Lake town went wild each summer for the past decade. Now the fun police have ruined everything — and parents are furious

For nearly a decade, one homemade water slide turned an ordinary day at Camp Edison into the hottest ticket on the beach.

Now, the fan-favorite attraction near Shaver Lake has been shut down and campers are making it clear they’re not thrilled.

Wayne Lucas told Fox26 his family built the DIY water slide nine summers ago, never imagining it would become a campground tradition.

What started as something fun for their own kids quickly turned into a community attraction, with children from all over the campground lining up for a turn.

“We open it up to everybody. This was not exclusive. We’re not those people,” Lucas told the outlet.

As the years passed and his own children got older, Lucas said the slide became less about his family and more about creating summer memories for everyone else. 

But this year’s grand opening lasted only minutes.

Lucas explained that children had already formed a line and were happily sliding when a campground employee arrived with an unexpected order.

“The kids were all lining up; they were all having a great time,” Lucas recalled. “A lady came back down again, says, ‘Shut it down, and not only shut it down, remove it.’”

According to Lucas, staff initially told him the slide was too noisy. Later, he said, the explanation shifted to claims that it was taking up too much space on the beach.

However, he wasn’t buying the second explanation. He pointed out that the family’s two 10-by-10 pop-up canopies occupy far more room than the slide itself.

Lucas said he was ultimately told the slide had to come down or his family could risk being kicked out of the campground. He said there’s a lot of upset parents and kids.

The decision has also created its own waves online.

“Sad day. I watched so many families enjoy that slide. Good clean fun,” one person wrote on social media.

Others questioned the campground’s motives. “They just want money they’ll probably install one of their own and start charging,” another commenter claimed.

And at least one camper wasn’t shy about expressing frustration, writing, “That lady needs [to] be fired. That is a lake where the noise [is] loud and is where we go to have fun. We don’t need no Karens to tell us not to have fun and to be quiet.”

Southern California Edison, which operates Camp Edison, did not specifically address Lucas’s claim that the reason for removing the slide changed.

In a statement to Fox26, spokesperson Diane Castro said safety is the company’s top priority and that campground policies are intended to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors. She added that Camp Edison remains committed to offering a family-friendly outdoor environment.

Whether the DIY water slide returns next summer remains to be seen. For now, one of Camp Edison’s most beloved unofficial attractions has gone from splash zone to summer memory.

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