Annual Family Summer Camp – August Long Weekend
Karaoke, bonfires, Beer Olympics, Gator rides, great food, and zero park patrol.
Countdown to the next August Long Weekend
Memories from the years
A Little History
How it all began.
My name is Travis Harper, and I grew up on a farm just south of Boissevain, Manitoba, on the corner of Highway 10 and Rural Route 341. I moved to Winnipeg when I was 13, where I met Maria Velasco and her large family. I wanted to show them where I grew up, so in 1994 and 1995 I took them to Lake William Campground, not far from the family farm. It was a lot of fun, but apparently too much fun for the neighbouring campers—we kept getting kicked out of the park.
It was then that I decided we should camp at the farm instead.
In 1996 we did just that. We mowed a little patch of grass between the shack (lovingly called The Harper Hilton) and the outhouse. Let’s take a moment to talk about the outhouse. Back then it was just a small shack with a toilet seat on a 5‑gallon bucket. I got to know all the guests very well, as I was responsible for emptying that bucket several times a day. Lawrence Harper must have taken pity on me, because the outhouse was upgraded by removing the “cash and carry bucket system” and replacing it with a deep dark hole in the ground.
Well, it was a huge success—with karaoke, bonfires, lots of food and drinks, and no park patrol. Each year the event grew a little bigger until it became what it is today.
Today, the kids that started it all are now in their 50s, and their kids—now young adults—have been major contributors to the event. Ryan Velasco runs the Beer Olympics; Coleton and Danny are the house DJs. Each campsite is always cooking up something delicious or passing around the shots.
The Gator rides have become a tradition as well, with Travis and/or Lawrence taking the kids and first‑time visitors on a tour of the 160 acres.
People have come and gone over the years, and 2026 will be our 30th anniversary—if you can believe it. The hope is we can convince everyone who has ever come out over the past 30 years to show up for this milestone event. We want to start registrations early so we can prepare.
2025 was a great success. We raised enough funds to pay all the expenses and, for the first time ever, we have a small surplus to kickstart our 30th anniversary event.
How you can help: Check out the Guest Book and please fill it out for each year you attended. If you have photos or videos from any year, use the Upload page to add them to the matching year. Everything in the Gallery will be available for guests to view and download—select across years and click download to get a single zip file for your albums.