70 Years of Summer - The Early Years

 We've made it to Friday, and the final installment of new Camp History Project display! (Don't worry - we'll have new additions for the decades we haven't made it to coming up in the future...)

Enjoy, and thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with us - the next updates you'll get are a little bit more current, because our Senior Staff arrives on Monday to put Summer 2021 together!

The Early Years

"Each Succeeding Summer"

1952-1966

70 Years of Summer - 1st Season

It's Thursday, and our Camp History Project has reached a momentous point - the very first summer season at New Jersey's 4-H Camp. 

Summer 1951

 

70 Years of Summer - New Jersey CAN Have a 4-H Camp

We've made it to Wednesday, and things are really getting rolling over at the Camp History Project!

Our third poster covers the fundraising for and construction of New Jersey's brand-new 4-H Camp facility.

70 Years of Summer - A Suitable Site

Happy Tuesday! We're happy to present the second poster in our new Camp History Project display.

It details the correspondence between Lindley G. Cook (Associate Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension) and Charles Wilbur (Director of State Forests in the Department of Conservation) as they   explore the possibility of turning a little piece of state forest with a newly developed lake into a potential camp for the youth of New Jersey.  (It also gives a little information on the Civilian Corps of Conservation, who created that lake.)

"A Suitable Site"

70 Years of Summer

In all the hustle and bustle of moving toward Summer '21 (our first campers arrive three weeks from today!!!!), we've almost overlooked that this summer is 4-H Camp's 70TH ANNIVERSARY: 1951-2021.

Though we'll have to delay some of the in-person celebrations for future anniversaries, we are marking the occasion with new additions to our Camp History Project in the Dining Hall.

We've got five new posters we'll be hanging up to tell the story of some of the early days at 4-H Camp. The posters were compiled from the troves of photos and documents in the 4-H Camp archives, plus all sorts of great material our alumni have recently shared with us.

To pass the time while waiting for our campers to finally arrive and get Summer 2021 started, we thought we'd share them with you this week on the blog as well!

First up is the REAL early day - telling the story of the 4-H Camp program before our site here in Stokes Forest even existed:

New Jersey 4-H Camping Before 4-H Camp

Pre-1950    

(You can see the poster in more detail below, and EVEN MORE detail on your next visit to the Dining Hall. Stay tuned tomorrow for the next poster in our Camp History Project!)

Pick Your Classes!

We're moving full speed toward Summer 2021 at 4-H Camp! 

You can tell, because campers can now select a class to take during their Camp session!

For Summer '21 campers will choose ONE individual class to participate in for their session.

In addition to the classes our campers select, there will be a ton of extra choice-driven activities for them to participate in both individually and in their cabin cohorts – so campers will have the opportunity to partake in almost every camp activity at some point in the session. 

Check out the class options below, and log in to your Camp account to pick your class selection for Summer 2021!

(And we're pretty much filled up for Summer 2021, but we have move campers get bunks off our waitlist and might have a few open spots here and there, so get in touch [973-948-3550] if you'd like to talk about joining us!)

For our campers attending Session #5: S'moregasbord, they'll get to choose one class and one BIG class. The BIG class will be how our campers spend a good portion of their extended time at 4-H Camp during our BIG session.

 

Just A Few Open Bunks!

 

We're almost to June, which means we're almost to the month before Summer Camp!

If you'd still like to join us for Summer 2021, we've got just a handful of bunks still available for female campers for Session #1, July 5th to the 10th.

However, if that doesn't line up for you, we also encourage you to join one of our waitlists! We've had bunks open up and been able to bring campers into our sessions, so please do join a waitlist for the potential opportunity to join us this summer.

Sign up or join a waitlist here!

Join the Counselor Staff for Summer 2021!

 

We're assembling a truly excellent summer staff this year at 4-H Camp, and we've still got room for a just few more counselors to join us!

So if you (or someone you know) is 18 or older and wants to spend the summer living in beautiful Stokes State Forest, living the camp lifestyle, and helping provide campers with a magnificent post-isolation summer, then you should consider joining our team! 

Staff Training starts June 27th and the season runs all the way until the end of our "BIG" session on August 21st.

Interested parties should reach out to us at the Camp Office (973-948-3550 or camp.director@rutgers.edu) for more details or apply here!

Help Us Prepare For Summer With a Spring Family Picnic!

 

Yes, indeed, 4-H Camp will be back in action for Summer 2021, and you can help us get ready by joining for a Spring Family Picnic!

Now that we know we'll have the Camp Family all back together again in July, we've got some spring cleaning to do! You can help by coming to 4-H Camp for a spring family picnic, helping with a work project, and enjoy some quality time outdoors around Lake Shawanni.

You can even help us move this tree. (One very little piece at a time.)

Details are below, and sign up here!

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Families will be able to stroll around our facility, hike some trails right here at Camp or venture out into Stokes State Forest, go fishing, and just enjoy some spring sunshine, budding flowers and green grass surrounding Lake Shawanni. 


Social distancing measures will be in place. Picnics are limited to the persons in a single household. Other than access to a rest room and our Rec Hall during inclement weather, families will not have any access to buildings or indoor facilities. 

In accordance with Rutgers University Health and Safety policies, staff will not be on hand to assist with programs, but your family can enjoy the rare opportunity of having 4-H Camp almost entirely to yourselves.



These picnics will be part of our "Make the Best (LOOK) Better Campaign" as we work to have L.G. Cook 4-H Camp looking better than ever before to welcome campers back for Summer '21. 


Families can book a 4-H Camp visit one of two ways, either by paying a fee that will go directly to support facility improvements and upkeep, or by volunteering to help complete a service project during your visit. (The fee is optional, and starts at $100 per family.)


Picnic days will have a window of availability from 10am to 4pm. Your family can arrive when you choose, and stay as long as you'd like.

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• 4-H Camp will not be able to provide any food or beverages. Families are welcome to pack a picnic lunch, or upon sign-up we'll let you know about some local food options as well.
• Guests will not have access to any 4-H Camp buildings, outside of a restroom assigned specifically for your family.
• To follow the health and safety guidelines outlined by Rutgers University, family visits are strictly limited to members of your own household. Families are not permitted to bring friends, neighbors, or campers from other households.
• We will be keeping our capacity for these picnics quite low, but it is possible that a few other families might be in attendance the same day as you. Our outdoor facility should allow families to keep a distance far greater than six feet, but if you come in contact we strongly recommend that you wear a face covering to protect yourself and those around you. Please respect any other families on site by just waving and saying hello by the substantial distance our wide open 4-H Camp allows.
• Our guidelines follow those of Rutgers University, the NJ governor, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Sign up for a weekend visit here!

(Weekday visits are also available upon request!)

We're Back.

Oh yes, it's been a long and lonely 13 months, but we are happy to announce that this summer campers will be returning to 4-H Camp.

We have a tiered registration schedule for Summer 2021. We are beginning with campers who credited their payments from last season, then to returning campers who were signed up for 2020, then on to new campers and open registration. If you have a credit or were signed up for Summer 2020, you will receive an email when registration is open to you. If not, please join our mailing list to be notified when registration is open to new campers. Please call the Camp Office (973-948-3550) with any and all questions.

Please see our website for more info on 4-H Camp's COVID protocols.

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In addition to just being excited about BEING BACK AT CAMP, we're excited to be bringing something new and revolutionary to the 4-H Camp program - the BIG session - 18 days straight of summer camp this August.