted to the Hippo Slide. “He rides it over and over from the time we arrive in the morning until we leave at night.” Older brother Tim, when he isn’t in line behind Jake, likes “watching all the pretty girls go by at the pool.”

Leslie, who recently started her own business, Stella’s Tasty Treats, making dog treats like Chase’s Chunky Peanut Butter and Sam’s Sweet Potato Chews, took some time out from her busy schedule when her mom, Ann Richards, and Ann’s husband Bob, visited, to introduce them to Sun-N-Fun. The newly retired couple liked it enough to come back and rent a cottage for a month. Two weeks into that visit, they made the decision to buy. A winter with nearly 70 inches of snow in their Ohio hometown helped seal the deal.

“People may have said it was cold here last winter,” the good-natured Bob tells us. “I tell them I didn’t have to shovel snow once.”

The Richards have quickly made friends they enjoy spending time with, love going to dances – they both disco, which is where Leslie picked it up – and taking part in our Murder Mystery dinners. They also like playing pickleball, and while Leslie isn’t exactly sure what that is, she promises to give it a try next winter. Ann also takes water aerobic classes and Bob joined the golf league.

“You can make your lifestyle at Sun-N-Fun as active or as quiet as you like,” Bob explains. “Ann and I are active.”

So is the whole family, and they’ve discovered that Sun-N-Fun is a great place for all of them to be together and bond. Mother and daughter enjoy time at the pool, trading disco hits, while Bob and the boys go to the driving range across the street to practice chipping and putting. This coming year there are plans to get the boys out to a golf course for the first time. Bob, Brian and the boys like going down to Turtle Beach at Siesta Key to fish. They all enjoy Friday night karaoke and having dinners together at Boondock’s Restaurant whenever Leslie and Brian can get away from their busy lives and businesses. This past winter, Leslie’s big sister, Nicole and her 10-year old son, KC, came down from Ohio to be with the family and now they’re making plans to return for Christmas.

“Sun-N-Fun is just a wonderful tropical oasis for us,” is how Leslie describes it. “A little paradise where the family can be together, hangout, relax and enjoy connecting.”

By the way, if you need tiling or flooring, Brian’s the guy to call. You can reach him at 941-592-7311. And if your dog has earned a reward, Leslie’s got a fantastic menu of treats or would be happy to whip something special up. Call her at 941-592-7278. Our little guys are partial to Bella’s Banana Peanut Butter and Oatmeal cookies.

To make your experience with our new site we are launching in August – and your Internet experience in general – safer, easier and more satisfying, we suggest visiting wikihow.com and following the few easy steps outlined there to clear your cache (pronounced ‘cash’). The cache is where every web browser stores web pages, images, and other downloaded content on your computer. Clearing it regularly will help protect your privacy and free up space in your computer so it’s faster.

When Josie and Adam Nitterauer and their 8-year old son Addison want to get away from it all, they pack up their tent and travel to Sun-N-Fun — all of one exit down I-75 from their home in Sarasota.

Adam, who came to Sarasota from Buffalo, NY, when he was two and a half, used to visit Sun-N-Fun as a kid when friends of his parents would come to town and stay here. But as a teenager he found other distractions and it had been years since he’d been here when Josie discovered Sun-N-Fun on the internet. Adam, who owns and operates Sarasota Sign Machine, decided to take a break from business and bring the family to one of his favorite childhood playgrounds. So they pitched their 13 x 20 tent and camped out the first weekend in May.

Addison quickly became addicted to the Hippo Slide, while Josie and Adam loved the party spirit at the pool so much they purchased a summer membership good from May through Labor Day. Now they’re here just about every weekend and while they’re still under the tent, they’re considering a rental cottage when the weather gets warmer.

The Nitterauers are great fans of the Friday night Dive-In movies; they loved Horton Hears a Who and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They also like the $4 Margaritas and $12 large pizza. “Can’t beat it!” Adam tells us. And while it’s tough getting Addison away from Hippo Slide, the sports talk radio host is looking forward to introducing his son to all the sport and recreational activities available here. Adam’s especially eager to get Addison into miniature golf, something he did with his dad here years ago.

In fact, they’re enjoying themselves so much, Adam is doing his weekend radio show, Moffett and The Machine – Adam is the Machine – poolside from 1 to 3 PM Saturday afternoons on WTMY. You’re welcome to stop by and give your opinion on the Rays, Bucs and Florida State Football anytime; the guys won’t hesitate to give you theirs. Though on Sun-N-Fun being a winning place to campout, there is no argument.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the recreational vehicle, so Sun-N-Fun is especially proud to have been chosen as the winner of the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC) National Mega Park Award for 2010. It’s the highest honor any of the 3700 private Parks and Campgrounds in the U.S. can win – and it’s the second time we done it in the last three years. What a way to celebrate the anniversary of RVing.

