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Climbing to new heights

1 January 2004

 Dayton Business Journal

Camp Kern spending $1M to stay ahead of the pack

By Caleb Stephens
DBJ Senior Reporter

Come spring and fall, thousands of Dayton school children take a 45-minute bus ride to Camp Kern, a 425-acre campground in Oregonia where they learn about Ohio history, nature and outdoor living.

The camp has been a rite of passage for local youths as well as a valuable tool for countless school districts.

More than 30,000 people traipse around Camp Kern each year, including 14,000 fourth, fifth and sixth graders from various school districts such as Kettering, Centerville and West Carrollton. The students learn about natural history as well as Ohio history.

But the camp business has gotten more competitive, so Camp Kern has invested millions of dollars to keep groups chugging in and attract new users. This year, Camp Kern built the Kessling Media Center, equipped with a radio station and a 65-foot climbing wall, and currently is building a $700,000 assembly center, said Jeff Merhige, executive director of Camp Kern.

Camp Kern is under the umbrella of the YMCA of Greater Dayton and has a $2.5 million annual operating budget, most of which it earns through its year-round use. Camp Kern -- which costs between $350 and $500 per week to attend -- is located in eastern Warren County, past a string of white-fenced farm houses. It is the largest camp in the state of Ohio and among the 15 largest in the country.

But the camp has been somewhat limited.

"One of our biggest complaints we've got at Camp Kern is we didn't have enough meeting space," Merhige said.

While there are dozens of cabins to accommodate overnight guests, groups seeking day-time visits had no meeting area. The new 10,000-square-foot assembly center will serve day-time visitors such as scout troops, church groups or anyone else who doesn't need to stay overnight.

It also will serve as a banquet center.

"We've never had the ability for day groups," he said.

Merhige doesn't have expectations on how many more visitors the center would attract. But he said the recent expansion also will serve the current crop of yearly visitors.

The new amenities will enhance the students' stay.

The media center, which opened in June, features a camp radio station where campers can make announcements and handle all the day-to-day operations. The center also has a photo lab and digital photography equipment.

The camp also added a 65-foot "Double X Tango Tower." The climbing tower has eight sides with a variety of possible climbing types such as two rock climbing walls, net and rope climbing and beams.

The pressure is on all camps these days to stand out, said Anne Brienza, executive director of YMCA Willson Outdoor Center, a 450-acre camp in Bellefontaine.

Brienza, who also sits on the board of directors of the Ohio chapter of the American Camp Association, said new camps are sprouting up across the state. She said there are more than 100 accredited camps in Ohio and that existing camps must add new, exciting programs and keep their facilities fresh to keep groups clambering for their camp.

"We have to constantly go in and make sure we're meeting the needs of our current population," Brienza said.

At her camp, she's about to embark on a major renovation of her cabins, which haven't been upgraded for decades. Willson draws more than 6,000 school children each year and parents want some modern amenities for their kids. She said day camp visitors are a viable market provided the camp sits near populated areas and doesn't sit in the boonies.

Camp Kern, which sits about halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati, draws from a large population base.

The camp offers programs that are part of Ohio's school curriculum such as early Ohio history. The staff dresses in pioneer clothing and teaches visitors about early pioneer life or about the likes of General Anthony Wayne and the various Native American tribes.

The campground possesses natural elements that can be used as educational tools, such as a fossil ravine along the Little Miami River.

At night, the children sleep inside the small, dark brown cabins and then hike, fish and learn to sew during their stay. The camp also offers an array of outdoor activities ranging from archery to candle making. Camp Kern employs 57 people in the off season and more than a hundred during the summer.

Merhige said all the long-standing features along with the new amenities will enhance the camp for years to come.

"What this does is allow us to meet the needs of our existing clients and broaden our offering," he said.