Campfire Chronicles, Spotlight Member Fun Resort Updates Contest Winner

Gettysburg Battlefield Resort
August Newsletter, 2023

“Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August.” – Denise Levertov

Oh August, you have certainly brought both the spice and sweetness to GBR! While July coolly sauntered onto the resort, August swaggered in with a steamy, sweaty, spicy attitude! Luckily members have lots of ways to beat the heat! Our lovely pool provides a cool respite from the heat, the sunroom is perfect for both getting AC and IC (ice cream, of course!) The covered Pavilion’s fans provide a welcome breeze, the wooded trails are a perfect way to get in some safe exercise, and shady trees by the pond are a favorite spot for fishers young and adult.

On July 29th, adult members helped build a newly designed community campfire pit, just in time for an August debut! Members laid pavers and built a pergola to provide seating and shade. This beautiful common area is the perfect place for members to gather around for s’mores and for the age-old tradition of stories and songs around by firelight. In addition, in our commitment to making GBR greener, the new campfire pit is fueled by propane, providing a cleaner burn and lessening the effect on air quality. We didn’t leave out our junior members who had their own projects. Kids weeded our playground area and repainted our little duck ride-on toy. Participating adult and junior members enjoyed free breakfasts and lunches and were given free t-shirts. The kids even earned free ice cream!

In Activities, we are bringing the heat and sweetness to August! August 4th-6th is our Beach Week, with beach volleyball games, a sandcastle-building contest, and a huge beach party in the Pavilion on Saturday night. August 11th-13th is our Creepy, Crawly, Weird, and Wacky Weekend with some crazy STEM experiments for the kids and some creepy, crawly guests. August 18th-20th is our County Fair Weekend, a member favorite. Ensure you bring all your crafts (paintings/drawings, wood projects, knitting/crochet, sewing projects, multi-media crafts, floral arrangement, and jewelry making!) Don’t miss the Fair in the front field Saturday afternoon complete with a petting zoo and a hoe-down Saturday night! Finally, in preparation for school, we are having our first Hooked on Books Weekend. Bring books for a book swap, dress as your favorite book character(s) for a costume contest, and tell your tallest tale by our community campfire!

Member Spotlight ~ The Murlatt Family

Meet the Murlatts, parents Donny and Kim, and their two children, Gavin, age 18, and Sierra, age 15 from Dillsburg, PA! The Murlatts have been TRA members for the past 5 years and are well known and appreciated at their home base, Gettysburg Battlefield Resort. This family never fails to leave a positive impact wherever they are, and GBR is no exception. They fully ascribe to a motto very well known to GBR staff ~ “See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it!” On a previous visit, the family noticed trash and debris along Ridge Road were affecting the health of our pond and on their own, picked up bags and bags of trash. They are active members of our Halloween Committee and last year even surprised all the committee members by grilling an amazing chicken dinner! This year they were an important part of our member build! Gavin, who just graduated from the Vo-Tech Program with a focus in construction, and is now studying carpentry, aided by Sierra, who is following her big brother’s footsteps by also studying construction, and their parents built the pergola gracing the entrance to our brand new community fire-pit. We are so fortunate to have such amazing folks be part of the GBR Family!