Summer camps talk reopening amid pandemic
High demand for summer camp in Mid-South By Arianna Poindexter | March 12, 2021 at 6:50 PM CST - Updated March 14 at 10:22 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Swimming, s’mores and summer sunsets are all part of a traditional summer camp experience that thousands of kids missed out on last year amid the pandemic.
“This time last year it was in crisis mode,” said Matthew Coussan.
Coussan is the Director of the Grove at Red Oak Lake, a faith-based camp and retreat center in Cordova.
During a typical summer, most of the camp’s 22 cabins would be filled with people, but because of the pandemic, the camp industry took a major hit.
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Last year, the pandemic closed 82% of overnight camps and 40% of day camps.
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What’s in store for kids at summer camp this year
Here’s what you should know before deciding on sleepaway camp this summer for your kids. Helen H. Richardson/Denver Post via Getty Images, FILE
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on summer camps.
There s still a lot of uncertainty and camps that have lasted for generations are now asking for help as parents. Camp is a really special tradition in our country, said Tom Rosenberg, CEO and president of the American Camp Association (ACA). Kids have been going to camp for over 150 years with some of the earliest camp directors actually being teachers.
Happy campers: More overnight camps to reopen this summer concordmonitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from concordmonitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mar 10, 2021
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) There are going to be more happy campers this summer as more camps choose to reopen despite the pandemic, providing millions more kids an opportunity to gather around a campfire.
Most camp directors sat out last summer as the virus raged across the country, either because of state restrictions that barred them from opening or because of concerns about keeping kids healthy. But with cases declining and more people vaccinated each day, many are feeling more confident about reopening this season.
Parents are currently scrambling to get their kids signed up before slots are filled in many states like Maine, where at least 100 overnight camps will be open. But some states have yet to release their operating guidelines.
PORTLAND, Maine There are going to be more happy campers this summer as more camps choose to reopen despite the pandemic, providing millions more kids an opportunity to gather around a campfire.Most camp directors sat out last summer as the virus.