Cedars gay campground
I’m shocked the first moment I peruse the brochure for the Cedars, a campground for gay men and lesbians. It features a series of photos of a young, tanned, good-looking kid diving backwards into a pool. I recognize the grinning confront immediately – Matt Dayler, a friend I haven’t seen since high school.
Matt and I came out together in Hamilton. We shared a lot of firsts – first time in a lgbtq+ bar, first time cruising public spaces. Hell, we came out to our parents on the identical night when we were 16.
It turns out he’s a Cedars regular. My first camping trip in years just got more intriguing.
I was always an outdoorsy kid with summer spent at camp. Later, I was a tripper, foremost packs of kids on canoe trips through the wilds of Algonquin and Temagami and Kilarney for weeks at a moment.
But as much as I loved camping, it always remained isolated from my life as a gay boy. The two worlds seemed impossibly far apart. Yes, there were furtive gropings in tents when I was 12 and 13; we called it “corn-holing” then, and it was never discussed openly as anything other than a hilarious joke.
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Cedars Camp Soil
" But the Cedars isn't just about love and family. It's about , too. The promise of is omnipresent. You can almost taste it. At night, the campground sometimes resembles a huge outdoor bathhouse. Bob tells me of -Me Forest, a wooded enclave just beyond the trailers where men go at night to cruise." Xtra Magazine, July 2000
Cedars has seasonal and over-night camping available trailer, park an RV or pitch a tent and enjoy the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Limited number of newly constructed cabins and larger duplexes available.
Pool deck area, a immense , licensed clubhouse with live dj dances every weekend evening and the Red Roof Lounge, a full service restaurant and patio serving everything from bright snacks to delicious home-cooked meals.
Crowd: all different types
No
Reservation recommended: No
Neighbourhood: Millgrove
Who's Coming
all different types
No
Reservation recommended
- Crowd:all different types
No
Reservation recommended1039 Concession 5 West, Millgrove, Ontario, L0R 1V0, Canada
Contact(s):Chris, Bevan
Phone:1 905 659-3655Gay OwnedCampground - 14 rental units
PR Discount:None
Bisexual, Gay Men, Queer woman, Transgender
General Discount:None
Agent Commission:NoneNow Gay Owned and Operated: Located on 130 acres, Cedars has an on-site full service restaurant, sports facilites a dance club and in-ground pool with licensed deck. Seasonal and over-night accomodation for tenting & RV's. Rates are per person.
Payment:Cash, Debit Card, MC, VisaAmenitiesShared Bath * Disability: Partial Access * No Internet Access * Nonsmoking Rooms Obtainable * Pond, Tree views * No Food included * Children Welcome * Dogs/Cats Welcomeemail us | website
After decades of serving the queer people, Cedars Campground now holds a place in history as one of the first of its kind in North America. This year, as the western Ontario landmark celebrates its 23rd birthday it is also celebrating the begin of something new: life under same-sex attracted ownership.
“Word is starting to spread and that’s fantastic,” says coowner Chris Maynard. “There’s lots of room for everybody.”
Maynard, along with his partner Bevan McLelland and father Ken Maynard, wrapped up almost a year of negotiations in April when they purchased Cedars from longtime owner Zada Moyer. She and her husband George built the park more than two decades ago when acceptance for homos was a far cry from what it is now.
“She met her husband in Florida and he moved her up here about 24 years ago,” says Jerry White, seasonal camper and promotions manager for the park. “That’s when they decided to uncover a big campground and decided it would be gay.”
The 68-year-old Moyer, who was enjoying a retirement vacation in the Caribbean and couldn’t be reached for this story, apparently didn’t view it for the courageous de