Wet and cold. Yes, but the camping guests of the first neighborhood campsite in Hoogeveen and the organization still had a lot of fun. About sixty guests could stay this weekend in more than twenty tents that were set up in the temporarily empty animal pasture of De Beestenbult petting zoo. Camping in your own village, your own neighborhood for many. A fantastic experience. It is already certain: there will be a second edition next year.
It is painted on wooden signs in colorful letters: Welcome to the Buurtcamping. All kinds of cheerfully colored flag lines decorate the entrance to the animal pasture and the central roof on the site. It is used a lot, out of necessity because it rains regularly. There are long tables with wooden benches. They are all full. Bingo is fanatically played by parents and children. With every BINGO! a horn blares across the grounds. The sheep, goats, llamas and other children’s farm animals graze quietly in the other animal meadow.
Community worker Lisette Rinkema has only put on padded crocs. “Nice and warm. This is allowed on a campsite, isn’t it?” she asks almost apologetically while lifting her right foot a bit. Everyone agrees that the weather is not really playing along and it would be nicer in the sun. But with a sweater, cardigan, jacket and boots (or crocs) it also works fine. “And the kids don’t really care. They just keep playing in the rain. There is a lot to play anyway. There are plenty of incentives here at the petting zoo,” says Rinkema. She is one of the four ‘campsite managers’ and works at Stichting Welzijnswerk Hoogeveen.
“The nice thing is that we are doing this neighborhood campsite together with different groups, such as the neighborhood association, Cosis who manages the petting zoo and numerous residents.” And despite the fact that the program has been adjusted and shortened due to the weather, the atmosphere is relaxed and cheerful. “We had planned everything. For example, there would be an activity on the bicycle cross track this afternoon, which has been canceled and bingo has been moved forward. It has also been decided not to sleep over tonight. Too much rain and also tomorrow morning. It is more fun to finish well today than cold and wet tomorrow.”
It is a pity for the Sadallah family that the second camping night was canceled due to the bad weather. “It would be our first time camping,” says mother Khalood. Friday evening the family could not. “An agreement that has been standing for a long time,” says father Osama. “And today I had to work until 3 o’clock. But as soon as I was free from the DOC, I came here.
Never camped
Khalood and the kids (Ghenny and Meijar) were already here. And the tent, which was already set up on Friday. Fantastic!” A tent that they received as a gift about three years ago, but has never been used. “Camping in our own neighborhood for the first time, that seemed like something to us. We only heard about the neighboring campsite very late and were very happy that there was still a spot.” “But bingo is also very nice and we have very nice neighbors, tent neighbors,” Khalood adds. Ghenny was looking forward to it. When asked if he regrets not sleeping in the tent this night, he says: “Well, a bit, I have never slept in a tent.”
Does Ghenny know what he missed? The night from Friday to Saturday was an adventure for many due to the rain and cold. “After the downpour of Friday evening, we could already see which tents were having a hard time. We then reinforced a number of them with tarpaulin for the night. That was an advantage of the storm”, Rinkema laughs. However, not everyone kept it completely dry. So is the Broer family from Hoogeveen. Their own tent in the shape of a VW bus was not resistant to the rainwater. “Moreover, the zipper was broken. Well, after this weekend our tent is going in the bin. Fortunately, we were able to sleep in another tent tonight,” says mother Linsey. Together with her husband Ronnie and the three children (13, 11 and 9 years old) they slept on the campsite.
Igor the peacock
Well sleep. First of all, it was of course getting late, it was cold and the night did not go without a hitch. “One of the children had gone out to pee but then lost his way. She couldn’t open the zipper of the tent, the wrong tent”, mom chuckles at the incident. “I heard her calling and so found her at another tent.” Then the camping guests were woken up early by Igor the peacock. “At 5 o’clock!” Something that every camping guest knew how to tell. “What a noise such an animal makes.”
There are also many stories about Friday night. About building the tents, the blindfolded herring game, hoisting the flag together with alderman Mark Tuit, laser gaming, pimping tents, the camping song, campfire with popcorn boxes and a spontaneous karaoke. Linsey: “For many children, including ours, the petting zoo is familiar territory, but camping there? That’s unforgettable. The campfire and the music, it was so cozy. And bad weather at the campsite, that also fraternizes”. Father Ronnie joins the wooden bench. “Because the children are having such a good time, I can manage too,” he jokes.
Hugging kittens
And the kids are having a great time. Pimping the tent was the most fun, according to 13-year-old Amy. “I like to tinker and I could go all out”. Her younger sister Lizz of 9 years sees it differently. “Cuddle the kittens and that we could help feed the animals in the morning.” “And the popping popcorn in the campfire?” asks mother Linsey? Lizz, crawling into her mother’s lap, nods and starts laughing. “My popcorn caught fire. That looked nice. But of course I couldn’t eat that anymore,” she says as she opens her won bingo gift.
“We will be there again next year. With a warm sweater and raincoat,” says mother Linsey. And the Sadallah family? He really wants to try the tent now. Maybe a night at a campsite nearby? “We already have a camping lamp; won at bingo”, Khalood laughs.