Our History

Bob and Pat Hayes bought Blue Water Beach from the Swick family in 1968. When they took over ownership there were 50 acres with only 9 sites.

 

Patricia was a School Secretary at Garwood Middle School in Fairview, PA and Bob Hayes a High School teacher, lived in Fairview, PA with their three children, Mindy, Heidi, and Brian. The family loved to go camping and would venture out on weekends to go camping in a pop-up camper. It was always Bob and Pat’s dream to own their own business. For a time they kicked around the idea of buying a rooming house in Chautauqua, but when they saw that Blue Water Beach was up for sale it was an easy decision! 

 

The first few years were very difficult.  There were only about 12 Seasonal campers. Bob worked throughout the summer at his job in Erie, and the rest of the family came up to camp as soon as school let out and they would stay until school resumed in the fall. They had 1 red Farmall tractor and 3 push lawnmowers. All of the family was involved in helping maintain the grounds. 

 

They worked at clearing new sites, mowing all the sites, and yet still found time to swim in the lake, play a game of baseball in the big field, or hang out at the camp store, which was called Mindy’s Mini Mart.  Mindy Hayes was the oldest daughter, and she put campers in and ran the store, buying candy, pop, ice cream, milk, and block and bagged ice to sell to the campers.  After Mindy went to college Heidi would later take over the store calling it Heidi’s Honey Hunt. Brian would work alongside of his father learning the maintenance aspects of the campground.

 

In 1970, Bob decided that the campground needed a Bathhouse that would provide flush toilets and hot showers to the campers.  He spent much of that summer building the bathhouse.

 

In 1976, Bob, his father Ed Hayes, and Brian built a picnic pavilion later to be turned into a Rec Hall.

 

In 1977, the existing playground was expanded by adding a basketball court, a volleyball court, and tetherball. 

 

In 1986, They expanded the rec hall to include a Garage and a Wood Shop above the garage. 

 

The family continued to clear sites and build a Blue Water Beach family. They would host camp events that included a 4th of July parades, an annual pig roast, camp dinners, and bands. Later on, they would with the help of their camping family develop a vast schedule of events that all campers enjoy!

 

As Pat and Bob Hayes grew older they passed the family business to their son Brian in 2005, who continues their legacy of running a Family Campground where the mission statement is to “Pamper the Camper!”