By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The campground locator site The Dyrt has listed Five River Campground in Parsons as the third best in the Southeast Region on their yearly top 10 list. The Dyrt’s 12 state Southeast Region encompasses the states of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Owners John and Joyce Bowers offer four Airbnb rentals along with 176 mixed campsites, with many sits (including tent sites) located along the banks of Shavers Fork. The campground offers both RV and tent camping with no long term rentals on the property. “Most of the camping is riverfront,” John Bowers said.
Five River Campground, according to the Bowers began out of a desire in 2004 to host a Bluegrass music festival. The first year of Pickin’ in Parsons, the Bowers had 10 campsites for a one day event. The festival has since grown to a five day festival with 25 nationally touring bands and attendees from 46 states and 12 countries, according to the Bowers. This year’s event is scheduled for July 30th to August 3rd.
The Bowers said when they moved to the area, they were looking for somewhere to host a festival and did not initially intend to open a campground. As the festival grew, so did the campground, according to the Bowers. John Bowers described the campground as “an evolution” that sprung from the Bluegrass festival. “When we moved to Tucker County, we were looking for somewhere to have a Bluegrass festival,” Joyce Bowers said. “Not a place to open a campground.”
According to the Bowers, the festival hosts around 6,000 people every year from 46 states and 12 countries. Many international attendees come from Sweden, Australia and Japan, the Bowers said. For the past seven or eight years, the festival has drawn attendees from Tahiti, according to the Bowers. Pickin’ in Parsons was also named the 2018 International Bluegrass Event of the Year, according to the Bowers. “It does bring people together of different backgrounds and cultures,” John Bower said.
The Campground also hosts a Pow Wow. This year’s event will offer Aztec dancers from Brazil, among the lineup. The cost of weekend entry, according to the Bowers, will be $10 with the proceeds to be donated to the Baltimore American Indian Center. The Bowers said that a different Native American organization is chosen for the donation of the proceeds. The Pow Wow is scheduled for June 29th and 30th.
The Bowers equated the experience of bringing people together through music to magic. Lifelong friendships have emerged from the events, even though they may only see each other once a year, according to the Bowers.
The campground also offers several amenities on the 60 acre property such as showers equipped with on demand water heaters, a laundry, flush toilets, full hookups, and some sites offer cable as well. Most of the campground had wifi available, according to the Bowers.
According to the Bowers, they work with local recreation companies such as Blackwater Outdoors and the Tucker County Convention and Visitors Bureau to assist and refer customers who are looking to explore outdoor recreation in the area.
