Another summer season is just around the corner. The first tulips are poking up through the ground. People are opening up their cottages for another wonderful summer.

As hard working people everywhere turn their thoughts to what they will do for their yearly vacation, the phone here at wasaga.com begins to ring almost non-stop. We get calls early in the morning ($&#!!) and late at night with all sorts of questions about Wasaga Beach. There are some that are easy to answer like "where is Wasaga Beach?" and some that are not possible to answer at all such as "what does business X charge for a room for eight people on a particular day of the week?"

I would like to point out that here on Wasaga.com we have a FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions area which is a good place to search for common questions, but if you don't find what you are looking for there, you are encouraged to call - hopefully at reasonable hours of the day and ask us for information. If your question catches me by surprise, I usually will try to find the answer for you through the channels I am aware of and get back to you. Plus, you may be helping the next person because I post new questions to the FAQ page. 

One of the most popular questions is "How much is it to park at the beach?" It sounds like an easy question but it really isn't. Do you mean hourly? Daily? Per season? Are you parking at Beach 1, in the Municipal Parking lot? Or are you heading towards one of the Provincially controlled beach areas? There are also a few private lots which charge their own fees.

Parking for 2012 at the Municipal Parking lots (the lots which are located along Mosley Street and Main Street) are $33.90 (tax included) for the season. Or if you are coming for the day, they are $4 for 2 hours or $5 for the day. The best deal appears to be to just bring five bucks. 

Another popular question is "where are the bank machines?"  The answer is simple; everywhere. You can find them in stores and banks (Superstore, TD bank, Scotiabank) as well as restaurants and even at the main beach. You won't be lacking for ATM's here. It's always best to avoid the extra fees though and get your money through the company you bank with. 

I can't answer questions about the policies of various businesses. So please, don't call to ask how much a room is at a particular hotel, or what their availability is. I'm not clairvoyant. ;) But do call to ask for recommendations of hotels, motels and other businesses if you have specific needs. The list of accommodations and restaurants on this website is very long and if you want to know which ones are really "steps" to the beach (they all make that claim!) or if you have a large group and you don't want to wade through all of the ads to find the ones which can support a group of 40 people, call or email. It's a pleasure to be able to help connect people with the right businesses. I can't think of a more rewarding job. 

Of course we are here to help residents too. We've had calls from many new residents who want to know about groups and services in the area. We welcome your inquiries. I have spent many an evening chatting with new residents who want to learn more about their newly adopted town. It is fun to see many of these people go on to be leaders in the community, either politically active or participants in some of our community groups and clubs. It's starting to make me feel very old but that's a whole other topic for another day.

Got a question? Email me at info@wasaga.com