Camping has always been a family event, even when it was “time to get some work in” as we spruce up our lovely acreage, clean the kitchens, paint the rails, rake the paths and haul out the stored summer furniture. This year our May 1-3 weekend will include planting 300 new plants up at camp- bring your shovels!

Did you know that our work weekends are NOT rental weekends? Yes! When Friends of Family Camp volunteer our time, we are not renting tents and using facilities as campers during full summer season. We are attending *as a volunteer group* for the weekend, and as such, we get some great perks.

Weekend costs are $10.00 a person for food. Simple, hearty fare handled BY our volunteers FOR our volunteers.

There is no rental cost on tents, no other camping costs at all. What a GREAT way to enjoy the Sierras on a budget and give back to the community all at the same time! We have day care set up for folks with small tykes so everyone can help, and encourage bringing up your ice chests and assorted snackies for sharing with our happy guys.

Work Weekends for 2015 Will Be May 1-3  and May 29-31

Contact Ray (that’s him in the green sweater up there first on the left in front) ASAP to let him know if you and or family want to join us.   xray1946@gmail.com, or Nicole who helps out with work weekends at Nicole.Hall@harker.org   or by text to 408-230-3545 with questions or help.

URGENT UPDATE- CITY HALL MEETINGS OF IMPORTANCE.

THERE ARE 3 MEETINGS COMING UP AT CITY HALL CONCERNING CAMP AND THE NEXT 20 YEARS. IF YOU CAN ATTEND, PLEASE DO SO FOR A SHOW OF STRENGTH IN NUMBERS FOR OUR NEW CITY MEMBERS. GOT A CAMP T? THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO WEAR IT.

Wed. March 4, 5:30 pm. Parks & Rec

Thursday March 12, 1:00 pm Neighborhood Services

Tuesday, March 17,  1:00 pm Full City Council. Remember, we have new council members who are not aware of camp and have no idea how much it contributes to our lives.

Yes, we have a scant 8 weeks before the most wonderful time of the year arrives for fishermen- Trout season in California! All the men and women who have joined Friends of San Jose Family Camp invite you to join us and enjoy the mountain air!

Grab your rod and reel, throw a sleeping bag in the truck and head out to the High Sierras for a fabulous fun time with us at Family Camp Fish Weekend April 24-25-26.

Reservations are available on line and open now at    http://familycampreservations.com/

Every year our fearless fishing mountain men work hard to provide a fun lively fishing camp focus for the outdoorsmen,women, and children who love the crispy spring air, the thrill of the bait and the first poles into the streams for another year.

We offer more than just a place to park however- Family Camp at Yosemite offers a full weekend of fun, starting with our

Sign up thru the city web site for camp and indicate you and your group would like to attend the Friday Night All You Can Eat fill-up and Thrill Up Spaghetti Dinner and you will be enjoying a hot meal when you arrive Friday in camp.

We cook the  whole shebang on site with fresh salad and piping hot french bread. You may add to the evening with your own drink selections although we offer a wide range of milk and water, coffee, tea, and juice.  Payment is by cash or check made out to “Friends of San Jose Family Camp” at the dining hall Friday evening.  While you are enjoying dinner, take the time to…..

Sign up for the Saturday Fishing Derby! We have cash prizes and GREAT wall plaque awards for the top Jr.  and Adult Fishermen of the day bringing in the largest fish on Saturday. Saturday is ALSO a fun time for kids to learn all about how we manage our natural resources in the Sierras, with a visit from our friends the State Fish and Game Department from

Moccasin Creek Trout Hatchery

We have been overjoyed to have the men and women of our State Department come down to our section of the river for planting and showed our kids how the farm raised fish are returned to the wild. The hatchery, located just 30 min from us on Hi. 120, is open for visitors daily and has lots of places to feed the fish.  http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Hatcheries/Moccasin/

Friends of SJ Family Camp is a volunteer organization that works together to bring out the best in camp, help keep it tidy, and sponsor fun activities for our members. Please consider becoming a member for $20.00 a year and helping us continue the fun.

With breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday breakfast included for your Fish Camp Weekend, covered wooden frame tents supplied with beds, nice indoor working plumbing with showers, washers and dryers, and fun activities like gold panning and games, Fish Camp Weekend gives families a great get away for their money, within 3 hours of home and just 30 min. from the majesty of the Yosemite Valley.

