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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2019-04-18, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019. PAGE 9. Matt Den Hollander, owner of Realty Executives Platinum, has some future plans for Auburn Riverside Retreat, which he took possession of this year, but not before he talks to customers of the established campground. Den Hollander is an experienced campground operator, owning Windmill Family Campground between Mitchell and St. Marys, and hopes to make some of the forward- thinking changes in Auburn that he has made since purchasing Windmill Family Campground three years ago and creating the Experience Camping brand. “We had a lot of success there,” he said. “We fixed up and modernized some things.” Den Hollander said one of the most popular changes was implementing an online booking program, which he has already brought to the Auburn Riverside Retreat. Den Hollander said that, in the three years he has run Windmill Family Campground, he has improved it to the point that it’s nearly full every weekend and has become one of the areas most popular campgrounds. “I thought I could take what I learned at Windmill Family Campground and move it to another park,” he said. “From the success at Windmill, I thought we were ready to implement the same principles into another park.” Through his professional dealings, Den Hollander met with the owners of the Auburn Riverside Retreat and ended up hitting it off, he said. “There was a good trust factor,” he said. “We made a deal after a few months of negotiation and in January it was a done deal.” Aside from the online reservation system, Den Hollander has not implemented any major changes to the site so far. “For the first season, we’re going to sit back and see how things run,” he said. “We’re going to be adding a few smaller things, like improving store inventory and introducing trailer sales at the park. “After the first year, we might make a few improvements,” he said. “We will listen to the campers first, however.” The site has approximately 105 fully-serviced seasonal sites and 100 overnight sites. “Almost all the sites have water and hydro, but some of the sites closer to the river don’t have sewer services,” he said. “There’s also a cabin and cottage there, which make for beautiful overnight rentals. We do plan on adding some more cabins in the near future.” As for why he originally got involved with campgrounds, he said he loves camping, and has some experience running multiple-user sites, including apartment buildings and investment properties, but switched his focus to campgrounds after some experience selling and facilitating purchases as a real estate broker. Den Hollander says that the Auburn location is unique due to its natural waterway. “The big hit at Auburn is the 5,000 foot of frontage on the Maitland River,” he said. “Tubing and fishing are big activities.” He said that participants can start tubing in the river at one end of the property, and take an hour to reach the downstream border of the campground. Those looking for a longer haul can travel a concession away, and do a two-hour tubing trek. The site also has a pool, recreation hall, pavilion, soccer field and lots of activities Den Hollander said. “On the weekends we have events, fireworks and other activities for people coming in,” he said. “There’s something great for everyone.” Visit experiencecamping.ca for more information. Long-time Central Huron Councillor Marg Anderson has been named to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors. Anderson’s nomination was officially approved by Central Huron Council at its first meeting in April. Anderson’s term in the national position will begin at the federation’s annual conference and trade show in May and run until June, 2022. *** The Central Huron Fire Depart- ment will be purchasing a dual- purpose heat camera in the memory of former Fire Chief Steve Cooke, who passed away several years ago. Fire Chief Dave Renner spoke to the recommendation earlier this month, saying that in 2015, nearly $2,400 was placed into reserves thanks to memorial donations for Cooke. The camera will cost just over $850. Renner said that the new camera will remain in the chief’s truck. While it will be mainly used by the chief, all members of the department will have access to its use, he said. BLYTH, 208 Hamilton Street • 519.523.9306 www.watsonshomehardware.com Thank You to everyone who came out to celebrate the Grand Opening of our Blyth location Special thanks to: North Huron Firefighters for barbecuing, Cowbell Brewing, 101.7 The One, Tim Hortons, Blyth Food Market and CKNX am920 It’s our 1st Anniversary in Wingham and we’re celebrating! TICO # 50013932 263 Josephine St., Wingham 519-357-2228 • 888-667-3545 email: ship2shore@wightman.ca Pop in to see us. Book your winter vacation in May and be entered in a draw to win a $250 travel voucher By Denny Scott The Citizen Schlosser, McCullagh mark first maple harvest The friends and family of Brian Schlosser of the Bluevale area were in for a nice surprise this spring from River’s Edge Acres in the form of organic maple syrup. Brian Schlosser and Cherida McCullagh gave the age-old practice a whirl this season and the results have been even sweeter than expected. McCullagh had boiled maple syrup before, Schlosser says, but on a very small scale, essentially producing just a few litres on a small stove. However, Schlosser said that if she wanted to do it this spring and he was going to be involved, he wanted to step it up a bit. It began just over two months ago when the two took a trip to the furthest reaches of eastern Ontario in Fournier. They agreed to upgrade the operation and travelled east to buy a new stainless steel evaporator built to take 100 tappings. Between trees from Schlosser’s Ramsay Line property and McCullagh’s Cardiff Road property, as well as tapping trees at neighbour Fran Breckenridge’s house, the pair had 168 trees tapped, so getting the syrup was a little more labour- intensive than anticipated. Schlosser and McCullagh tapped the first tree on March 7 and spent the subsequent days collecting from the trees. Then, Schlosser spent 17 days boiling the sap in the hopes of creating a sweet end product. He says it turned into quite an affair. First, Schlosser brought the equipment outside in order to let the steam escape. The following day, it rained, so he put a roof over the setup. The next day it was windy, so they constructed something to keep the wind away. However, as the wind persisted, but frequently changing direction, Schlosser eventually found himself in a maple syrup “igloo” of his own making. For the next two weeks, Schlosser said it became a 24-hour-a-day job, where he had to wake up every hour through the night to ensure everything was going according to plan in the igloo, because they were working 168 taps through an evaporator made to take 100. He did, however, have some help in the form of a reverse osmosis system, which he said did half the work for him. While it was just the couple’s first year, Schlosser said they were quite happy with the results, producing 175 litres of maple syrup, much of which they plan to use themselves or give to friends or family in the coming months. Because of the nature of the season, Schlosser said the syrup came out sweeter than they had expected, but that they’re thrilled with what they’ve been able to bottle. There was a bit of nostalgia for Schlosser in making syrup this year, he says, as the last year he had made syrup was likely when he was in his teens, the year his father passed away. Schlosser said that he and McCullagh plan to stay in the syrup game again next season. He says it was a welcome return to a hobby from his childhood. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen New owner looks to future of Auburn campground Anderson now on FCM A new-again hobby Brian Schlosser, shown above with some of the tools of the maple syrup trade, has begun making maple syrup under the River’s Edge Acres label with Cherida McCullagh, and they recently realized their first harvest. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Last line of defence Joe Jacklin, left, was honoured recently as the Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey Association handed out its year-end awards. Jacklin was presented with the Don Higgins Award by association President Robb Finch. (Photo submitted)