As an acknowledgement to the importance of RVing here in Florida, Governor Charlie Crist has signed a resolution initiated by the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) and the Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (FlaARVC), declaring June Recreational Vehicle and Camping Month. The resolution notes some interesting facts about RVs and RVers, among them:

• 1 in 12 Americans owns a recreational vehicle
• Florida ranks as the best and the most popular RV and camping destination in the U.S.
• More than 5 million people camp in Florida each year
• 20% of all auto visitors to Florida come in a recreational vehicle
• Florida ranks 3rd in the number of RV shipments
• There are 900-licensed recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds with more than 120,000 licensed sites in the state

Read the entire resolution at RVbusiness.com.

The RV has played an important part in our history, making it possible for tens of thousands of Americans to explore our great nation up close. To learn more about the fascinating history of the RV and its place in our history, we recommend the newly published book The Dumb Things Sold Just Like That: A History of the RV Industry in America, by historian Al Hesselbart. The book, which is filled with photos of vintage RVs, traces the history of the industry and features biographies of eighteen of the RV industry’s most influential leaders. It’s a fun read and we recommend it. You can find it at amazon.com.

The National Wildlife Federation created the Great American Backyard Campout with the goal of introducing people to the pleasures of camping out and enjoying nature – even if it’s in their own backyard.

Of course, we’d prefer you to come and enjoy camping out in Sun-N-Fun’s backyard. So we’ve joined with the Federation and planned a weekend full of great family activities that start Friday, June 25th and continue through Sunday the 27th. Check-in, pitch your tent and then join everyone poolside to make your own sundaes and watch our Friday Night Dive-In movie, The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Over the weekend, Smokey Bear will pay a visit to talk about safe camping and fire prevention. There will be a lesson in “orienteering” where everyone will learn how to use a compass and then be challenged to navigate a specially built course using it. You’ll also have a chance to explore the incredible world of turtles, snakes and lizards as part of the Fascinating World of Reptiles presented by Keith Wilson.

Because this is Sun-N-Fun, there will be live music poolside Saturday and Sunday afternoons, toasted S’mores, campfire sing-a-longs, and another Dive-In movie Saturday night.

So be sure to join us – and join in the good times – at our 6th annual Great American Backyard Campout.

Here’s a friendly FYI: Starting this June there are going to be great special offers and surprise prices on our Facebook page. Get in the know – sign up today – click the “like” button at the top of the Sun-N-Fun page, and check in often.

Sun-N-Fun on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sun-n-Fun-RV-Resort

Nova Scotia natives Carol And Ken Williston have been coming to Sun-N-Fun for the last twelve years, but it wasn’t until the winter of ‘09 that Carol got involved with Sun-N-Fun’s Relay for Life to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Ken had been successfully treated the year before at Sarasota Memorial for prostrate cancer with robotic surgery. Carol, who had a desire to do something that would make a difference, went to church and prayed for guidance on what to do. Soon after, Sun-N-Fun’s Lifestyle Manager, Tracy Goodman, asked her if she’d like to take an active role in Relay for Life. It felt like the answer to her prayer and so she took on the job of Vice-Chair.

“I jumped in and went full steam ahead. I couldn’t believe how eager people were to get involved, how much they wanted to help, and the enthusiasm they showed.

“All kinds of special events were organized. To mention just a few, money was raised at street parties and there was a rock-a-thon in front of the post office where all the single ladies sat in rockers and collected donations. People swam laps for sponsorships at the pool, the tennis group put on exhibition matches, the red hatters helped out, and we were blessed with some very generous individual donors. There are over a hundred activity groups at Sun-N-Fun and just about all of them got involved.

“On the day of the Relay, we had the relay where different groups baked pies and cakes for sale, people did knitting, others entertained. We even had a belly dancer. Everybody got involved; they were wonderful,” Carol says, the enthusiasm for the task she took on still in her voice.

By the time it was all over, $35,000 dollars had been raised. So much, in fact, that the Cancer Society didn’t even have a donor category for the contribution. But it wasn’t until this past winter that the full import of what she had done hit home when a routine mammogram found a small lump in her right breast.

“It’s ironic that I was helping to raise all this money for cancer research never knowing that I would be benefitting from it.”

In March, Carol had a lumpectomy and in April her sentinel lymph node was removed and found to be free of cancer. She began radiation in May and the doctors say her prognosis is excellent.

“I got great support from my family (Carol is one of 14 children) and from everyone here at Sun-N-Fun. They were all right there for me. I asked all my friends here to pray for me and they have. My daughter paid me a surprise visit from Nova Scotia and my son is flew me down to Puerto Vallarta before treatment.”

We’re all thrilled for Carol and Ken and how their story has turned out. But thankfully the residents and team members of Sun-N-Fun know that there’s still much to do and the importance of continuing to keep practicing our philosophy of “looking after people, animals and the environment, locally and globally.”

Check out the list of projects Sun-N-Fun is involved with and join in. We think you’ll find the experience as rewarding as Carol and Ken did.