Jackson County is now home to an all-inclusive, couples-only private sex resort/campground. Marv Thomann, owner and manager of Camp NCN, announced his new business endeavor last week by way of a nationwide press release in hopes of attracting couples from around the nation and globe to his Highway 12 campground. Events planned for this summer include Spank Fetish and Bondage Festival, Wisconsin Swinger’s Festival and Midwest Amateur Porn Search.

“Couples can freely fulfill their sexual curiosities openly and in the privacy of others who share their same intimate lifestyle …” Thomann said.

Thomann has offered nude and swinger events in the past including 2002 and 2003 when 700 to 900 people converged on his campground for a weekend of X-rated activity. And, he said he wasn’t the only business to benefit from the visitors. Thomann said other business owners in town noticed an upswing of sales.

“I haven’t had one complaint about the nude groups, but a heck of a lot of complaints about the music,” Thomann said.

Terry Schmidt, zoning administrator for Jackson County, said the county cannot enforce any zoning ordinances because Thomann’s campground is located in the town of Alma, an unzoned township.

County board supervisor John Bahnub, whose constituents live near the campground, said he doesn’t think neighbors will complain as long as Thomann keeps activities behind closed doors and out of the public eye.

County Clerk Kyle Deno declined to comment on the nature of the campground. Sheriff Duane Waldera said he’s looking at the issue closely and plans to meet with county officials to discuss it more.

Why an adult theme?

The adult playground seems like an odd occupation for a person who was born in a Green County farm house to a religious family. Thomann said if his parents were alive today, they would not approve of his lifestyle.

He doesn’t see a moral issue with his new business venture, because guests are “consenting adults doing what they want to do.”

Before moving to Black River Falls, Thomann worked for 29 years as a truck driver, often stopping in Jackson County, which is why he decided to move here. Thomann said he was intrigued by nudist camps and eventually became part of the swinger community 18 years ago. He worked for 10 years at a swinger club in Madison.

If the adult world picks up, as Thomann expects it to, he sees a lot of money being made, especially since he sent a nationwide press release to big name media outlets.

“It’s basically a campground where you can be yourself and do what you want to do,” Thomann said. “I want people to be able to relax.” Thomann purchased Camp NCN, which stands for No Clothing Necessary, on April 2, 2002. He originally had plans to hold music concerts at the site, and did so for a few years. But because of complaints about the loudness of his music and the hassles of obtaining a county-required large assembly permit, Thomann has decided to invest in the adult entertainment industry.

What is the large assembly permit?

“I’m the only business in Jackson County that has to abide by the large assembly permit,” Thomann said.

That’s because Thomann’s campground is the only place in the county where events surpass 18 consecutive hours in length and play host to more than 1,500 people, Deno said. Earlier this year, Deno said she was contacted by a concert promoter whose musical client was scheduled to perform at Thomann’s campground. Deno said she gave the man information on the large assembly permit and never heard back from him.

The large assembly permit costs $150 plus $5,000 in bond money that is held by the clerk until an event has concluded. Some of the amenities required in the permit include security, enough bathrooms to accommodate a large crowd, potable water and phone service just to name a few.

Once the event is over and no incidents occurred that required county services, the bond money is returned to the event promoter. Deno said bond money wouldn’t be returned if, for example, an incident occurred that required law enforcement to be on scene for some time.

The Jackson County Fair and small town festivals in the county are exempt because while those events last longer than 18 hours, there is a break when people leave the grounds, Deno said.

Thomann claims that in five years time, that permit cost him $300,000 in lost revenue. Most recently a music group out of Detroit backed out of its planned performance at NCN because Thomann said they couldn’t deal with the bureaucracy of the county board.

When the band cancelled, Thomann estimated that $100,000 in potential profits was lost. And he said he wasn’t the only person to lose money. Jackson County lost the spending power of 5,000 tourists, Thomann said.

While he hated to do away with offering concerts, he also was tired of hearing from people in the community that his music was too loud.

Earlier this year, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors discussed at length the county’s noise ordinance after Bahnub said his constituents were tired of being subjected to Thomann’s concerts that played all hours of the night.

According to the ordinance, a party is in violation if their music or noise exceeds 80 decibels. The board studied and discussed the ordinance for a few months and then decided to leave it in the hands of the sheriff’s department.

Waldera told supervisors that his staff needed to be trained on how to use the decibel readers and would start to enforce the ordinance once training was completed. “I really wanted the music thing to go, but I want to please Jackson County,” he said.