May 27, 2021 at 1:35 p.m.
Area camps unveil summer plans
Area camps unveil summer plans
By Stephanie Kuski-
Several Northwoods summer camps were open last year with adjustments made to curb the spread of COVID-19, while others were forced to close their doors altogether. But in the last year, organizations across the country have worked together to develop best practices to keep campers safe, and now, many of those strategies will be put to work as several local camps plan to host many of their typical summer offerings.
Here we spotlight three area summer camps.
Crescent Lake Bible Camp
Maria Rudesill, executive director at Crescent Lake Bible Camp (CLBC), said all of CLBC's typical programs - including youth, family and day camps - will be offered this summer with some adjustments made to keep campers safe and healthy. She also noted that CLBC recently met with the Oneida County Health Department to communicate best practices to maintain a healthy camp environment.
"We take the health and the safety of our campers seriously," Rudesill said. "We are taking the appropriate steps in conjunction with the health department to make sure that their experience here is fantastic."
Because CLBC was also open to campers last summer with alterations to curb the spread of COVID-19, Rudesill noted the camp will implement similar strategies this year. This includes keeping campers in cohorts, requiring health checks upon arrival, maintaining social distancing, adjusting programming so activities take place outside as much as possible and making sure both campers and staff stay healthy.
"What we are going to do, actually, is maintain many of our adaptations from last year," Rudesill said. "Last year we were able to go through the entire summer without having to shut down, without having any positive tests."
She added that parents will be asked to do a pre-assessment to keep an eye on their kids before coming to camp, so that if a child presents with signs of COVID-19, they are to stay home. When campers arrive, they will be asked a series of health-related questions to ensure youth are healthy and haven't been exposed to the virus.
CLBC's day camp for youth ages 5-13 begins June 14 and runs through Aug. 27. Resident camp for various age groups begins in July. Registration is required two weeks prior to the program start date.
For more information about CLBC's programs and to register, visit www.clbc.net or call (715) 362-2000.
Camp Birchrock
Like CBLC, Camp Birchrock was also open last year with modifications to keep campers healthy. Lexis Morrison, assistant director at Camp Birchrock, said their plans are to offer both residential and day camp this summer.
"We're having more people than last year because we have the lay of the land out and how we separate the groups and everything," Morrison said.
However, she noted there will be a maximum capacity of 50 day campers as well as 20 resident campers, although those numbers are subject to change. Groups will also be split into smaller, age-based cohorts in order to maintain adequate social distancing and most activities will be outdoors.
Morrison said day campers will have their temperatures checked upon arrival and resident campers will also be frequently checked by camp nurses for symptoms of COVID-19.
Camp Birchrock's day camp for ages 6-15 is set to run Monday through Friday from June 7 through Aug. 20. In addition to this, four weeks of youth resident camp will be hosted the last two weeks in July as well as the first and third weeks of August. However, Morrison noted that resident campers can also choose certain days they would like to come to camp rather than staying for the full week.
Although there is no deadline to register, registration will be on a first come, first serve basis due to capacity reasons. For more information and to register, visit campfireoneida.org/campbirchrock/.
YMCA of the Northwoods
Abbie Cline, the school-aged childcare director at the YMCA of the Northwoods, said the Y will also be running a day camp program similar to last year. Since the blueprint for COVID protocol was put into place last year, she noted the Y will maintain many of those same health policies.
"We've been using the same types of policies that we had in place last year because we found we were pretty successful during the summer to be able to run a safe and healthy and fun camp for the youth and family in our community," Cline noted.
Like last year, she said the Y will be more cautious about bringing large groups together in case children develop symptoms of COVID-19. To mitigate this concern, Cline said the Y will employ age-based cohorts to keep youth in smaller groups.
Upon arrival, campers will receive a health screening that includes a temperature check as well as a series of questions to ensure youth aren't showing signs of COVID-19 and haven't been in close contact with the virus. Many activities will take place outside, but when children are indoors, masks will be required.
Cline said their goal is maintain campers' health and safety while providing a fun-filled environment for area youth.
"We want to keep as close to normalcy as possible while still having high-quality, safe and healthy standards at camp," she said.
With the multitude of added stressors as a result of the ongoing pandemic, Cline also noted that sending youth off to camp this summer will be especially important for their social and personal development.
"It's such a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn through the ways they're meant to learn: through play and exploration and self-discovery," Cline explained. "A lot of the kids in our communities and throughout the world right now, they are going through a period of ongoing stress like the rest of us. You can see where they are maybe struggling, or are not necessarily where they would have been without the pandemic in their learning or social skills. Taking the opportunity to send them to a program like a summer day camp is helping to fill that gap and keep them where they should be developmentally."
The Y's day camp will take place at the YMCA of the Northwoods' location in Rhinelander. Youth day camp will run Monday through Friday from June 7 through Aug. 31. Although there is no deadline to register, registration is on a first come, first serve basis as space is limited.
For more information and to register, call (715) 362-9622 or visit ymcaofthenorthwoods.org/programs/camp/summer-day-camp/.
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