Campground said to be operating illegally in Danbury is shut down

(By Leslie Bray Evans, The Stokes News) - The summertime scene in Danbury is a bustling one. The parking lots at Moratock Park overflow and cars spill over to line both sides of Sheppard Mill Road. General stores around town do a brisk business as would-be tubers line up and their vehicles jam the parking spaces there as well.

The draw of the Dan River brings tourists in abundance to spend the day, but as nighttime draws nigh, their options are limited. They either return to their homes, find a campsite at Hanging Rock before that park fills up, grab a spot at Sunset Park or drive out of county where hotels abound.

Some had been camping on a parcel of property adjoining Moratock Park, but now that unofficial campground is closed. A banner on Highways 89 and 8, at the entrance of the defunct campground, proclaims in glaring letters: “Campers go home. The Town of Danbury doesn’t want you.”

The sign belongs to local businessman Mike Fulp who owns a frame and body shop just outside of Danbury on the Walnut Cove side, well as the neighboring Marathon gas station. Until recently, he also ran the campground in question.