WHITE LAKE — Full-time residents at Camp Clearwater are finding themselves in the throws of lockdown with the coronavirus restrictions, but they are banding together to help each other in their time of need.

There have been significant hurdles that have had to be handled, despite everything.

“There are a lot of elderly people that live here yearround,” Keith Presley said. “Some are widowed, some that are sick.”

He and his wife Rose run the campground, gift shop, arcade and miniature golf across the street.

“There are lot of businesses right now that are struggling,” he said. “We felt that our families and our people have been good to us.”

Right now they are keeping the food truck running, with folks coming in and out to pick up plates of breakfast. Sunday morning the meals are free for the residents, but people still sometimes leave contributions. Grits, bacon or sausage and eggs come out piping hot.

“We did it intentionally for just one weekend,” Presley said. “Then there was the phone calls, texts and emails. I really realized how appreciative people were.”

It didn’t take them long to realize that it was going to be a while before things reopened, and folks needed to be able to have that burden eased a bit. It’s hard to cook in campers, and it’s just as hard to store food.

Presley’s gesture negates the need to leave the community on Sunday morning, and instead they can have fellowship at the church in a drive-up service, or just even wave at a neighbor.

“Depending on what the mayor’s orders are will determine how far we take it,” he said. “This is a family, and most of these people — their grandparents and the parents of these people — have spent three or four generations here,” he said.

Right now there’s only one gate in or out, and the campground is only open to full-time permanent residents.

“I contract with Dish Network, and we have been working like nothing’s changed,” Jeff Price said. “We take precautions and wear our masks. Like everyone else we are ready for things to open back up but we don’t want it to open back up too soon.

“If you’re sick, stay at home. That’s what everybody should be doing.”

He said he had been out a couple of Sundays getting plates.

“It’s good for them to be able to do this for the people living here,” he said. “It’s convenient so we don’t have to go out into the places where people may be affected.

“They are doing a good job here, and if you don’t live here you don’t get in.”

Bob Langwell offered similar sentiment.

“I think it’s great, and we need this,” he said. “I missed last Sunday because I forgot. It’s a good thing.

“It’s OK, but the people who can’t come in are having a problem.”

He sometimes works the gate, and he said that he and his wife otherwise stay home mostly. That makes it mostly business as usual for them.

“But to start with it was a mess, until everything got organized and situated,” said Phillip Ludlum, referring to the virus situation. “But them coming out here is helping the people that are in here a lot. Whenever we come up here we always still give a donation. It’s been tough on everybody, and it’s better. But it’s all for our well-being.

“I know that a lot of the people that are in here want to use the boat access, because they are in here. I mean, that’s good, safe distancing. I don’t know. A lot of people have a problem with that.”

He said that he was going to go put his boat in the river after his breakfast.

“But we all know that Camp Clearwater doesn’t own the water or the lake,” Ludlum said. “But you see people gathered up on golf carts, but that’s worse than being in the water. But I think everything is going to work out.”

Sheila Bristley is another appreciating what has been done. She also has worries.

“It’s been really nice,” Bristley said. “They could close up. They aren’t getting much business. We try to get down here during week, too.

“A lot of people are getting depressed, feeling like they are in prison, I think, not being able to go out and do.”

Wayne Reynolds has no problems with the government rules. Gov. Roy Cooper has a stay at home order through May 8, and White Lake Mayor Goldston Womble and town commissioners have issued an emergency declaration with additional restrictions.

“It’s fine what Goldston is doing, and the governor,” he said. “I have secondary health problems.”

Many of the residents were concerned that if the campground was opened, the virus would spread and that people don’t socially distance once they are there.

“It’s just like them opening the beaches. It’s the same thing,” Reynolds said.

Caught in the crosshairs of residency, Mike Quinn has had issues with coming and going from Camp Clearwater. He had just moved in and made the cutoff for the residency status by a few days.

He didn’t have a chance to get himself established before everything changed, and he was told by the police that if he left he could not get back into the camp.

“I haven’t had any large issues, but at one point the fear of not being able to get back in that gate was a problem,” he said.

Christina and Michael Rivenbark also had issues at one point.

“My ID has our address,” Christina said. “But Michael hasn’t been able to get his because they shut the Department of Motor Vehicles down and he has an out of state driver’s license.”

She works as an essential worker, as a manager of the Pizza Hut in Elizabethtown, and she was having to do all the grocery shopping for a week until he got everything straight. Both have medical concerns as cardiac patients.

“I take every precaution that I have to when I go to work and before I come home, for not bringing anything home,” she said. “That’s what’s frustrating — for any essential worker. They are out there putting themselves on the line so that everybody else is out there able to function.”

And her biggest request right now is for everybody to just be kind.

Jan Sikes said that she has been doing her ministry work and also dropping off paper goods to people in need. She’s been putting toilet paper rolls on the end of a broom to pass to people without getting too close. Sikes also takes care of the cats in the neighborhood.

“It’s really been like a family,” she said. “Everybody in here is just trying to work together. I’ve seen a lot of love and a lot of compassion.

“We are all in the same storm but we aren’t all in the same boat.”

The Rivernbarks both felt concern that the weekend before everything shut down the lake was like July 4, with large crowded gatherings.

“Right now it’s been peaceful,” Michael said. “We have been here two years now, and at first I couldn’t get out until they fixed the back gate.”

“I understand that people were concerned and that they were upset, because you know, this is not their primary residence,” said Christina. “Believe me I am all for opening it back up, but I just don’t think everybody should rush in here at one time.”

Residents now have permanent resident stickers, and the entrances are being closed to the camp, with the exception of the gate on N.C. 53.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Christina and Michael Rivenbark had issues with Michael getting back into the camp since his ID was not his current address and the DMV office was closed.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_1.jpgEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Christina and Michael Rivenbark had issues with Michael getting back into the camp since his ID was not his current address and the DMV office was closed.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Sheila Bristley and Phillip Ludlum took Trooper out to go get plates before heading to church Sunday morning.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_2.jpgEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Sheila Bristley and Phillip Ludlum took Trooper out to go get plates before heading to church Sunday morning.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Caught in the crosshairs of residency, Mike Quinn has had issues with coming and going from the camp, as he had just moved in and made the cutoff for the residency status by a few days.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_3.jpgEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Caught in the crosshairs of residency, Mike Quinn has had issues with coming and going from the camp, as he had just moved in and made the cutoff for the residency status by a few days.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Folks lined up with social distancing to get their plates of breakfast Sunday morning.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_6.jpegEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Folks lined up with social distancing to get their plates of breakfast Sunday morning.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Camp Clearwater had a busy morning for Keith Presley, who has kept the grill open and free on Sunday mornings for residents.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_4.jpegEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Camp Clearwater had a busy morning for Keith Presley, who has kept the grill open and free on Sunday mornings for residents.

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Bob Langwell grabbed two plates of grits, eggs and sausage or bacon.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_clearwater_5.jpgEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Bob Langwell grabbed two plates of grits, eggs and sausage or bacon.
Camp Clearwater residents come together, find a way to make it through

Emily M. Williams

Bladen Journal

Emily M. Williams can be reached at 910-247-9133 or ewilliams@bladenjournal.com.