A somewhat sad experience during our last camping event :(

[campagain]

I really don't think the campground could have done anything further, but here goes:

At a campground this past weekend in PA, my wife and our 4 children went to the campground's bingo event. Everything started fine, and our oldest daughter even won on the first card! So, they were having a great time. I had to stay back at the site with our dogs.

About 20-30 min in, a guy apparently came in and sat at their table. Supposedly in his 30s, reaked of alcohol, was wearing a shirt that said "Kill Pedophiles".. A woman from another table gave him money so he could play. He proceeded to ruin my family's event, asking questions about where they were from, trying to force conversation, pretending that he did not hear the numbers being called, etc. It completely ruined the event for them. My wife came back to the site very upset, and I called the office to report the issue. The person I got on the phone had actually seen the individual at the event, and she apologized for it.

I really don't know what else could have been done in regard to this scenario, and to be honest, I've camped almost my entire life without having to deal like garbage like that finding their way in. Anyone else have any thoughts on what they might have done differently? We probably won't even go back there now, due to that.

 

[xxxapache]

I wouldn't let that one incident prevent me from returning to a campground.

 

[NMroamer]

Call the local sheriff!

 

[campagain]

I wouldn't let that one incident prevent me from returning to a campground.

Well, we know of many that we frequent, so we shake it up. But, of course it had to happen one of the few times I wasn't with everybody :|

 

[campagain]

Call the local sheriff!

I'm actually trying to get more intel on the shirt, since I did not see it myself. It appears that that could be a band name, if you can even believe that crap.

 

[1380ken]

That's why you shouldn't have adults drinking alcohol playing with non family member children.

 

[campagain]

That's why you shouldn't have adults drinking alcohol playing with non family member children.

Yeah, I'm trying to wrap my head around how this could have been done differently (if even possible). As I mentioned earlier, he did not even show up until things were already rolling. It was in a pavilion, so, pretty much anyone could sit anywhere. I don't ever remember even HEARING of something like that happening at a campground, but at the same time, society seems to be determined to head to He** in a handbasket these days, so, everything is getting impacted

I even told my children last night that they will definitely need to keep camping in their event planning as they get older, because city life and related is literally falling apart.

 

[PopUpSteve]

Sound like the campground was just giving you lip-service so they didn't have to get caught up in any legal matters. They (the campground) should have called local law enforcement and gotten the guy on drunk and disorderly in public. When a campground provides entertainment/events, they need to be on guard for people like that and take the appropriate actions.

Was he even staying at the campground?

 

[campagain]

Sound like the campground was just giving you lip-service so they didn't have to get caught up in any legal matters. They (the campground) should have called local law enforcement and gotten the guy on drunk and disorderly in public. When a campground provides entertainment/events, they need to be on guard for people like that and take the appropriate actions.

Was he even staying at the campground?

I believe so. One of my sons recalled seeing him walking through the campground during the day while my son was at the playground.

Thankfully, our children are older, but going off of what my wife had said, I could totally see this guy stalking other smaller children.

 

[1380ken]

The drunk man may have had no ill intention. The fact that he was somehow associated with a woman at another table.
He might of thought he was being social and charming like lots or drunks. If the woman was his wife or friend she should of got him out of there if he was drunk.

 

[NMroamer]

Like I said before get law enforcement involved. They are never very far away here and are more than willing to handle dirt bags like that.

 

[xxxapache]

How do we know this man was a dirt bag?...lol

 

[PopUpSteve]

Well, I wouldn't go as far as to call him a dirt bag, but intoxicated in public and around kids (be they his kids of someone else's), well you can do the math. If the woman who gave him money was related, she should have escorted him back to their campsite to sleep it off. Some people's idea of "normal behavior" can really be off.

 

[jmkay1]

I have zero tolerance for drunks. I've never met any "good" drunks. They always leave their brain elsewhere. One of the biggest reasons I frequent state and federal parks is that I don't see as many drunks. Rangers usually have no reservations about telling people to leave or will dump any alcohol they confiscate. Private parks I find don't have the balls to tell a paying customer off and usually refuse to call in law enforcement themselves. Sorry your family had to deal with that. It's never pleasant having to deal with a drunk. Whether a stranger or family. I absolutely would never return back to a campground that won't at the very least try and deal with the situation. At the very least tell him to leave the pavilion. Sorry but that's just me.

 

[campagain]

How do we know this man was a dirt bag?...lol

Although I did not see him myself, he was:

1. acting immature, pretending he was going to blow my kids' chips off of their cards, and, pretended like he was going to swipe the chips with his hand
2. complaining that he never wins anything
3. constantly interrupting my family asking for the numbers etc, even though they were up on a giant TV screen in front of everyone

I'd say that makes him a dirtbag......

 

[theseus]

One of the reasons I prefer campgrounds with a no alcohol policy. Someone with that kind of behavior would be gone.

And before anyone says it, yes I know that many have alcohol in thier cups around the campfire. I'm ok with that. I just think that the no alcohol policy makes it easier to deal with the drunks.

 

[wmadoty]

Maybe someone could have explained that they did not know him, mentioned that they were there to have a evening with the children, and asked him to find another place to sit. My experience with people like this is that they will go find someone else to bother, they just need a little nudge, or a big push, in the correct direction.

 

[tfischer]

There are a-holes everywhere. Try to control the things you can... for example, couldn't they have gotten up and moved to another table? If he followed them, they could then speak up and ask for help.

I certainly wouldn't write off the whole campground over one a-hole camping there. You yourself said you don't know how they could have handled it better.

As for those saying call law enforcement... for what? What laws were broken here? Unfortunately being an a-hole isn't against the law. Or maybe fortunately, since we all are once in awhile.

 

[campagain]

I certainly wouldn't write off the whole campground over one a-hole camping there. You yourself said you don't know how they could have handled it better.

You are correct on what I said, but at the point that this incident had occurred, my wife and I had already kind of felt that that campground was a bit different from what we normally expect in one. It felt more like a 55+ community, just with trailers I posted it in the review section of this site as well.

 

[p]

It's too bad when the actions of one out way the actions of many.