Area Camps Come In All Shapes, Prices

By James Cummings and Aaron Powell Jr.
Dayton Daily News

OREGONIA | Jeff Mehridge said if he was still a kid, he'd definitely want to go to summer camp, but he'd have a hard time deciding which activities to pursue. Mehridge was head of the equestrian program at Camp Kern in the 1990s and now is the camp's executive director.

"I started my career here in charge of the horses, and I guess that's my first love," Mehridge said. "But I think our High Adventure program is great, too. Maybe I'd have to spend a week at each one."

Camp Kern has several stables where campers spend the summer learning to ride and to care for horses, and the High Adventure program is designed to develop character and team spirit through a series of outdoor challenges.

Camp Kern has several other summer camp programs besides the two Mehridge mentioned, and a listing in the Dayton Daily News last month indicates the Miami Valley has more than 100 other summer camps to choose from. No matter what a child wants to do and no matter what a parent wants to pay, there's probably a local camp that can accommodate them.

There are traditional recreation and craft camps, nature camps, sports camps, educational camps, religious study camps, camps for young people with disabilities, theater camps and even day camps for pre-schoolers as young as 3.

A few camps are free, but typically day camps run from about $50 to $100 a week while "sleep-away" camps generally cost $400 or more.

Most schools are ending their years in the next week or so, and area day camps and overnight camps are gearing up for another season. They play an important role in providing summer child care for working parents during the hours children would normally be at school.

"Kids miss out on a lot because they're not in school and parents aren't always able to spend the kind of time with the children that they'd like," said Euna Thompson, coordinator for the Tabernacle Baptist Church day camp in Dayton. "We don't want the summer to be a waste of time; we think summer is another opportunity for children to learn."

Dave Devey agrees. Devey, the director of Falcon Camp, a smaller, more remote camp based in Carrollton, believes that camps like his encourage the growth of young people and help them learn how to make good choices.
Anna Taylor of Alpha has been sending her children to camp for years, and her daughter Amanda, 16, will be a counselor in training at Camp Kern this year.

Camp Kern, a division of the Greater Dayton YMCA, is the largest camp in Ohio and has 30,000 guests a year. It's primarily a summer camp from June through August, but the 425-acre facility also functions as a business retreat and conference center the rest of the year.

Taylor said her children love the camp, and she and her husband think having teenagers in camp is a lot better than having them with boring time on their hands at home. It's an opportunity to be independent of parents, while interacting with other young people.

"There's no television, there's no telephone, and they're spending their time outdoors," Taylor said. "Our oldest son was always happiest when he came back from a week at camp. That was when he was dirtiest, too."

Amanda said she enjoys camp because it's a time when she gets to feel free.
"Sometimes we'll just decide to do a cheer or sing," she said. "When you're at camp you get to do things on impulse that you just don't get to do during the school year."

The day camp at Tabernacle Baptist Church has a strong educational emphasis, Thompson said. She's a retired music teacher, and most of the others who run the camp are either retired or current teachers.
For two weeks in June, she said kids at the day camp have fun, but get a lot accomplished. Many of the attendees go to the church, but the camp is open to any child ages 6 to 14.

"There's language arts, and enrichment in mathematics, music, arts and crafts, African-American studies and we have a physical education program," she said. "There's a big outdoor play area across the street from the church, and we have games for indoors when it rains.

"We read Bible stories and then have discussion groups. We try to help the children learn how the Biblical truths apply to their daily lives."
For Devey, camp is a year-round thing.

"This isn't just a summer job for me," he said. "This is what I do."
Devey's been running Falcon Camp for the past 20 years, and has been connected with it for 38 years as either a camper or a counselor. The camp is now in its 45th year of operation.

From June to August, Falcon offers children ages 6 to 16 the opportunity to spend two, four, six or eight weeks on a variety of activities ranging from archery to arts and crafts from June to August.

Devey said with only 110 campers, a family-like atmosphere is achieved relatively quickly and easily.

Campers are able to choose from a variety of activities broken up into four different areas, and children can do whatever they want in that area. "If you want to go canoeing every day, you can," Devey said.

While a two-week program exists, a majority of students go for the four-week camp. Devey said this allows campers to go in-depth and really learn the different activities. The price ranges from $651 to $800 per week.

Falcon has a 70 percent return rate each year, Devey says, so that campers and counselors tend to get to know each other. Parents call him in the winter, keeping in touch and talking about their children.

"Parents take an interest in Falcon because we spend time helping people decide if this is the best place for their children," Devey said.

It seems that no matter what camp a child may attend, time spent not watching television over the summer is time well spent.