Fourth and long
When you find it difficult to make a left-hand turn in Mammoth, you can bet it’s going to be a busy weekend, and this year’s Fourth of July head count didn’t disappoint.
“It was the best Fourth we’ve had in the past 10 years,” said Snowcreek Resort’s Director of Operations, John Morris. He pointed out that 10 years ago Snowcreek was managing more properties, but added that the numbers were still well above last year’s.
“We were 100 percent occupied,” added Seasons 4 owner and operator Teri Stehlik. “I’ve also heard good feedback from several restaurants.”
In the Village, one tenant, who chose to remain anonymous, broke their all-time one-day sales total by 40 percent on Sunday, according to Executive Director Dion Agee.
Agee added that about 2,000 folks enjoyed the fireworks in the Village at Mammoth on Sunday night, and there was a great crowd for both of the Boneshakers’ shows, Saturday and Sunday.
Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Lehman agreed with the numbers at Wednesday’s Council meeting, citing that he believed there were more people at the Village fireworks than at Crowley this year due to the weather.
“Perhaps we can do something bigger there in the future and keep people in town on [the evening of] Fourth of July,” Lehman said.
“The Mammoth Lakes Swim Team also did well with the Rubber Ducky Races. They sold nearly 650 ducks to raise money for the Mammoth Sharks. All those ducks raced in the 6th Annual Village Ducky Races at the Village pond on Saturday. Our second annual Village Chihuahua races were also a big hit,” Agee said.
Even the campground scare seemed to work itself out, even though Council member John Eastman still claimed to be disappointed with the Forest Service for not opening Old Mammoth Road up to the Lakes Basin or the road from Lake Mamie to Horseshoe Lake, sooner.
“We only had about three RVs at Canyon Lodge,” said Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi. “We’re not sure where they went. All of the campgrounds were full. Maybe we had just enough spots to cover everyone.”
Urdi figured that the tent campers had simply wander off into the woods to set up spots.
Stehlik pointed out that the lack of backcountry availability for camping and hiking could have been one of the reasons there were so many people in town.
One impact of the Town’s economic challenges, however, was the cancelation of the Police Department’s Open House on the Fourth of July. A statement from the MLPD on Friday, July 1 said, “In an effort to save a substantial amount of overtime, there will not be an open house at the Police Station on the Fourth of July. The Police Department will be fully staffed during the parade and the combined Police/Fire Honor Guard will be participating in the parade. Chief Watson and the MLPD apologize for the change in schedule, and hope this does not cause any inconvenience for anyone.”
