JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — With a single announcement from the Governor's office, Trout Lake could increase its capacity from 25% to 100% in just a few weeks.
"It is massive, and that's why there was a little bit of disbelief when we heard it, and it wasn't, you know, big press conference or anything like that. So it was just almost like this little surprise that we got yesterday," said Kara Klaus-Major, owner and director at Trout Lake.
Trout Lake hosts both weddings and summer camps; right now is the peak of the wedding season.
And couples that have been waiting to see if they can add more names to their guest list were happy to hear the news out of Harrisburg.
"It's almost like these couples have had to plan their weddings once, twice, three times some of them, where they keep changing the dates or deciding 'are we gonna have it, are we not gonna have it,'" said Klaus-Major.
The owner and employees at Trout Lake are thrilled that they'll be able to host more guests, but now they need more workers.
"We are a seasonal business. So when it comes to our summer, we look to hire about 175 people, and we still have a good 75-100 people to hire yet."
That's why the venue is raising wages and offering summer bonuses, not exactly the first choice of a business that's lost a lot of money in the last year and a half.
"We'll never be able to recoup what we lost, you know, having a year and a half of non-revenue and for our summer camp business, really not having revenue for two years, has been financially devastating. So just to be able to hold on and reopen right now is just giving us a huge sense of relief. and we're just excited to get back to what we do," said Klaus-Major.
And what they do is give couples the wedding they've always dreamed of, one without restrictions or capacity limits, and one day, hopefully soon, without masks.