It was the best of years, it was the worst of years

By DAVID HULSE

RIVER VALLEY — Talk to old-timers in the recreation and tourism service industry at the end of any summer and they will always tell you that at least one month messed up the summer season.

This year’s culprit was an unusually rainy August.

Ruth Jones says Mother Nature is always the culprit. Jones owns Kittatinny Canoes, the valley’s largest boating livery and campground business. At 71, she’s been in the recreation business since 1941, when her parents bought a beach in New Jersey and named it Kittatinny. When we talked to her recently, her reservation telephone lines interrupted her constantly. She said that was more the result of the departure of most of her 200 summer employees, returning to college.

Although it was better than last year, “It hasn’t been a real good season,” she summarized.

Some weekends had been good, but others were rained out or ruined by inaccurate weather forecasts of rain. “We never really got those high temperature weekends that drive people out of the city.

Rick Lander of Lander’s River Trips agreed about the weather and the impact of inaccurate TV weather forecasts. “There were no 90-degree days all year and there was a lot of rain and overcast in August,” he said.

Lander, 55, is the second generation in the business. Last year, he said, was the worst since the drought years of the 1980’s and “this one’s below that. I feel like a farmer, controlled by the weather.”

Meanwhile the cost of running his 10 locations and employing 120 people have increased. About 80 percent of his employees return season to season and they expect pay increases. “Payroll, insurance, health insurance, and taxes all go up and the gross goes down,” he said.

Barryville area roadside tourism businesses agreed that they look to a longer season and these relative newcomers were generally more optimistic about the business climate.

Jihan Heasman has been selling antiques and collectibles at the Barryville Emporium for five years. Thus far, she said the year has been off quite a bit, but still “not bad.” Heasman said, March and April were good months and May and June were okay. July “was the worst,” but she’s hoping for a strong finish in the fall.

She too had nothing but scorn for TV weather reporters. “They call for doom and we get nice weather. Tell them to keep their mouths shut,” she said.

On the other hand, Mark Veeder said he was very pleased about the summer season. Veeder and his partners recently purchased Oelkers’ Store and reopened it as the River Market. “Our business has far exceeded our first-year projections. I’m very pleased,” he said.

Just down Route 97, The Barryville Coffee Shop and ice cream stand is across the corners from the Carriage House Restaurant.

Mohammad Ayoub is in his second season at the coffee shop. He looks to summer weekends as “not many tourists dine during the week.”

June and July were good months, but cool weather in August hurt both the ice cream and coffee shop traffic, he said. All in all, this year has been better than last, he said.

Across the street, Attila Benke says his business is a combination of motel, bar and restaurant trade since he opened in the late summer of 2000.

This year, he largely blames the cooler weather for decreased motel and bar business, but “my restaurant business has almost tripled.”

“There are a lot of new people in the area. A lot of people are moving [and] buying land. Some are speculating on real estate, but many people love the area. The Delaware Valley is a jewel of nature,” he said.