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By Matt Surtel, The Daily News, 2/25/08
Ask Michael Bonner and he'll rattle off just
what Camp Wyomoco offers every summer.
Bonner, 14, should know. He's been attending
for the past six years, for any number of reasons: Meeting
friends from home and far away, and the sheer scope of activities.
He attended again last July.
"It was awesome," he said on a recent
school holiday. "They have lots of activities. You
have a lot of friends there, and it's really fun.
"There was canoeing, rocketry - when
you make your own rocket and stuff - fishing, and water
games in the pond. There's nature and the outside, and it's
really fun."
Bonner's experience wasn't an accident, nor
a random occurrence. In fact, it's just what organizers
aim for every year at the 4-H camp.
And it will be much the same this summer,
with weekly themes including a tropical vacation, pirates
and the Olympics.
Not to mention specialty focuses including
the annual horse camp, veterinary science, and more.
"I think we have 18 different program
choices during the day," said Manager Shawn Tiede.
"We have a fairly wide range of campers, and it's a
co-ed camp, so we have lots of different things to take
into account when we're planning our programs."
This year's camp opens the week of July 6,
and will continue through August. It will mix numerous new
programs with the camp's traditional favorites.
Another popular program will be blended with the regular
camping season.
"One of the things we're going to do this year is run
our 4-H horse camp in conjunction with week one," he
said. "So there will be an opportunity for our horse
camp and our regular campers to be in camp at the same time."
Gardening science will be among this year's new specialty
camps, he said. The idea is to plant several types of gardens
- such as vegetables, flowers and herbs - which campers
will learn to plant and maintain.
Camp staff are working out a way so the harvests will be
served as part of the camp's dinners.
Tiede said Wyomoco will also offer a special cooking camp
for young people 12 to 16 years old. Planning is still under
way, but the idea is to teach kitchen basics, along with
more-advanced techniques from the experts.
"Our hope is to work with kids and introduce them to
locally-grown products, tour some restaurant kitchens if
we can, and have some of the local cooks and chefs come
in to work with the kids - actually have the kids cookinig
each day if we can," Tiede said.
The "Go Wild!" program will teach skills such
as building and maintaining trails and habitats, including
hands-on fishing, trail-building, and forestry, he said.
An additional week has been added for the camp's popular
soccer program, while veterinary science will return.
Beyond that, the regular camp will have its traditional
theme weeks, such as the aforementioned pirate and tropical
vacation activities.
"The overall themes tie the whole week together,"
Tiede said. "It doesn't matter if a camper is focused
in the horse area all week or they're doing a variety of
things. From day one when they get to camp, the theme is
visible and present throughout all the evening activities,
the campfires and things like that."
That adds up to fun for campers such as Bonner.
"You're always doing something," he said. "And
if you're not in one of the classes, you're in central camp
playing tetherball, foursquare, or whatever... I think everybody
will enjoy it.
"There's stuff for everybody," he continued. "There's
a class for drama and stuff, and everybody will enjoy it."
Attendance isn't limited to 4-H'ers or Wyoming County residents.
The camp has hosted young people from as far away as Florida,
and has expanded its attendance to include people up to
16 years old.
Which is part of the science for the camp's staff - designing
a week-long experience which is fun and educational for
everybody.
"We want to stay ahead of the curve," Tiede said.
"You don't want to get caught behind last year's trends.
You want to stay on top of what youth are looking for, and
especially parents. You've got to make sure it's appealing
to the families."
http://www.campwyomoco.com
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