Photo By Renwick Martin | Attendants of Cross Lake's annual Veteran's camping weekend... read more read more
The idea started at Gull Lake in 2016, as Corrine Hodapp, operations manager at the district’s Cross Lake Dam and Recreation Area, worked the recreation area’s veteran fishing event.
“I began walking around and asking members of the Minnesota Wounded Warrior Guide Service if they’d ever done a camping event,” she recalled.
They hadn’t.
A few months later, Veteran’s Camping Weekend, sponsored by the Minnesota Wounded Warrior Guide Service, was born at Cross Lake. This year’s edition of the annual event included pontoon rides, fishing demonstrations, t-shirt making and even an outdoor movie.
These events typically only include veterans and their immediate family, allowing for a more intimate atmosphere. The community breakfast, however, is a different story.
“This year we served over 270 people,” said Hodapp. The breakfast, made entirely by volunteers, is offered for free to the whole Crosslake community. “This breakfast is a meaningful way for our community to come together, share a meal, and show appreciation to our veterans and their families,” said Ellen Tabako, a park ranger at Cross Lake. Donations from the breakfast totaled over $1,000, all of which went directly back to the Minnesota Wounded Warrior Guide Service.
A weekend this big can’t be handled alone. Natural resources specialists Les McCoy, Aaron Springer and Ellen Tabako each played a crucial role in supporting this gigantic mission. “They all stand out because we can’t do it without each and every one of them,” Hodapp said.
For Hodapp, hosting these events has been “a big learning experience, just on what those that served have done for our country.” Offering them “something as simple as a campsite and an opportunity to gather with their fellow service members is awesome to do,” she said.
“Many of the families we host return year after year, sharing how much they look forward to this event and how grateful they are for the lasting friendships and sense of belonging it provides,” Tabako said.
In addition to Veteran’s Camping Weekend, Cross Lake holds several different events each year, including Spooktacular, Cross Lake Days and Winterfest.
| Date Taken: | 11.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.24.2025 13:19 |
| Story ID: | 552241 |
| Location: | CROSS LAKE, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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