Eight years ago, this project started with a simple goal: build a bathhouse that would make camping at The Heron more comfortable for everyone.
It didn’t happen overnight…
There were years of planning, fundraising, and construction. Steve and I led the project ourselves, working with local contractors, suppliers, and skilled craftspeople every step of the way. Friends and family helped where they could, and thousands of community members showed their support by purchasing commemorative bricks, making donations, sharing our vision, and believing this project was worth bringing to life.
And this summer… We opened the doors!
Just in time for the 33rd Annual Great Blue Heron Music Festival, thousands of guests spent Fourth of July weekend dancing, camping, reconnecting, and making new memories—and for the very first time, enjoying hot showers and flush toilets in our brand-new community bathhouse.
After so many years of imagining what this building would become, the best part wasn’t just seeing it finished.
It was seeing it being used.
Watching families get kids cleaned up before bed. Seeing campers start their mornings with a hot shower. Hearing people stop to admire the beautiful Heron tile in the shower area. Knowing that parents had changing stations available in both the men’s and women’s restrooms. Seeing staff and festival volunteers helping keep the space clean, welcoming, and ready for everyone who walked through the doors.
Those everyday moments are exactly why we built it.
To everyone who donated, purchased a commemorative brick, contributed during the Final Push for First Flush campaign, shared our fundraising posts, bought festival tickets, or simply encouraged us through the years…
THANK YOU.
Looking at the finished building now, it’s hard to imagine all the pieces that had to come together. But they did—and the result is something that will serve generations of Heron campers, musicians, volunteers, wedding guests, retreat participants, and families for decades to come.
The bathhouse now joins the long story of The Heron itself—a place that has grown organically over more than three decades, always with community at its heart.
As we watched people enjoying the new space over the holiday weekend, we couldn’t help but think:
It was worth the wait.
Here’s to many years of warm showers, happy campers, and countless new memories at The Heron.
Thank you for believing in this dream and helping make it a reality!