Happy campers
There’s much more to Ben Eoin peninsula campground than meets the eye
For Alexis MacDonald, every day at work is a walk, or drive, down memory lane.
After all, she spent her childhood summers in the 1960s camping at the same Ben Eoin beach resort she now manages.
“It’s where I met Walter,” she says, referring to her husband, the son of the late Malcolm S. MacDonald, the resort’s founder who turned the sandy peninsula from a gravel pit into a popular campground and beach destination that has become synonymous with Cape Breton summers.
“Walter spent his summers working here and he often came by to deliver ice and he also seemed to spend a lot of time around our site picking up garbage and taking care of things.”
Her version of events draws no argument from Walter, who with four of his siblings co-owns the Ben Eoin Beach and RV Resort that is located about 35 km southwest of Sydney along the shores of Bras d’Or Lake.
“And, there’s more to the story — one of our sons married a girl who also was a summer resident. They’ve got a trailer on site as do our other two children,” he said.
But the campground’s family theme applies to more than just the MacDonalds. For close to 60 years, the peninsula from where gravel was once trucked to the Sydney steel plant, has served as the summer home to generations of Cape Breton families.
“Everybody’s like family here,” said Alexis. “We have people who are now seniors that were here as children, their kids were here and their grandkids are here now.” On any given summer day, she can be found driving around the lakeside resort. This year, she’s behind the wheel of a new pickup truck that features specially designed side windows that provide greater visibility.
“We’re all about safety here — there are always lots of children about and we have many seniors, so safety is first and foremost,” she said, noting the 15 km per hour speed limit.
As she makes her way along the narrow roads on the peninsula, Alexis frequently stops to chat with the summer residents.
“I pretty much know everybody here — most have had family here for years,” said Alexis, adding that there’s a lengthy waiting list for a site. “We get some turnover due to life’s events, but it’s a stable population.”
The resort’s 210 fully equipped sites may be close together, but the residents don’t seem to mind.
“If people want somewhere with more space, then there are lots of other places to go — but this is different because there is a real sense of community,” said Glace Bay’s Robert (Bobby) Bird, who is the volunteer driver of the campground’s hayride wagon that tours children around the facility every day at 6 p.m.
Others, such as Phyllis Barrie, are content to sit on the shore overlooking the peaceful Bras d’Or.
“It’s an awesome place,” said Barrie, whose trailer is located just a few steps away from the sandy beach. “It’s like a big family – so many friends that have come and gone.”
Nearby, Darlene Crane-Morris soaks up the rays of a hot July day. Unlike many of her neighbours she’s still working, but is enjoying a week’s holiday.
“My mother came here before me, it’s a great place for the summer,” she said.
“I commute to work, it’s only about 25 minutes, and it’s like not even like work when you know you’re coming back out here afterwards.”
The beach resort that is open from mid-May to mid-September also offers a number of camping sites for visitors and is also open to those wishing to spend a day at the beach. A boat launch is also available.
But it’s the children who keep the place alive with the sounds of summer. Indeed, jumping off the recently reconstructed diving tower has been a rite of passage for kids since the mid1960s.
And, the MacDonalds employ a full-time recreation director, who offers up a wide variety of programs that help keep the resort’s kids busy all day long. There’s also adult entertainment that includes concerts, bingo and darts.
Everybody has a different reason for their attachment to the scenic location that has over the past 60 years become part of the fabric of Cape Breton culture. Some are there for its peaceful nature, while for others its the only summer home they’ve ever know. But, above all, it’s a little slice of heaven made better because of its strong sense of community.
But, perhaps Bobby Bird put it best: “There’s no flies here — how can it get any better than that?”