CAMPING frequently asked questions

QUESTION NO 1:I just signed up for camping. I noticed the camping spaces will be assigned as we arrive.How can two families ensure adjacent spots if we arrive at different times?
ANSWER:The current policy will be to assign the main campground sites to those who have purchased Advance Reservations. Those people who arrive at the gate until mid-day Saturday without advance purchase and do not want electric service will be assigned a spot in the secondary areas. Within the main campground, we will make pre-assigned spaces to only those who have purchased electric service, (and a block allocated to the museum ... they control the grounds). The non-electric will be assigned on a space available basis, with preference going to advance purchase customers for the main campground.This policy should accommodate most or all of the advance purchase camping, but of course we can not be sure that more people sign up in advance than we have main campground spaces. So here is couple of suggestions:

Sign up for electric service to get a guaranteed spot,
l You both purchase a camping package in advance. When you arrive tell the attendant at the gate that you have a second prepaid party/RV arriving later, which you wish to be near and ask them to leave a spot open for them. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT SPACE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THIS, BUT WE'LL TRY. You will need to know the lengths & popout widths of all RV's so we can place your party in spaces that fit. We will try to accommodate this request as long as the campground has appropriately sized spaces to hold the arriving prepaid campsite patrons. YOU will have to communicate to the other party what site they have been potentially assigned, and they will have to inform the gate attendants of your actions. We expect to have the sites numbered.You must realize this is not a guarantee that the adjacent site will be available, nor is it a guarantee that we will hold the site until your party arrives. But by holding the main campground for advance purchase patrons, you should have a good chance at getting neighboring sites. As an explanation for this policy, we found it a rather difficult job at best, to fit the jigsaw puzzle generated by assigning all spots as reserved in the campground while attempting to accommodate the requests for neighboring sites. It took several days of "getting an ulcer" to solve the puzzle. We thought we would try something different this year to see if we could get a better system. We shall see how this plan works out this year.

QUESTION NO 2:I would like to have full hookups, but you only offer dry camping, and the electric option is quite expensive . Are showers available?
ANSWER:We are aware of the issues you have noted and would like to better accommodate your needs.   For the tenters there is a permanent toilet facility and some water is available. RVs should come with their water tanks full. We have an on grounds dump station.  We have been informed by Guajome Park Academy School that showers will not be available this year. Another option is to camp at the Guajome Regional Park campground, which is the North part of the Guajome Park where the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum is located, but is 1.7 miles (5 minutes) away from the festival by road. The following route is the shortest, but turns into dirt road for a few blocks. The transision from paved to dirt is not level, so drive very slow at that point.
0.0               Depart Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum Left on CR-S14 [N Santa Fe Ave]   (North)
  0.8              Bear RIGHT (North-West) onto Glenview Ln
1.2               Turn LEFT (North-West) onto Guajome Lake Rd
1.7               Arrive 3000 Guajome Lake Rd, Oceanside, CA 92057
Guajome Regional Park facility has water, electric hookups, showers, a dump station, and is separately managed. Summergrass has no arrangements with this campground. Reservations are required, and must be made through the Park and Recreational Department of San Diego County, not through Summergrass or AGSEM. Reservations can be made through the county campground web page, which is http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/Camping/guajome.html
The Guajome Regional Park campground has the usual public campground rules, which means among other things, that jamming after 10 PM is not allowed.

QUESTION NO 3:You say there are showers at the Guajome County Park. Can the Summergrass campers use them on a day use basis ?
ANSWER:No, definitely not. We have attempted to make an arrangement in the past years, and have been consistently turned down. The policy of the head ranger for that facility is to limit the use of the showers to only the registered campers. If a person is caught using the showers who is not a registered camper, the head ranger will levy a fee large enough to discourage the individual from returning to the park, then tell them not to return to that campground ever again.

QUESTION NO 4:Are there plans to install showers at the Summergrass (AGSEM) campsite?
ANSWER:Although the AGSEM people are sympathetic, and are looking into the issue on a long term basis, we have heard of no definite plans for a permanent shower facility. We have considered temporary showers, but find it too expensive to do so, either by renting or constructing them. Because the museum grounds drain into an environmentally protected area, the waste water must be collected, rather than allowed to drain onto the ground. Additionally there are strict regulations on what can and can not be built on certain portions of the Guajome Park/AGSEM grounds. Also, the museum uses well water, not city water, so their water resources are somewhat limited.

QUESTION NO 5: Will campfires be allowed in the campgrounds?
ANSWER:Probably not; August is in the California fire season, and it has been determined in the last two years that it is unsafe to allow fires. This year the fire season promises to be even worse with the area so dry due to being over 6" below the normal rainfall for our winter/spring rainy season. This includes no fires in a washtub style fire pit. We will allow propane stoves and charcoal grills, but you must keep the open flame to less than a foot when you start your grill, as well as soaking the ashes if you leave the grill unattended.

