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The Lakesider Newsletter of YMCA Camp Pepin (Also published on our website at www.camppepin.org)
Spring Issue 2009
Director’s Chat: Returning to Summer Traditions
Wherever you are in the country (or even the world), you have undoubtedly heard reports about the difficulties of the American economy – what some might consider to be troubled times. It has been interesting to observe how troubled times have affected camps in the past.
By the 1970’s, many YMCA’s were considering the liquidation of their camps (Camp Pepin was almost one of them because of a deteriorated dining hall). Enrollment was declining nationwide, and summer camp was becoming less of the tradition that it had been in the previous decades. But, interestingly, as the country was struggling through an oil crisis and a job crisis, volunteers in the Red Wing area had the foresight to see that the crises Americans were facing would actually bring about a yearning to return to traditional family activities, such as summer camp. So these volunteers tore down the old dining hall and spent two years (1976-1978) replacing it with the new one that we still use today. As they had predicted, troubled times did cause people to embrace the basic values and traditions of their youth to pass along to their own sons and daughters. Summer camp enrollment grew, even more-so than many would have predicted. The volunteers here at Camp Pepin in the 1970’s never imagined that camp would become the year-round facility, serving people from all around the world, that it is today.
Many articles in the media have likened what America is experiencing now to what the country went through thirty-some years ago, and a number of people have anticipated that 2009 will again see families less likely to fly to exotic vacation destinations (and, indeed, air travel has seen a decrease) and more likely to return to the less-expensive traditional summer activities, like camp, for themselves and their kids. In fact, I have already talked to the parents of new summer campers this year who have chosen to forego the extended family trip out west in search of something closer to home for their kids (which, of course, also means a week of vacation for the parents while their kids are at camp).
So, in this regard, perhaps history is repeating itself, meaning that Camp Pepin is preparing for even more programs and visitors than ever before. And, thanks to our volunteers from over the years, our dining hall is still standing strong as a place where the new generation of campers can take part in the old camp traditions.
Registration for 2009 Summer Youth Camps Going Strong!
Camp sessions are filling, but there is still time to register. Call our Camp Office Manager, Joetta, at 1-651-388-4724 to find out what dates are still open. You can register over the phone, online (www.camppepin.org), by fax (1-651-388-5340), or by mail (a registration is enclosed). See you this summer at camp! Celebrate Camp Pepin’s 75th Summer at Alumni Camp: July 9-10
In 1935, Red Wing YMCA Director Joe Saul probably never imagined the tradition that he would start when he led a small group of boys to camp on a remote piece of land along Wisconsin’s Lake Pepin shoreline called Deer Island. But 75 summers later, that tradition has grown to include thousands of girls and boys, women and men, who have lived and played here on Deer Island at what is now Camp Pepin.
To celebrate this historic summer, we will be hosting an Alumni Camp this summer on July 9-10. It will be a chance for anyone (and their spouses and families) who has ever been a part of camp to come back, take part in some traditional camp activities, share some camp stories and songs, and rekindle the friendships that are at the core of what camp is all about. Activities will include the Climbing Tower, arts & crafts, archery, swimming, boating, pontoon rides, a campfire on the beach, good food in the Dining Hall (including camp’s famous cookies), and more!
An Alumni Camp Registration Form is enclosed with this newsletter. It can also be downloaded from the Alumni section of Camp Pepin’s website (www.camppepin.org). Shared housing in the cabins and camping is available at camp; private lodging can also be found at one of the nearby motels and inns. We hope to see you back again at camp!
4th Annual Maple Syrup & Family Fun Day
Around 200 people came to YMCA Camp Pepin’s 4th Annual Maple Syrup and Family Fun Day on March 28th. Campers, parents, camp alumni, and area visitors came on Saturday morning to taste real maple syrup on top of pancakes and sausage. Arts & Crafts, Archery, the Climbing Tower, maple syruping demonstrations, and camp tours were also popular activities. It was a perfect way to kick off spring!
The 5th Annual Maple Syrup & Family Fun Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 27th, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at YMCA Camp Pepin.
Thank you to the alumni and staff that volunteered to help out at camp with this event: Katie Gramse, Ben Harkins, Scott Kolby, Mitch Korbel, William Norman, Heidi Ridgeway, Sarah Vitale, Vincenzo Vitale, Manda Vlasak, and Bekky Willis.
Congratulations to the Top Candy Sale Sellers
Our top candy sellers for 2009 are:
$50 Target gift card Lexus & Dylan Marik
$25 Camp Pepin Store Credit Aaron & Amanda Dewall Kiley Smith
$10 Camp Pepin Store Credit Jada Alsted Megan Bartel Austin Bechel Kelly Colwell Madison Curran Cami Doverspike Danielle Eraquam &Vanessa Christiansen Danika & Trevor Fuller Tavis Handy Ryann Jensen Kristian Kennedy Zach & Gavin Kennedy Emma Krajna Dylan Laventure Amia Perkins Matt Ramstad Caitlyn Salmon Arlena Schmidt Emily Vehrenkamp Deyne Yarrington Yarrington Family
Thank you to everyone that participated this year – way to go!
Alumni Connections
The above entries have been submitted after the Holiday Issue 2008 of The Lakesider. More alumni can be found on the Alumni Connections page of Camp Pepin’s website: http://www.camppepin.org/alumniconnections.htm.
Are you a Camp Pepin alum? Let us know what you’re doing either through the Alumni page of camp’s website or by emailing the Camp Director at camp@redwingymca.org. Know of any other alums out there? We’d love to hear from them, too!
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