Patti said when they first started out she tried calling it the “Riverside Campground,” but that the name never stuck. She even found herself calling it “The Campground.” They eventually decided to change it to Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground. Bethel Citizen photo by Samuel Wheeler

BETHEL — Bethel Outdoor Adventure, a popular summer spot for locals and tourists, is for sale for $2,000,000.

The sale comes after 25 years of ownership by Jeff and Pattie Parsons, who bought the property in September of 1995 when it was no more than a large empty field with two cabins.

The venue has come a long way since its inaugural year, which came the following spring in 1996.

They have since constructed a main building/office, added numerous campsites, bought and acquired many watercraft’s and created other ventures to occupy people not in the mood for a trip down the river. When Jeff and Pattie started out they only had a couple of canoes to offer to people for trips down the Androscoggin. The canoes had previously belonged to Outward Bound and were not in the greatest of shape due to heavy use. Today, BOA continues to offer canoes, but also have kayaks, double kayaks, tubes and paddle boards available for customers.

Kayaks came a few years after canoes and as soon as they started doing those, people began wanting double-kayaks. Newer additions have been tubes and SUP’s, with the former being especially popular.

“Tubing has opened up the river to a broader group of people,” Jeff said.

BOA has become increasingly popular in the last few summers, primarily because of its location right on the Androscoggin.

“The river has become a mini industry here in Bethel,” Jeff said. “Bethel is growing as a summer destination, where it used to be almost exclusively a winter destination.”

More than 8,000 people traveled on the river this year, up from 6,500 people a year ago. The number is the highest amount of river goers BOA has ever had, despite having to open a month late because of COVID-19. Pattie noted that there has been additional expenses, though, like having to sanitize each tube after someone uses it, something they never previously had to do.

All these extra precautions would not have been accomplished without the help of BOA’s staff.

“We have our young group of people, whom we hire for their intelligence and physical strength,” Jeff said.

Employees will often help lift and transport canoes/kayaks and also work in the office.

BOA employed three high schoolers over the summer.

“We also have our work campers. These folks are often older, closer to our age,” Jeff said. “They exchange their space in the campground for labor. We don’t hire them for their physical strength, but they understand business and have a huge amount of people experience.”

Having all these work campers has lead to some memorable interactions with Jeff and Patti, one of the many reasons they enjoy having them stay at BOA.

“We learn from them and they learn from us,” Jeff said.

“One camper told us that coming here is like a summer camp for old farts,” Jeff laughed.

With BOA now on the market, this long, lengthy chapter in their lives is now coming to a close. What lies next? Traveling, Florida and more time in Maine.

They plan to spend the winter months down south and their summers in Bethel. They are currently in the process of building a house in West Bethel. They plan to contract the project themselves.

“We want to maintain a foothold here. Bethel has been very good to us. It has been a wonderful place to raise a family and have a business,” Jeff said.

BOA closes on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Other ventures

Jeff and Patti’s impact on Bethel went well beyond their 25-year operation of BOA. The couple was also instrumental in starting up the Outward Bound program in Newry. They were involved with the program until about 1990.

On top of starting Outward Bound, Jeff and Patti also designed the game Ta-Ka-Radi, the “original Jenga.”

They bought the BOA property with the money they earned off Ta-Ka-Radi.

The game was born on a cross country trip to California. Jeff and Patti were traveling from Maine to California for a wedding and decided to make a stop in Ohio to visit some of Pattie’s college friends. They played a game called Ta-Ka-Radi while they were there and learned from one of Patti’s friends that the game came from Africa. They quickly liked the game.

When they arrived in California it was Christmastime and with little money, Jeff and Patti had to find a cheap way to get some gifts. Using her dads tools, they made sets of Ta-Ka-Radi for gifts. They sewed bags to put the blocks in and even printed off directions to include in each set.

When they returned to Bethel, the game became a hit. They gave a set to Steve Wight, who was running the Sunday River Inn, to have for guests to play.

“His guests wanted to buy the games,” Patti said.

So Jeff and Patti began making more sets of Ta-Ka-Radi.

The game became more and more popular with each passing year for a while.

“We sold hundreds, then thousands. It kept getting bigger and bigger,” Patti said.

Jeff said one year he believes they sold 37,000 sets.

They eventually went to court against the couple who bought their business, but never ended up getting any money in return. All they got was the game back.

They still sell some sets today.