Winslow Park and Campground, which withstood what the park manager described as a tough winter, opened for season campers on May 18 and opens to all campers on May 21.

Neil Lyman, 32, the park manager, lives in the caretaker’s farmhouse at the park with his girlfriend and their two dogs. Lyman grew up in Freeport and attended public schools in town. After attending Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., he moved back to Maine and worked for the University of Southern Maine before coming to Winslow Park.

“Working and living at the park has been an amazing opportunity,” Lyman said.

Lyman answered questions about his job and about the town-owned Winslow Park for the Tri-Town Weekly.

Q: When is Winslow Park and Campground open, and how much of the year is the park manager busy?

A: The park is open year-round every day from dawn to dusk. We allow camping from Memorial Day until early October and admission fees are charged during this time. I am very busy during the camping/summer season, as well as getting the park ready in spring and things tightened up in the fall. In the off-season, I book our seasonal sites, rental cottage and picnic shelters, as well as do general snow removal, trash pickup, etc.

Q: It was a difficult winter. How much work was it getting the park ready for summer?

A: We had a lot of limbs and trees down due to snow and wind this year. While it was a bit more of a mess than previous years, it is fairly common that we need to do quite a bit of cleanup each spring.

Q: Do you have volunteers or paid staffers, and what do they do?

A: We generally have some volunteer groups composed of school groups and local residents in the spring that help with general cleanup. During the summer we have about a dozen paid staff, many of whom have been with the park for many years. They run the gatehouse, which is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., seven days a week, clean our facilities and maintain the property and structures.

Q: How long have you been familiar with Winslow Park? Have you noticed any changes in usage over the years?

A: Growing up in Freeport, I have been coming to the park for as long as I can remember. It has remained essentially the same for all that time. There has been a push in the last 15 or so years to do a lot of facility upgrades with the bathrooms, waterfront access, erosion control and the addition of a bandstand and basketball court. I think people prefer to see it kept as natural as possible.

Q: Is Winslow Park more of a beach/playground or more of a campground? How many people do you get from out of state?

A: I would say a lot of both. On a nice summer day the park is regularly full of local residents using the beach, playground and barbecue areas, while at the same time our 100 campsites are booked with visitors from near and far. We have a lot of out-of-state campers, mostly repeat visitors. A lot of people make the park their prime summer destination.

Q: Is the park itself in good condition?

A: I would say the park is generally in excellent condition. There is always work to be done and improvements that can be made and our staff really goes out of their way to make the park as user-friendly, clean and inviting as possible while keeping the natural beauty of the place protected.

Q: When does the summer concert series start, and what kind of crowds do you get for that?

A: Our summer concerts start the first Thursday in July and run each Thursday through August. We generally get a good crowd of mostly local residents and campers staying at the park. It is a great time to pack a picnic dinner, bring the kids down to the playground and listen to the music. We have added bands to the Family Fun Day and the Close to the Coast race that the local Rotary Club does, as well on June 20. We also have this day coincide with the start of our June Freeport Free Camping Week this year.

Neil Lyman

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