QUESTION NO 6:   Is there a quiet time curfew in the Summergrass campground?
ANSWER:Yes, 10PM to 7AM. Unless there is a complaint, we will ignore the quiet hour rule for jamming but we will be enforcing the 10 PM – 7 AM quiet hour for individual private generators and general noise that disturbs a sleeper. The big generator that supplies power to the campground RVs is exempt, and will run all night, but they are the "whisper quiet" type of generators.

QUESTION NO 7: Are pets allowed at Summergrass?
ANSWER:We allow pets only in the campground area, provided they are tethered to the boundaries of your campsite, and you immediately clean up their waste. Of course, you may walk pets on a leash in the campground area. Pets are not allowed in the show area. Failure to observe this restriction is cause for removal and forfeiture of all fees.

QUESTION NO 8:What about alcohol? or drugs?
ANSWER:No alcohol is sold on the grounds. No alcohol is allowed in the show area. If kept within the confines of your own campsite, and it does not present a social problem, we will overlook the activity.   But remember, this is a family event, so moderation is the rule. We apply the same rules as does the California Highway Patrol when judging this activity. (We won’t tolerate drunks)… and naturally, no illicit drug use! Drugs are not welcome, don't use them on the premises, period.

QUESTION NO 9: Where can I find an ATM machine?
ANSWER: At this time there is no ATM machine on the AGSEM grounds. For several years now we have attempted to provide one, and that may happen by festival time, but please bring cash, particularly to the gate for your admission and camping. The Stater Brothers grocery is in the nearest shopping center to the south of the museum grounds (exit right turn at North Santa Fe & Museum Way, go 1 mile to Bobier). They accept ATM cards with cash back on a purchase. Chase Bank offers ATM transactions for a fee to non-Chase customers (free to Chase customers) at 615 College Blvd (Highway 76 & College Blvd) 2.8 miles from Summergrass festival. (Exit left turn at Museum Way & North Santa Fe, turn left at Highway 76).

QUESTION NO 10:What about handicap facilities?
ANSWER:Consideration is made for handicap needs. The main campground is essentially level, but the secondary camping areas have some rolling inclines and are not recommended for handicap.   So that we can set aside appropriate handicap space in the campground, we recommend making advance camping purchase if you have handicap needs. The show area is level, and roads that lead between the show area and the main campground are rough dirt surface with minor inclines. We issue handicap passes which allow handicap personal vehicles to travel between the camping area and the show area. You may also flag down one of the Summergrass volunteers in a golf cart if you need a ride to a destination. Non-handicap personal vehicles, such as scooters and bicycles will be restricted to the main campground confines, and may not be used to go to or in the audience or vendor areas . For the safety of all who attend, anyone determined by Summergrass officials to be using a personal vehicle in an unsafe manner will be required to park it for the remainder of the event. Under no circumstances are children to be allowed to use any motorized vehicle of any kind.

QUESTION NO 11:Is there a non-generator area available?
ANSWER: Yes, there is a limited non-generator RV area that will be filled on a first come, first served basis. You may request non-generator area on your camping order form, but there are not guarantees as the area may get full. This area does not accomodate handicap, as one must traverse an incline in the terrain to access this camping area.

QUESTION #12:How many families can camp in one campsite (including tents and RV's)?   Can we have one RV and multiple tents in one campsite?
ANSWER: Each campsite is intended for one family group. Only one RV is allowed per site. If you need further explanation or plan on more than 2 tents or one RV plus one tent in one campsite, please call contact camping@summergrass.net or 858-566-4594 for clarification.

QUESTION 13:I would like a non- generator handicap spot
ANSWER: You may choose either handicap or non-generator, but not both.

QUESTION 14: What are the arrival times for RV's?
ANSWER: The earliest you can arrive is Aug 18, Wednesday, 4:00 pm (Please note. Any camping units you see already there when you arrive are official vehicles there for festival operation, not festival ticket holders).

l If you come earlier you will be turned away as there is no place to wait before the gate opens; the adjacent school uses these facilities until 4:00 PM.

l There is a shopping center which is large enough to accommodate a RV parking if you go south less than a mile on North Santa Fe Avenue to Bobier, Early arrivals may choose to “go shopping” for some groceries at the supermarket there while waiting.

l In addition it is posted and the police do issue traffic tickets for stopping on North Santa Fe at Museum Way, the entrance to the festival.
What are the daily arrival times?

l Thursday August 19 & Friday August 20 8:00am- 8:00pm- it is recommended you not arrive between 2:00pm and 4:00pm as there is a traffic jam from the school on Museum Way.

