What a great weekend it was, a new adventure at a new, beautiful site, which received rave reviews from those attending. The campground was laid out in a circle, and the roads were fairly flat, which allowed people to mingle and easily get to the common areas and explore some historic sites. This year, about 100 kampers enjoyed the beautiful weather and clean air across the road from Texas Flat.
Kampers arriving early on Friday were greeted by Sally and others of the HLK with a “welcome kocktail” in a special commemorative cup. Then it was on to a new event, Kampout Bingo, which was a big hit, sponsored by and prizes donated by Steve and Oscar. The Progressive Kocktail Party, our traditional “meet and greet” on Friday made 5 stops starting at the HLK and down to the Kampout Committee, then on to Eli and Dennis, then Jeffery and on to the IDC, before returning to the main kamp for the first beer bust, sponsored by the Red Lantern, and karaoke. Big thanks to all who provided stops, what a lot of fun, great food and beverage.
Saturday is the busy day at Kampout, starting out with a great breakfast by the Kampout Committee. Kampers then were ready to participate in all the fun and games, the Yacht Regatta, the Needle in the Haystack, and the always hysterical Kamptown Races.
Saturday’s beer bust was sponsored by Alibi and was followed by a wonderful dinner by the Kampout Committee, of chicken cacciatore with pasta, ratatouille,
and green salad. Big thanks to Committee members Rick, Phillip, and Rudy who worked so hard in the kitchen.
Saturday’s festivities continued with the always fun Kampstravaganza Show, which began with Rick singing God Bless America. Thank you to “Agent O” Josef for your great job as MC. Big thanks to our reigning Emperor Mario and Empress Melody and all the IDC who came out in force for this year’s kampout. And I just don’t have words to say what a fabulous bunch of performers we had on stage this year. Thank you all.
On to the winners of the weekend events. The Needle in the Haystack was won by Oscar, Rachel, and Laurie. In the Regatta, Kamp Kommordor went to Tiana and Best Boat went to Chelsea. For kampsites, the Best in Theme went to the IDC, Best in Show went to Eli and Dennis, and Best Unique Interpretation went to Jeffrey. Kampout King was Sheri and Kampout Kween was She-lah Tequila.
Congratulations to all winners.
The Kampout Committee would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors, without their help, we couldn’t do this. Thank you to the Red Lantern and Alibi for your donation of the kegs. Thank you to Fresno Pride Lions for your donation. Special thanks to Julio, Eli, Dennis and Jeffery for all your help. LeeShe, thank you for all you do. Thank you to the IDC for sponsoring the printing of the rave cards.
Thank you, Josef for your fundraiser. Thank you to NewsLink for your continued support. And thank you to LGBTFresno.com.
Kampout officially ended on Sunday, with another wonderful breakfast provided by the Kampout Committee followed by the selection of next year’s theme. So, here is what you have been waiting for…Kampout 2019 Goes to the Circus. Lion tamers, bearded “ladies”, strong women….we’ll even stretch this out to carnival stuff…but PLEASE…no CLOWNS. This should be a lot of fun, so join us up at Kampout, Sept. 6-8, 2019.
See more photos/videos on event page and like their facebook page for updates on next year.
