Hickory Lake Campground Cooperative Association

4th of July Updates

Hi Members,

The 4th of July holiday is next weekend, which means another long weekend to enjoy at the campground! We have a few updates and a schedule of events for you:

Parking

For the holiday weekend, from Thursday evening through Sunday, you’re welcome to park two vehicles entirely within your campsite boundaries if space allows. This helps us maximize the overflow lot for boats and boat trailers. Please remember that the reserved parking spots in front of the office are for staff and vendors only, not for members or guests.

Boat Launch/Docks

The boat launch has been repaired, and the water level is slowly rising. Please avoid power loading boats onto trailers. Dock parking is first come, first served. If you have a smaller boat that can get into shallower water, please come in closer to shore and leave space at the end of the docks for larger boats. Beaching watercraft is prohibited, and with the low water level this year, please be aware of several large rocks that were not visible in the past.

Staff

Mike Rath will be the only staff member working during the holiday weekend. Please direct any problems or concerns to Mike.

Pool

Pool hours are noon to dusk. Staff will open the pool earlier if daily maintenance is completed before noon.

Schedule of Activities

Good Evening,

There have been a couple of changes for the weekend activities, the updated schedule is below:

Schedule of Activities

Friday, July 4th

Cornhole (Bags) Tournament

     Kids: 11:00 AM

     Adults: 1:00 PM

If you’d like to participate, please email Sean Brown directly at stbrown68@gmail.com to sign up. If you have extra game sets, please let Sean know so we can have multiple games playing at once.

Fireworks at Dusk at the beach.

Per campground rules, fireworks must be Minnesota legal. Any mess created by fireworks must be cleaned up by those who lit them off by noon the following morning. Sparklers are allowed at your campsite.

Saturday, July 5th

Medallion Hunt 9:00 AM

Kelly Tracy and Doreen DeHaan will be coordinating this event. Please meet at the Gathering Room to start. New clues will be posted every ten minutes until the medallions are found.  The medallions will be hidden on common grounds and not at individual sites.

Kids Scavenger Hunt 9:00 AM

Carolyn Johnson will be hosting a scavenger hunt for the younger children.  You can pick up a list of items at 9:00 from Carolyn on her deck.  Bring the completed list and items back to Carolyn at 4:00 PM to pick up your prize gift bag.

Horseshoe Tournament  11:00 AM (time change)

Craig Pietrzak will once again be coordinating the tournament. Just show up at the horseshoe pits at 10:00 AM to play.

Potluck: 5:00 PM

Bring your favorite dish to share! The association will be providing hot dogs, burgers, and buns. A volunteer to cook would be greatly appreciated!

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Sincerely,

Hickory Lake Campground Board

Bear Sighting

We had our yearly visit from our (hopefully) friendly bear.  If you are out after dark, especially if walking dogs, please be aware of your surroundings.  Also, keep garbage and trash picked up and disposed of properly as he is most likely looking for an easy meal.

Have a great weekend!

Photo from Jeff Hardy, Site 1

Water Water Water

Just a quick update. The water is on to the shower house. Water to the sites could be a different story. I checked today and the septic lines in the campground are still frozen. Will post updates as spring progresses. Hope for some warm sunny days ahead.

Water on to Showerhouse and Bathrooms Delayed

Due to the weather, the opening of the bathrooms will be delayed at least a week.

2025 Area Road Construction Projects

Listed below are area road construction projects that could impact travel times to the campground. 2025 looks to be a bit slower than last year, but the list of scheduled projects for 2026 looks to have greater impact than this year. Road construction is an annual headache that we all know to well.

Hwy 169 — Princeton

MnDOT will update and improve eight Hwy 169 bridges (four in each direction) through Princeton. Plan for delays. Motorists can expect 24–7 head-to-head traffic.

Hwy 210 — Baxter

Resurface both directions of Hwy 210 between Baxter Dr. and Timberwood Dr. and improve access and traffic flow west of Highland Scenic Rd.

Hwy 10 — Ramsey

Construct new interchanges on Hwy 10 at Ramsey Blvd. and Sunfish Lake Blvd. including bridges over the BNSF Railroad tracks. Build a frontage road between Ramsey Blvd. and Sunfish Lake Blvd.

HLCCA Winter Use by Members

Just a quick reminder to everyone, HLCCA is a seasonal campground and as such the operating license through the State of Minnesota is only for seasonal use.  

  • The season for HLCCA is defined as the period of time from when the water is turned on to the shower house to the time it is turned off.  
  • Per the terms of the license as well as the governing documents of the Association, members are allowed access to their unit (site) but are not allowed to occupy their unit (site) during the off season.  HLCCA does not provide the required services to be a year round use facility
  • Members accessing the grounds during the off season are to notify the Board via email when they plan to be on site.
  • Road restrictions are in place from October 15 to May 1 of each year.  Between October 15th and May 1st, no vehicle or vehicle/trailer combination weighing over 1 ton (2000 pounds) are allowed on campground roads without the prior approval of the Board of Directors.  This includes LP deliveries or other vendor services.

All that being said, the board is not going to actively police the grounds as members are expected to follow the rules of the Association.  Adverse actions resulting from a members use of HLC in the off season (i.e. a fine from the State for violating the terms of the license) will be assessed to the violating members unit (site).

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to the board,

HLCCA Board of Directors

2025 Calendar

Listed below are the important dates for 2025. Many of the dates are weather dependent and subject to change. Please watch the website and review the minutes of board meetings for any changes.

Board meetings
April – Oct at HLC

  • Jan 26 – 11:00 AM
  • Feb 23 – 11:00 AM
  • March 30 – 11:00 AM
  • April 27 – 10:00 AM 
  • June 1- 10:00 AM 
  • July 13- 10:00 AM 
  • Aug 17- 10:00 AM 
  • Sept 14- 10:00 AM 
  • Oct 12- 10:00 AM 
  • Dec 7 (organizational and board) – 11:00 AM

Campground Operations (all dates are weather dependant)

  • April 5  shower house water on
  • April 18 wifi speed  turn up
  • May 1 water on to sites
  • May 2 garbage service resumes
  • May 3 docks in
  • May 10 spring clean up
  • May 23 pool open
  • September 7 pool close
  • October 11 docks out
  • October 18 fall clean up
  • October 19 water off to sites
  • October 6 shower house closed
  • October 27 wifi speed turn down
  • October 31 last garbage pick up

Other Dates

  • March 1 Slip and Kayak Rental Renewal Notice
  • March 15 Insurance Notification
  • April 1 Annual Report
  • April 3 Pet Registration
  • April 10  Overflow Lot Charging Notice
  • October 14 Annual Meeting via Google Meet 7:00 PM
  • November 3 through November 16 Election

2024 Organizational Meeting

The organizational meeting/board meeting for December 10th has been cancelled. At this time there are no pressing items that need to be addressed, nor will there be any changes to the organizational structure of the Board of Directors for 2025. A 2025 calendar will be put together and published early in the new year. The board members and positions for 2025 are:

President: Jim Apple

Vice-President: Tara Bubar

Treasurer: Scott Bjork

At Large Member: Troy Shafer

At Large Member: Sean Brown

We hope everyone has a great (and safe) Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.

Bathrooms Painted

Since the bathrooms were shut down at the end of October, Haley has came in after school and when she has had free time to put a fresh coat of paint on the inside. This was the last major project on the list to get done this year. She painted the entire building this year, inside and out. She did a great job!

2024 HLCCA Election

Just a reminder that the annual election is now underway. Check your email for the link to your secure ballot.