In the Dogs’ Houses – Buck ‘n Beam’s Social House Makes Campers Happy 

It wouldn’t be right, wouldn’t be accurate, to say the place has gone to the dogs — the opposite is truer: it’s a place that dogs have gone to … and continue to go to. In fact, it’s a place that’s so darned dog-able, it’s named after dogs. It’s thirty sites, mostly occupied by travel trailers and motorhomes, spread over seven acres of northwest Wisconsin’s Northwoods pines, carefully crafted to minimize the impact of dogs’ best friends on nature.

It’s Buck ‘n Beam’s Social House and Campground.

“Buck and Beamer are the names of the original owners’ Basset Hounds,” the establishment’s website explains. “Their names played an integral part in the naming of the business. Dogs are a big part of their, and the current owners’, lives. We love our four-legged family members, which is why the campground is dog friendly.”

The canine-themed reprieve was founded in the Spring of 2012 by married couple Bob and Vicky Bowerman. Buck ‘n Beam’s (fairly) recently passed into the human paws of just-as-married couple Greg Symbal and Chip Bell. “Greg is the son of the previous owners, Bob and Vicky Bowerman,” the website elaborates. “Chip is Bob and Vicky’s son-in-law. Family is important to us and remains the core of our business.”

The non-prodigal son elaborates still further. “My mom was looking to retire and was ready to sell,” former Twin Cities resident Greg Symbal remembers. “She knew there was a lot of growth potential but had taken it as far as she wanted. The timing was perfect, and she really liked the idea [of selling to her son and son-in-law] so that she could still keep her influence on the place. We were sick of city life and the corporate gigs.”

For years before this inter-age transaction, escape from that life and those gigs came in days-long dribs and drabs. “We did the typical camper progression,” Symbal recalls. “We camped in a tent for years.”

The family’s camping practices proved to be a work-in-progress … much like the family itself. “Once we adopted our sons, we upgraded to a small camper,” Symbal says. “We quickly learned what worked and what didn’t. Having kids sleeping on the couch and fold down table doesn’t work when dads want morning coffee. We soon upgraded to a larger camper with bunk beds for the kids and dads’ bedroom on the other end.” 

Such humbling hijinks gave Symbal and Bell hard-won insight into which campground features might best benefit their own guests once they took over, might best realize the growth potential cited by the previous owners. The technical term for these benefits is “amenities.”

For the aquatically inclined, the Red Cedar River, less than a mile away from Buck ‘n Beam’s, offers float-oriented options such as tubes, kayaks or canoes. All other water options are likewise provided by the not quite-as-nearby Chetek Chain of Lakes.

The website offers choices to the “I just got a new haircut and want to show it off” crowd: “On-site event pavilion available to rent for weddings, grad parties, memorials, birthday parties, company events and more! We also use the pavilion and our back patio for live music!” 

Symbal and Bell’s field experience becomes useful in all sorts of ways. “Having been campers, we know what fellow campers are looking for when we think about upgrades or put in new sites,” Symbal reflects. “We can also help when a camper isn’t experienced at backing a camper up.”

Of course, all of the above only transpires during the greener half of the upper Midwest year. “The campground is open May 1 to October 1,” reports Symbal. “The bar is open to the public year-round.”

Ah, yes — the bar, also known as the Social House, serves as the throbbing heart of the campground … even when the campground hibernates. Entices the website, “From your favorite cocktail to homemade pizzas, Philly sandwiches, burgers, elevated appetizers, and our daily specials such as our Friday fish fry, we’ve got your taste buds covered!”

Taking charge of the Buck ‘n Beam’s Social House was, for Symbal, something like a Basset hound being summoned to a rabbit hunt. “I have worked in the food service and hospitality industries since I was fifteen years old,” Symbal asserts. “Some people are just made for it, and I am one of them.” 

A Social House hospitality sub-division is the kid-friendly game room, which is, naturally, just as available during the green months as it is during the white months. “We do this for our customers,” Symbal insists. “Repeat customers are the best indication that we’re doing something right.”

These repeat customers also contribute to the growth potential that’s been part of Buck ‘n Beam’s since the very beginning. Perhaps that potential will cross generational lines yet again. The family business has already passed from mom-and-pop to son-and-son-in-law. Might Buck ‘n Beam’s one day fall into the coffee-blocking hands of Symbal and Bell’s own sons? Greg Symbal hasn’t ruled it out: “We want our kids to do what makes them happy. If they want to take over, that’s great, but if not, that’s fine, too.”

www.bucknbeams.com