Meet Sonya Zacker...

Job title: Owner/CEO, Clayton Park Recreational Area in Wayne County

Residence: Lake Ariel

Age: 47

Family: Parents, David L. and Florence Swoyer; two sons, Joseph of Colorado and Jonathon of Lake Ariel; and fiance, Maurice Gilmore

Education: Bachelor's degree in computer information systems from the University of Scranton

How many years has the campground been operating under your family's leadership?

It's over 80 years, first starting as a boat launch, and then someone came and put a tent up. The first camping family came here for the end-of-season camping parties up until several years ago.

Where are you located? What is the best thing about your location?

We are located on Lake Henry in the southern portion of Wayne, just six-and-a-half miles off of Interstate 84.

What are some of the amenities that you offer?

Camping, fishing, boating, pavilion rentals and the Campfire Music Series are the big things here. Another thing we have is what we call park-model rentals, known as "glamping" in the industry, for camping with all of the comforts of home. We also offer multiple opportunities for animal education, including the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Delaware Valley Raptor Center and K&L Creepy Creatures, which we found out weren't so creepy at all.


Do you think there are more people choosing vacations closer to home with the economy still somewhat fragile?

Yes, most definitely. In fact, I had someone in here who only lives four-and-a-half miles from here.

What is the Campfire Music Series?

We feature a different artist every Saturday from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend. It's basically live, acoustic music around the campfire, and it's very healing. We'll mix other events with it, like yesterday's wine exchange. Now, we'd also like to open it up to the community and let the local people know of the series.


What was your inspiration for this series?

My mother, who is a classical piano teacher for over 50 years and has a studio on the premises. We're actually planning a tribute to her this summer, and we're trying to contact students she's had through the years to participate.

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