l Saturday August 21 8:00am - 8:00pm

l Sunday August 22 8:00am - 5:00pm

l If you arrive after closing time you will be expected to wait at the gate area until it opens the next morning. We believe that parking RV's after dark invites accidents and damage to property

QUESTION 15: Are you able to handle 40-foot motorhomes in the campground?
Answer:   All sites are on the festival grounds. All Summergrass campgrounds are approximately the same distance to the stage. I would say less than the distance of a football field. Most sites are 35 feet long and 19 feet wide with some exceptions (which includes 40 foot sites) as noted below: In the main campground we have twelve 40 x 19 foot sites that are in the row that have the electric option. These are reservable and require purchasing the electric option in advance  with the camping package. To have electric in these sites there must be 50 rigs that purchase the electric option. (The remaining sites are 35 foot length). If the 50 site minimum is not reached, then you will still have a reserved site, and get a refund for the electric option, but not moneys paid for camping package, and if ordered through the internet service charges are not refunded. Service charges are not applied when ordering by mail. A mail application is attached as part of the Summergrass brochure back page.  In the main campground there is also two or three 40 foot sites that do not have the electric option, as well as some sites smaller than 35 x19 feet. These are available only through advance purchase, and are not reserved. They are assigned upon arrival. To get these you must purchase your camping in advance, and arrive after 4:00 Wednesday on a first come first served basis. The main campground is quite level, but there is a west campground does have some slope in much of it.   The west campground area is quite large, and we have never completely filled it. This leaves room for any size RV, even longer than 40 foot. We are more casual about the spots in this location, leaving you to pick and choose preferences to a limited extent. Advance purchase is not required here, and it is first come, first served. There is a tenting area. Sites are nominally 20x20 feet. No RVs are placed here. Bottom line -Fear not - we will have a spot for your 40 foot rig... somewhere on the festival grounds... within walking distance to the stage. It has never been a "show stopper" in the past.

QUESTION 16: Does the electric option include the camp site fee?
Answer:   The electric fee option covers only the electric service to the campsite. To purchase this option you must also first purchase a camping package which includes a campsite and one three day festival ticket.  You automatically get a reserved campsite when you purchase both the electric option and a camping package together.   This is the only way you can purchase a reserved campsite. As in the past, electric is provisionally offered based on a minimum number of people purchasing that option. If that minimum is not met, you will receive the $130 electric fee back (but no other fees) shortly after the festival, but you will keep the reserved spot you got with the electric.

QUESTION 17: I plan to arrive with my RV before the festival starts. When does the food service begin for the campers?

Answer:   Food service is controlled by the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum (AGSEM) volunteers, not Summergrass. Typically the food service opens for some of the booths on Friday about noon, more at supper time Friday, but this time is variable, so inquire with the AGSEM volunteers on that day.    Do not count on on-grounds food availabllity on Wednesday or Thursday. Food is short order "comfort food" at reasonable prices. Includes hot dogs & hamburgers, Mexican food, BBQ, sandwich deli, pastries, ice cream, and a Saturday/Sunday morning full breakfast in the Assembly Building. Food booths typically close before the performances end at night. For other meals there are several restaurants in the vicinity. When you exit AGSEM, turning right, you will find several along North Santa Fe Avenue, starting less than a mile, and more full service restaurants at Highway 78 and Vista Village Drive about 4.5 miles. Turnng left from AGSEM, there is a large shopping center with many restaurants at/near Highway 76 and College Boulevard. Distance is about 6.5 miles.

QUESTION 18: Will I have enough room in my RV campsite to extend my slide and awning?
Answer:   RV site spaces in the main campground vary because of the irregularity of the campground boundary, We aim to have most of the sites 19 feet wide and 35 feet long. A few sites are 40 feet long or more to accommodate RVs over 35 feet length, and these are usually held to accommodate those over 35 feet. Some sites are smaller than 19 x 35 feet where the real estate or layout parameters dictates it.Depending on the size of your slide, you should be able to get both the slide and at least extend the awning most or all of the way, provided you wind up in a 19 foot wide site in the main campground. Note an advance purchase allows you to choose the main campground until it fills up, which is not the case for those purchasing at the gate. However this does not imply you have a specific site reserved for you there. To get a reserved site in the main campground you must also purchase the electric option in addition to purchasing a site.In the West campground, which is not as level, sites are typically at least 19 feet wide by 35 feet long and we are more casual about these. The widths are not necessarily always lined out, and that camping area never fills, so you should be able to find a spot there that has a little extra sprawl space where you can extend everything without a problem. With your advance purchase you may also elect to camp in this area.

Hope to see you at Summergrass.....