First-Year Activity Director Gets Creative
by Rocio Villalobos
When Shelly Kostich accepted the role of activity director at Mission's Split Rail RV Park & Resort ahead of the 2020-2021 season, there was no way to prepare for what she would be stepping into. Though she and her husband spent the two years prior as residents of the Park, the pandemic made many of the things they were used to doing with friends not possible this season.
But Kostich took the challenge in stride and got right to work, finding activities her friends and neighbors could still enjoy.
“It has been rough,” she said. “Any kind of strange or weird thing I can come up with, I do, and most of the park will go along with it.”
While challenging, she said it’s allowed her to have fun by thinking outside the box. Many of the activities she has come up with involve golf carts, including rodeos, light shows, caroling, and selling ice cream.
“In a normal season, they would come up here and scoop ice cream, but this season we decided to do it out of my golf cart,” Kostich said. “We go around knocking on every door, and it takes us two hours to do it.
“It’s been a big thing, and it has really brought the Park a lot of fun. We play music; I’ve got a bullhorn and yell. They have themselves a crazy activity director this season.”
Kostich prides herself on being hands-on for all of the events and activities. One thing they have been able to continue is having entertainers visit.
“I get involved in all their shows; I try to make the audience get up and do things,” she said. “I like the interaction between people that come in and the audience.”
And as Kostich is not quite herself a senior, this has allowed her to bring a different perspective to the Park to switch things up.
“This season I thought, ‘I’m the activity director. I better start changing things around a little,’” she said. “I think that’s kind of what helps, the younger generation coming in and saying, ‘Hey! We need to start changing things.’”
Kostich is hopeful about the improved health of the country so they can resume some of the activities they missed this year and welcome back Canadians. And with just about a month left in the season, she’s looking forward to taking some time to breathe and recharge for next season…but not too much time.
“I have a lot of energy,” Kostich said. “If I have to sit at home, I just get really bound up and bored. And this keeps me out of my husband’s hair.”