As camp wraps up its final week, Directors Kathleen Hand (Cornwall) and Jennifer Borland (Cornwall-on-Hudson) shared some highlights of the summer.
The trips are always the most popular with the campers, especially the visit to Splashdown Beach. The weather happened to be perfect for the day in the park.
Both camps added two new trips to their itinerary. With the June opening of Sands Ring Homestead, the fifth through seventh graders in the village camp and the fifth through eighth graders in town, toured the historic site and made corn husk dolls. The younger children were excluded because they’ll have the chance to take the same tour as part of a school trip.
Most of the kids had never been in the building before. Many had passed the building without knowing what it was. Hand said a lot of her campers asked who lived there, how they survived without electricity, and if specific items inside were authentic to the time period.
Both Hand and Borland had taken the tour in elementary school and were able to appreciate it more the second time.
“Going back as an adult, it’s just a different experience than going as a child,” Borland said. “You’re more interested in the history behind it and the historical value it has for the community.”
Also new this year the village campers got to visit Storm King Art Center. They were amazed by the size of the sculptures. The town campers took two buses to the Bronx Zoo on one of the hottest days of the summer. Hand said the restaurant and some of the exhibits were air conditioned, so it wasn’t too bad. The kids loved the gorilla and the monorail which traversed the Asian animal habitats.
Back home, the kids have their favorite theme days and camp activities which will surely be brought back next year.
Hand said the kids have been obsessed with ultimate Frisbee and organized camp-wide games. Kickball matches were also established. Carnival day is among the favorites with the village campers. The day includes the popular dunk tank, snow cones, lemonade, hot dogs, and music.
