The cool breeze and the wispy clouds provided a pleasant setting for the celebration of the newest addition to the Black Oak Casino Resort, the new RV Park. The official Grand Opening for the RV Park was held on Saturday, May 19 with a speech given by Phillis Montgomery, eldest of the elders of The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians and Jesse Madden, the RV Park Manager.

“We started on this journey with a vision for something great,” stated Madden. “We never stopped reaching further and further every day. There are great people out in this crowd that have helped us build amazing things and never stopped growing.”

Guests in attendance listened to a few of the stories told by Montgomery about the history of her family and a few childhood memories. She shared that her mother was one of seven sisters which served as the inspiration for the name of the restaurant on the third floor, Seven Sisters. The hill had seven pine trees that her grandpa said were for his seven girls.

“My dad and mom had 13 kids. All of them are gone now. I am the last living one of the family,” said Montgomery. “We have the next generation which I hope they will live as long as I have. I am 84 and I still get moving; not as fast, but I can still move.”

The park has been opened for a few months but the ribbon cutting ceremony made it official. There are 85 full hook-up sites that can accommodate a variety of vehicles and sizes including back in and pull through spaces.

“We were a happy family,” added Montgomery with a smile. “My family has been raised on this lot. This was home. They always said Tuolumne was going to be a ghost town but it is not going to be.”

There are several amenities that travelers can enjoy at the RV Park like the bocce ball court, cornhole game, the clubhouse has satellite TV and Wi-Fi, a pool, spa, and pond. The RV Park has a laundry, showers, and dog park as well.

“We don’t do this for ourselves or our own personal gain,” added Madden. “We do this for an experience. Something for you guys to come and enjoy and to share a piece of our history and our beliefs and our future and make it memorable every day.”

Montgomery cut the ribbon with Madden by her side and the crowd cheered and applauded.

“I hope you enjoy the scenery,” expressed Montgomery. “I love to see what they have done out here. I hope you guys come back again and I hope you enjoy it. There are a lot of things that can be done out here.”