Want to fish outside camp? Check out these web sites for some great ideas:  http://www.davessierrafishing.com/destinations/tenaya_creek.html  http://www.froess.com/camping/yosemite/relief.htm  http://yosemiteblog.com/2008/05/13/chris-asks-wheres-good-fishing-in-yosemite-this-time-of-year/                                                                                http://www.myyosemitepark.com/go-fishing-in-sierra-nevada/

Need a new sleeping bag? Want an extra lantern? Got bait?

Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods is a proud sponsor of camp.

We hope all our friends are aware that we are *starting spring party set up*- and if you have not already provided a PHONE NUMBER as well as EMAIL you might miss something important! Send that info to Deb (our membership chair) at DBSHollis@aol.com so that you never miss a great event at Family Camp!

Family Camp at Yosemite with Camper Joe

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Hello folks and welcome to another year of family fun!

Dates are changing fast, and it appears we might well have some need for help through out spring.

Frends is hosting a small work party in April to get things in shape before Fish camp. If you’d like to help open up the dining hall and make things ready for fishing season, we need folks for April 10,11,12. This is a SMALL work party of just 10 to 12 folks so space is limited.

April 24-25-26 is FISH CAMP weekend. Reservations can be made on the city’s web page at    http://familycampreservations.com/   *

From the Cities Family Camp Website:

Family Camp at Yosemite provides an all-inclusive camping experience where guests of all ages can fish, hike, swim, participate in organized programs, or just sit back, relax and take it easy. It’s a great experience the whole family will enjoy, so join us this summer and reserve your tent today!

San Jose’s Family Camp is located in the heart of the Sierras near Yosemite National Park, just east of Groveland, California. Family Camp is situated on 47 acres of leased land from the U.S. Forest Service. The Stanislaus National Forest and the middle fork of the Tuolumne River serve as the scenic backdrop to this mountain playground.

During the summer season, the camp provides three meals a day to campers, along with supervised recreational activities. Groups are welcome to rent out the camp during the pre- and post-seasons.

For questions, please contact Camp staff at (408) 794-6208 or familycamp@sanjoseca.gov .

May 29-31 is a Major work weekend. We can use 45-50 folks to get camp spruced up.

Keep your spirits up by cleaning out the camping gear, sorting out what you need and prepping that fishing tackle box. Need some new goodies and replacement parts? We hope you will patronize our Camp support partners at Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods:

Winter has arrived, and we have lots of great news to share with our friends.

Camperships his a 50% occupancy rate for this past season, a high for the last 5 years- and we are growing again!

The city of San Jose is excited about our upcoming season with our new camp manager Jenna, and this past year we had some wonderful new programs and camp changes to enjoy. World class archery, new tents, new games  and much more was added to the 2014 camp experience.

Our campers just LOVE the new camp manager  bi-weekly wildlife chats with her various- and entertaining- four legged friends!

Come find out more at our monthly meeting, Kelly Park Leninger Center 7 pm Wednesday the 12th. It’s a short meeting and everyone is welcome!

All the hard work all summer is paying off again this fall with our Appreciation Weekend. Fellow FOSJFC members that have participated over the year with volunteer efforts are reaping the rewards next month. Want to join us for a 3 day weekend of *just us at camp*?

Membership has its rewards! Contact Membership Chair Deb Hollis at DBSHollis@aol.com or come to any monthly meeting on the 2nd Wed of the month, 7 PM, Leninger Center at Kelly Park on Senter Rd. San Jose.

We want to see you and your family enjoy the Sierra’s, show  our kids the value of volunteering, and give us a hand! It’s the best kind of fun you can have out of doors.

City of San Jose have opened camp for another weekend August 15-17. Here is their announcement.

Get it now and have a great weekend away at a huge discount!

Full PDF download available here:    Mini-Weekend_BrochureS

Last week (August 2014) almost a year to the day from the start of the largest wildfire in California State history, a grand jury handed down an indictment.

CBS Sacramento posted http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/08/07/tuolumne-county-man-charged-with-starting-2013-rim-fire/  with full information.

Damage from the fire is running into the millions, and included the loss of Berkeley Family Camp just up the road from us.

San Jose Family Camp was used by local fire fighters as a base camp and due to their diligence sustained minimal damage, with the largest losses some 20 camper tents and the Friends of SJFC storage shed with all building supplies.