2011 PAFF Annual Jamboree - May 20,21,22 - Seven Mountains CG

JackM

JackM

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Dear PAFF Message Board Community

The location for the 2011 Annual PAFF Fly Fishing Jamboree has been selected. The gathering will be held at Seven Mountains Camground, located about 16 miles east of State College, PA. The campground is right off of 322 on the eastbound side just as it expands to 4 lanes about 1.5 miles east of its junction with Rte 144 south of Centre Hall, PA.

Tradition has established Central PA as the ideal location for the Annual Jamboree. With the growth of the board, finding a suitable campground is becoming a bit more difficult. This year we found two very good options, Seven Mountains and Quiet Oaks CG in the Renovo, PA vicinity. The choice was not easy. We would like to see a "mini-Jam" organized for the north-central area of the state and encourage anyone disappointed that we won't be moving up there this year to organize a secondary Jamboree, hopefully for a different weekend.

Seven Mountains is easily accessible. It opens up fishing locations farther south and also leaves easy and convenient access to Spring/Penns/Fishing Creek, the "big three" of prior Central PA Jams. The campground is uniformly flat and intends to have a significant amount of under-roof accomodations on site by Spring. Alternative accomodations are plentiful nearby, such as State College motels within 20 minutes, or other local campgrounds. We hope to see anyone who plans to have more than a couple beers in the evening stay with us at Seven Mountains. They have plenty of room for tent campers, but we recommend reserving tent space early as well to be sure everyone can be accomodated. Arrangements for campsites and cabins are between YOU and the CG and no one associated with PAFF takes any responsibility for your reservation.

Presently available are 6 "primitive cabins" for Friday and Saturday nights. I did not inquire about longer reservations before and after, but feel free to discuss this with the CG owners/agents. Reservations of cabins and tenting space is between you and the CG. They have agreed not to rent the 6 available primitive cabins to anyone not identifying themselves as being with the PA Flyfish Jamboree through close of business on January 5, 2011. All reservations are first-come, first served and a deposit will be expected from the CG to "hold" the reservation beyond January 5. One of the primitive cabins exists and the other 5 are supposed to be built before we arrive. Please discuss this contingency with the CG if you reserve one of the not-yet-built cabins.


We have secured the CG pavilion for use of the group from 3:00 PM Friday, May 20 through 12:00 noon Sunday, May 22. As is our habit, the pavilion will be the location where attendees can gather to meet up with others in the AM for coffee and after dark for a campfire and social gathering. Attendees can also use the pavilion for temporary shelter, tying flies, repairing equipment, meeting fishing groups and eating a meal or two. The pavilion is significantly smaller than the one last year, but it will serve our purposes similarly, if more compactly. There is a charge for use of the pavilion and we'll need to make arrangements like last year to raise a little money among us to pay for it.

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Glad we could manage to keep it in central PA. Looking forward to it!
 
Cell phone reception present at the CG, I didn't ask about wi-fi.
 
Thank you sir ! Looks like a nice choice. TV and a Grill ?
 
Thanks for getting this setup. Looking forward to seeing everyone again this year and meeting new people.

PS-Definately interested in a N. Central PA mini-jam.
 
sounds great! I understand about having a hard time picking locations, I've done similar searches for motorcycle campouts. one thing I learned, ya can't please everyone, so don't even try.
looks like you picked a fine location, looking forward to seeing everyone again!
thanks for your work, I know it's not easy!
 
Jdaddy get your name tapes ready :pint:
 
I, too, would try to make a northcentral gathering. Heritage-Angler, who helped significantly with next year's event has offered his "guidance" to any Jam attendees who want to make the trip (less than an hour) up to the northern tier streams. I'll not steal his thunder or commit him to something, just saying that a day-trip north is very doable. I believe a small group shot up that way last year from our prior location.
 
Jack count me in! Wanna fish with me on Penns on the 20th? It will be like the beer summit at the white house, but we'll make it the burboun summit I'll bring the burboun!
 
In a way it is unfortunate, but with my family joining me each year, my ability to fish with other attendees is limited. I'm sure you have much you can teach me, but unless you stick around for the following week, we'll probably have to settle for a few beers in the evening or morning coffee on the weekend.
 
"Rack Rates" as shown on their website or was there a discount negotiated? Either way is fine, just asking before people start calling.
 
Don't mean to sour, but for a campground it seams pretty expensive. I hope PAFF got a discount for packing the place.
 
LRSABecker wrote:
Don't mean to sour, but for a campground it seams pretty expensive. I hope PAFF got a discount for packing the place.

Campgrounds ARE expensive in general. My parents roll around paying $60 a night to park their RV in campgrounds.
 
I dunno, I guess I am just used to going to this one place where it costs me 10 dollars for 2 nights. It has a hot tub and pool and a lake to fish, plus a bunch of activities for the kids. Just ignore me like usual, I have nothing lol
 
I know where it is, great location for our purposes. Keeps Penns close and makes it a lot easier to go elsewhere.

I have no idea what the actual campground is like, but I look forward to finding out.
 
jdaddy wrote:
"Rack Rates" as shown on their website or was there a discount negotiated? Either way is fine, just asking before people start calling.

Well being there are four picnic tables in the pavillion.....I imagine there that there is a sufficient stage for Jack (CoCo) to strike a deal with the owners.

It says $25/night for 2 in a tent site.....(10% discount for 2-3 tents) I would also imagine we get all tent sites for at max $22.50/per Being we will consume over 10 and likely 20 sites.
 
Sounds like a great location guys. Right between spring and penns creek.
And also close to honey and kish creeks - streams that I've tried a few times, but would like to get to know better.
Looking forward to it
 
Seven Mountains is definitely more expensive than prior year's CG locations. I think tenters should inquire about how many tents and adults per site. It may allow up to four adults and two tents, which means about $7 a head for tenters. Discuss this with the CG.

As we learned last year, bringing them a lot of business is balanced off by the amount of work we put them through in advance and during the event. Those staying at the CG will subsidize to some extent the people who will lodge elsewhere but use the CG facilities while attending events. As Maurice alluded to, I may sometimes drive too hard of a bargain.

As people reserve sites at the CG, they should specify they are coming for the PAFF Jamboree. This will let the CG know what our "contribution" has been and hopefully they will accomodate us proportionally. There is an issue of firewood and "day guests" that leaves room for further discussions regarding price.
 
I have a set of pictures I took on a scouting run mid-December and will try to get some up. I also obtained a CG map as well.

What I would recommend and may do myself is to rent a non-sewered camper site and see if they will let you put 4 adults on it. If one of your group has a canopy, you can make a little tent city. Maybe adjacent lots for a larger group that is cooperating. You would have fresh water in your city and an electrical service for coffeee makers, lights, etc. Even though the CG cannot guarantee exact placement and will not reserve a specific site, I am sure if you reserve side-by-side sites, they WILL honor that when filling the CG for the weekend.

Here is the bathhouse. If you could look through the building, you would be seeing the pavilion about 30 yards away:

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Here is the view from the edge of the pavilion looking to the bathhouse:

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From the same vantage point, but panning left, you see a large play-field, a number of trailer sites, the deluxe cabins and slightly wooded area beyond. I think the tent camping is beyond those cabins unless you work a deal on a water/electric site:

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The CG Map below shows the camera angles of the various pics I posted and also highlights the pavilion, bath house and tenting area.


Unfortunately, I gave myself a tour when I visited and did not have the map and therefore did not scout the tenting area. If there are any locals who can go check it out and take a couple snapshots, it would be greatly appreciated.
 

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