Top stories of 2022: Sleepy Hollow and a damaging storm
As 2022 comes to a close, the News-Messenger and News Herald have been counting down the Top 10 local stories of the year, based on readers' interest and staff input. Today we end the countdown with a look at the top two stories of 2022.
No. 1: Sleepy Hollow transitions from golf carts to RVs
For almost 60 years, the 120-acre property on Ohio 101 north of Clyde was a popular spot for golfers to take their swings at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course.
But the course closed after owner Kit Hetrick opted to sell the property and equipment in 2019.
Three years later, on April 15, 2022, the property reopened with a new look and purpose as an RV park.
Troy and Katelyn Clapp were the ones who bought the land at auction — much to their own surprise.
"When we bought it, we did not intend to buy it," Katelyn told the News-Messenger in May. "We just ended up buying it at the auction because it seemed foolish not to."
The new owners had no idea at the time what they would do with the property, but they knew they would not continue to use it as a golf course. That would take too much labor and input, Katelyn said, and they both have full-time careers.
They looked around at their options and noticed that all the area RV parks seemed to be full. The RV industry nationwide was experiencing record sales as the COVID-19 pandemic made people want to find new activities and get outdoors.
With the demand for places to park RVs and with the layout of the property they purchased, turning Sleepy Hollow into a campground made a lot of sense.
That option proved to be a good one. Sleepy Hollow RV Park opened April 15 and within a month all 141 RV lots had been filled, and a waiting list for sites was growing.
The Clapps had concrete patios poured for every spot and installed utility lines and a sewer package plant at the campground. No tents or pop-up campers are allowed.
“We have a swimming pond, a fishing pond. We have a small camp store,” Katelyn said. “We have a small playground.”
The park is open from April 15-Oct. 15, with lots renting for $2,100 a year plus electric.
No. 1: Hurricane-force winds damage homes, fairgrounds
A swift-moving thunderstorm raked the area on July 1 with microburst winds reaching 75 mph — as strong as a Category One hurricane — knocking out power to 20 areas of Sandusky County, causing extensive damage to the Sandusky County Fairgrounds, and damaging trees and branches at an estimated 300 houses in the Fremont area.
The first impression of many was that a tornado had struck the area, as debris from damaged roofs and broken tree limbs were strewn across the roads, lawns and parking lots.
But the National Weather Service determined that the damage was caused by straight-line winds, which blew across the area in a fierce west-to-east pattern around 6:30 p.m. that Friday night.
But the National Weather Service determined the damage was caused by straight-line winds, which blew across the area in a fierce west-to-east pattern around 6:30 p.m. that Friday night.
Several buildings at the fairgrounds sustained extensive roof and structural damage. Fences and power lines were knocked down. The doors of a horse barn were blown apart. The soft side barriers on Fremont Speedway's race track were dislodged and tossed onto Front Street, hitting and injuring one person and striking a car.
Fremont, Gibsonburg and Helena were among the hardest hit areas by the storm, according to Lisa Kuelling, director of the Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency.
City crews quickly began cleaning up the debris along streets near Rawson Avenue and Fifth Street, and county crews and contractors worked to repair the fairgrounds buildings.
All repairs were done so quickly that the 170th annual Sandusky County Fair was able to open as scheduled Aug. 22.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Top 2 stories of 2022: Sleepy Hollow reborn, and a damaging storm
