'Camp' Camp Has a New Home!

We’re so excited about our move to a new (to us) summer camp for ‘Camp’ Camp 2024! Our previous host camp felt like home to many of us, especially after over two decades there, but – for a variety of reasons – it was time to move on. When we toured this new site back in August, we just got more & more excited thinking about what Camp would look like at this new facility. If you've been concerned that Camp would be too rustic for you, our new host camp will be more to your liking: it's going to be like moving to the Waldorf after years at Motel 6! (As summer camps go, anyway...)

This new site will allow us to expand the ‘Camp’ Camp experience in any number of exciting ways. While some of the information here will make the most sense to folx who have been to Camp in the past, we thought it still would be helpful to share some initial information about the new facility. It is definitely going to provide for an upgraded experience (especially in regards to cabins/accommodations), so it may hold more appeal to those who have had hesitations about joining us at Camp in the past.

Location

• Our new site is located in central Maine, between Augusta and Bangor. Portland, Maine will still be the preferred transportation hub for those using public transportation as it offers better prices and flight options than the closer Bangor airport.
• We will still offer complimentary shuttles from Portland International Jetport and Portland Transportation Center; however, at around 80 minutes, the drive from Portland to the new site is longer than the drive to our previous site. Drive times from Boston and Manhattan are showing on Apple Maps as being about 3 and 7 hours, respectively. 
• The longer drive time from Portland to the new site means we'll most likely be adjusting how shuttle runs from Portland are scheduled. Registration confirmation e-mails will contain some updated recommendations regarding arrival times, etc. 
• One of our requirements during our site search was that a new site must be more manageable/ accessible for Campers with mobility issues than our previous site with its hills down to the waterfront and select cabins – and we found one! With the exception of some athletic courts and (ironically) the Health Center, most of the new campus is essentially on one level.
• Our rental includes use of golf carts which will allow us to further accommodate Campers with mobility issues. We anticipate we’ll be establishing some sort of “trolley route” throughout the campus which will prioritize folx with mobility issues and Campers who need to get from one end of campus to another in order to make an activity start time.

Accommodations

• The camp offers about twenty communal cabins that can sleep 12-18 Campers each, depending on the cabin. Located in a centralized “village,” they feature beds with built-in dresser drawers, bathroom facilities with private toilet & shower stalls, and air-conditioning. Wall shelving units and additional free-standing dressers are also featured.
• The best news here? No top bunks! All of the communal cabins at the new site feature single beds and will still allow us to accommodate more Campers than we could at our previous facility. (Yes, those are bunk beds you see in the photo above, but the cabins each have just a few top bunks that are used by our host camp's cabin counselors.)
• A limited number of private and semi-private cabins located apart from the cabin village will also be available on a first-come/first-serve basis for an additional fee. These surcharges will be tiered, as these cabins offer a variety of options, from something comparable to a small, stand-alone motel room featuring full-size (double) beds to “semi-private” cabins with multiple private sleeping rooms with single or full beds and shared baths. 
• This new rental includes towel service, so you won't need to pack bath or beach towels, leaving you even more room for costumes and glittery things! (You'll still need to bring your own pillows & bed linens, and we’ll still have complementary pillows and sleeping bags available if you're traveling via air/bus/train.)

Activities

• This new host camp is situated on a lake peninsula with over one mile of waterfront that includes an Aqua Park and separate areas for watercraft, fishing, etc. Besides the opportunities their amazing waterfront offers, they also have a 25-meter, 4.5’ deep, outdoor, heated swimming pool with lanes for competitive swimming and three 200’ waterslides that run through a wooded area before emptying into the pool!
• In addition to the expanded waterfront options, the new facility will allow us to add a number of new activities to Camp's already full Activities Schedule, including horseback riding, archery, fishing, bowling, sewing, woodworking, and tubing/waterskiing.
• Please note that we cannot yet guarantee that we’ll be able to offer all of the new activities made possible by this move for Camp 2024, including those mentioned above. As always, our ability to offer any activity depends on securing both staff for those activities and, for higher risk activities like horseback riding and waterskiing, the appropriate/affordable insurance coverage. We’ll provide details on the full activity line-up for 2024 as we know more.
• And just wait ‘til you see where our 2024 Talent/No Talent Show will be! This new facility has a real (air-conditioned!) theatre with (comfortable!) seating for 450 in real (red velvet!) theatre seats, along with a light board and sound system with mic packs.