Packed beach at Green Lakes State Park
FAYETTEVILLE -- The beach at Green Lakes State Park was packed on Monday, as people wrapped up their Memorial Day weekend enjoying the sunshine.
"It's steaming hot. It's gorgeous," says Sheila Birchmeyer, who visits Green Lakes several times each year. "The view is beautiful, so we packed a lunch, and came to the beach."
In fact, this was some of the best beach weather we've had on Memorial Day weekend in a while.
In 2007, the high temperature was seasonable at 72 degrees. In 2008, it hit 83 degrees, but there were traces of rain. Last year, the high temperature was only 69 degrees.
This year, the park was so full, the picnic areas filled up about an hour after the beach opened. The park manager says this weekend, all 138 campsites and seven cabins were taken.
"It makes us at parks feel really good," says Park Manager Jim Semar. "We know that parks are important to the people, and we're happy that everyone's coming out and enjoying them."
This weekend's strong numbers aren't the only good news. Green Lakes says it sold more than 200 Empire Passports in the past two days. Those offer unlimited day access to most parks. It's a good indicator that people will be spending much more time this summer at places like Green Lakes.
