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By Joel Erickson, for the Tribune

Cyndy Schmidt, with a bright, perky countenance in a petite frame, maybe 5 feet tall, greets people with a playful glint in her eye and an upbeat voice.

“How can I help you?” she asks.

Her kind, forthright spirit creates a warm welcome as people seek out a campsite as their temporary home.

In 1990, Schmidt was one of many who experienced the massive layoff at Farmstead Foods in Albert Lea that put 1,200 people out of work. Thirty-three years later, she is retiring this month from working for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at Myre-Big Island State Park.

She applied for this position in 1990 and has worked behind the desk checking in wannabe campers as well as fulfilling other responsibilities. Her title is seasonal parks and trails associate and security ranger.

Schmidt  patiently answers the campers’ questions in the park office.  And repeats the answers several times, if necessary, all with the same direct kindness and patience.

She said she has loved camping all her life. Her parents camped on weekends and were founding members of the Camper’s Club of Albert Lea. Nearly every weekend they would camp at a different state park.

Her love of camping shines through as she engages the camper’s needs. During times of driving past the campsites, she would on occasion stop and visit.  Over the years relationships have developed where campers would give her a plate of food, and the children would share a plate of s’mores.

When asked about the challenges she faced over 33 years, she was quick to point out how “people would push the envelope.”  Many times people tested her.

For example, the DNR has very strict rules about the use of firewood.

“I have a policy statement right handy to show them,” she said.

Tanya Phillips, park specialist, said Schmidt has worked night security every weekend, working Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until midnight.

“ She’s basically the host of the party,  I guess … she wants everybody to have the best camping experience possible,” Phillips said.

When asked to describe Schmidt, Adam Kurtz, park supervisor responded, “Very passionate. Passionate.”

Longtime camper Pat Parlin, who happened to walk into the office, said, “Cyndy tells it like it is. … You know where you stand with her, and she cares about the park.”

Schmidt said in the past there were few vehicles for the park, but now there is a fleet of vehicles, including trucks and tractors. They also didn’t have computers in the beginning.

She said White Fox Campground was just a field when she started, and abundant changes to the park have occurred since 1990.

“I get a real kick out of it when people come here and I ask them if they would like to camp at White Fox,” she says. “Oh, no, they say that’s just a  field.  I tell them it’s very beautiful now, go and look at it.”

Schmidt said she moved to Albert Lea when her children were young  because she didn’t want them to grow up in a big-city school system.

For  33 years Myre-Big Island was her second home, and she made sure people were always welcome.

In her retirement she plans to keep on camping.