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Not-so-shy nudists

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One way to do so, a group of residents at Tampa’s Paradise Lakes Resort decided five years ago, was to form the world’s first nudist Lions Club. Members meet twice a month at the resort’s restaurant and raise more than $10,000 each year to buy eye care for the needy and give to the blind.

“We’ve got to raise money from people who don’t have pockets,” laughed the civic group’s 71-year-old president, Bob Moore. “But when it comes time to give us money, they go home and find the money!”

Big construction projects also reflect the new, not-so-shy attitude. The sprawling Desert Shadows Inn Resort and Villas in Palm Springs, Calif., built a “Bridge of Thighs” that links two parts of the resort across a major road, serving as a very public reminder to passing drivers in the “textile” world.

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At Dawsonville’s Paradise Valley, contractors are laboring on the first phase of a $30 million project to construct 152 condos and 40 townhouses, mostly for residents of nearby towns looking for a scenic weekend getaway.

The resort has only five full-time residents, but dozens of members gather each Saturday for theme parties at the Bare Cheeks Lodge. On weekends, the Valley’s three pools are standing-room only, and the diner (motto: “No top, no shoes, no problem”) is packed.

Gary, the Valley’s resident pastor, has married at least 25 couples, many of whom met at the resort. He moved to the resort 10 years ago and never looked back.

“I’ve got safety, contentment and happiness,” said Gary, who prefers not to use his last name. “And I’ve got naked people. Some pretty. Some not.”

The resort is a few miles outside the Dawsonville city limits, and Mayor Joe Lane Cox said “people just kind of ignore it.”

“They don’t cause any problems,” said Cox, a 67-year-old lifelong Dawsonville resident. “They come out in the community, attend meetings. And they’re just like everybody else when they do — they blend in.”

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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