Conference ssdevo::rv

      Alcohol has been banned starting this year for all state campgrounds/
      parks in Mass. The state claims there have been too many problems
      caused by intoxicated people.It seems to me that this will
      hurt attendance/revenue at the campgrounds this year.
      So,if you want to enjoy a beer at your campsite on
      a hot summer day, find a private campground or head out of state.
    
         
                                Rich

    
    Actually, it increases my chances of using MA State campgrounds. Maybe
    I'm unlucky but two weekend camps last year were somewhat spoiled by
    thoughtless, noisy boozers.

How unfortunate for us quiet, considerate campers who enjoy a couple of
drinks around the campfire.

Laura

    So you imagine that this was a totally arbitrary imposition of a rule
    for no valid reason?  More likely than the few of us who enjoy a quiet
    beer around the campfire are sadly becoming the minority.
    
    On the plus side of this, we actually get a few hours sleep and we don't
    get our kids exposed to idiotic behaviour and foul language.  All I'm
    saying is that I have few problems with that trade off. 

This new rule is typical Massachusetts in my opinion.  MA always goes overboard
in trying to regulate everything.  This decision is going to be great for the
private campgrounds in Mass and the state campgrounds in other surrounding
states.  I wonder what's next....outlawing alcohol at private campgrounds?

Jim

I don't think what we are talking here is the, "open can of beer in your trailer
and then BOOM! NOOOOBODYY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!" things.

What you have now is I'll drink my beer (in one of those foam holders) and
quietly watch my campfire but now when the site next to me becomes obnoxious,
the staties can LEGALLY boot them out. In the past it always turns into one of
those "I'm a taxpayin' citzen ocifer and I'm renting the site and you have no
right to evict me without a hearin'" kind of fight. I know I've been next to a
few.

roger

    
        Alcoholic Butt-Heads at camp grounds....
    
    Those are just the sort of people that forced me into wilderness
    camping. Even though other people join us in the wilderness there
    just don't seem to be the animals you get at a campground. I'll never
    go back.  However; I've often wondered why the hell those people go
    camping anyway, Is it so they can annoy people when they are on
    vacation too?  Whenever I usta camp with the Alcoholic butt heads, I
    had a vivid vision of their Homes....Junk cars in the driveway, bullies
    for kids, bleach blond wifes, house that hasn't been painted in 30
    years.  etc.
    
    -john

    	I would have thought that drunk and disorderly and/or disturbing
    the peace would have been sufficient to take care of the loud and
    obnoxious types if the police got involved. 
    
    	Mass. in general seems to be great at cranking out new laws to
    further restrict the freedoms of everyone because of a few bad apples.
    What they don't appear to be particularly good at is enforcing the laws
    that they already have.
    
    	In addition to this, I would expect that the campground itself
    would have rules and regulations against being loud and/or obnoxious
    and that the warden could tell them to leave for merely breaking the
    rules. Although probably less likely, it's still possible to have loud 
    and obnoxious sober people and this new law doesn't solve that problem.
    
    	Ray

        
        Back about 6 years ago when I still went to campgrounds, A small
    motorhome showed up with a family of non-drinking animals. This was on
    a friday night and by saturday afternoon 17 more cars (yes we counted)
    showed up to visit that particular campsite. It was worse than bad!
    They were constantly spoken to by the campground attendants and the
    local sherrif came out twice. Come sunday morning they snuck out of 
    their slot around 4 AM and opened their black-tank before leaving. Within 15
    minutes nobody within a half mile could breath. They left everybody
    else a "present" so to speak. Our family didn't do any camping for an
    entire year after that incident.
    
    -john

    (sigh) I've been out quite a bit and am finally catching up on things
    including notes..
    
        This whole string is disturbing.. Camping with clods is always a
    problem but becomes worse when you try to legislate the "symptoms"ie
    drinking and hopefully keep the clods away...Unfortunately as
    referenced in John's last note you have your non-drinking clods as
    well.  Then what to do...
    
        It boils down to having strick campground rules regarding behavior
    and strong enforcement. 
    Violation of the rules after a one time warning results in IMMEDIATE
    eviction from the campground with no refund..I do mean immediate, 11PM?
    don't care PACK IT UP and get the h*ll out with local law enforcement
    on tap to back it up if necessary. I've been to private campgrounds that 
    had the rules written that way.
    
        That seems to me the only way to handle it without severely
    restricting everybody's freedom to do things, ie like having a beer while
    sitting at the campfire cooking supper...
    
        It sure does look like wilderness might be the way to go out west,
    unfortunately it's tougher to find wilderness in the east...:-(
    
    		Dave 
     

I agree with you 100% Dave...just because there are jerks (drunk or sober)
shouldn't mean that us considerate campers shouldn't be able to have a
drink around the campfire...

Anyone being loud and obnoxious should be thrown out immediately!  To me, one of
the great joys of camping is the serenity and hearing the birds and crickets.
I don't even like having a radio, just like the peace and quiet.

Laura