New Family Weekend is just three days away! The comfort and excitement of our new campers and their families is a top priority, so LOC opens its “doors” just three weeks before opening day! It’s our official start-of-summer!

To truly experience camp life in all its glory, each new camper family gets a cabin to stay in overnight. It’s really a perfect way to see the facilities, experience the activities and get a taste of bunk life. This weekend is also a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends, their families and our awesome camp leaders.

There is nothing like these first sounds of summer: children’s laughter echoing throughout camp, balls bouncing on the courts, crickets chirping at night and even the sound of the cabin doors opening and closing. It’s a right of passage for all LOC campers to smell a campfire and taste a s’more. And there is nothing that brings the day to an end like breathing in fresh mountain air, gazing up at millions of stars in the sky, singing arm-in-arm with incredible children and adults, all with the same goal in mind: becoming acclimated and excited for the best summer ever.

Even for parents, having this inside perspective and first-hand experience of what camp is truly like is incredibly valuable. The weekend provides parents and campers alike with that extra bit of confidence and comfort.

Created so that each new camper’s first night at camp is not actually his “first night at camp,” this weekend is truly such fun and so very special.

We can’t wait to welcome many of our new families on Saturday!

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2. You have a pile in your house for “camp stuff.”

3. You’re having dreams about that amazing moment on the first day of camp when get out of the car or the bus and smell the Greeley air for the first time!

4. You are doodling “LOC” on your papers at school.

5. Your chat with your bunkmates every day, trying to guess what cabin you’ll be in.

6. You’ve already made your Visiting Day list in your head

7. You’ve already started planning for Theme Bunk.

8. You know exactly what you want for your first canteen.

9. You check the weather in Greeley daily.

10. You check the camp website every day to see the countdown to camp number get smaller and smaller! (Its 30 days today!!!)

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Gear: Your favorite hoodie (hooded sweatshirt), lots of socks (when you think you packed enough, pack more!), rain shoes, comfortable athletic shorts, white T-shirt for tie-dye, sunglasses.

Bedding: Warm blanket or comforter in addition to a light one. We know, we know- it’s summer! But we are in the rural mountains and the nights and mornings are cool! If you’re coming from overseas, don’t worry. We’ve got you!

Equipment: What will you be doing at camp? Will you need something specific for your activity? (Think baseball mitt, tennis racket, etc.)

Everyday Stuff: Sunscreen, water bottle, laundry bag, casual watch (you won’t have your phone with you to tell you the time!), headphones, pen and paper (to actually write letters!).

Fun: Theme-night clothes or wacky gear, clothes for a day off out of camp, bunk games like Jacks or a deck of cards.

Random awesomeness: Guitar (if you play), Diablo, juggling balls, playlist of music for your bunk, flag from your country, college gear, photos of your family and friends.

And most importantly, bring a camp state of mind: a sense of humor, enthusiasm, a great attitude, openness to try new things, excitement to meet new people and the realization that you are about to embark on an incredible, rewarding adventure that is truly life-changing!

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Since the summer of 1961, Lake Owego Camp has continued to grow and become the camp it is today. Before we start the summer of 2016, here is a quick look back at some of the physical changes that the camp has gone through.

The Lower Field was the main activity area of camp, with a ropes course and basketball court. Today, the field is used for baseball and ultimate Frisbee, and it’s home to the Silverdome (one of our two indoor facilities for sports). Until the Upper Field was cleared, soccer used to be played on the Lower Field. Starting this summer, the Lower Field will also house our brand new golf range and putting green!

One of the first things you see upon entering camp is our adventure area, including climbing walls, a zip line, a giant swing, and the other low ropes elements. That area was once used for archery, and rock climbing took place on the outside part of the infirmary.

When you head up to the Hughie Black Center for basketball, weights, or fencing, imagine that as an open space just for basketball. South Courts, which are the other basketball courts, were also used for street hockey with removeable boards.

From South Courts, as you look across to Jacoby Field (the Upper Field), you’ll see an area that  was all woods until the mid-1980’s. It took nearly ten years for all the rocks to be removed so that the field could be completely safe. Today, the field is used for soccer, lacrosse and football, and it’s the host for many evening activities under the lights, and of course, the flames that burn for the beginning and ending of Frontier Week.

Until we had our covered Scotty’s Stage, most of the rainy day activities took place in the Rec Hall. At one point, the Rec Hall was also used for weightlifting, computers, and phone calls!

Underneath the Rec Hall was the home of arts and crafts. Now, there is a wall that separates canteen and the counselor lounge. The space used to be one big room and the sides were completely open.

As you continue to walk around camp, Crockett used to be the Dining Hall and there were only 4 bunks. These facts would be unimaginable to today’s LOC campers who live in 17 named bunks, plus the tents. We’re not sure how many of today’s bunks we could even fit into Crockett for a meal!

There have been many changes since the first campers walked through the gates of Lake Owego in 1961. However, despite all of the physical changes, the heart of Owego has never changed. We are brothers that look out for each other regardless of if it’s your first or tenth summer at camp.

The wait is almost over, so whether a camper or counselor, your time to create your own summer history will begin the moment you pass through the gates. We can’t wait.

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One of the best and most important lessons of camp is learning how to be a part of a team. Whether an inter-camp game, Frontier Week, or the camp play, team environments are all around us and become a major way in which we interact at camp. When you think about it, your bunkmates are your teammates, too. Each person in the bunk brings something unique to the group, whether a funny personality, amazing guitar skills, or a cool magic trick. Your bunk is only as great as each person, and each person is valued for making up your bunk!

When we embrace this team mindset at camp, we learn to respect one another and ourselves. The teamwork skills we gain at camp end up translating to other areas of our lives outside of Greeley.

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We can give our children many things, send them to excellent schools, take them on trips around the world, buy them books to read. But, as parents, we cannot give them character. Independence, grit, empathy, self-control, optimism, enthusiasm – these are qualities that children have to discover or develop on their own. And that, is the true gift of camp. It provides a safe environment to find adventure, friendship and ultimately to find oneself, to find one’s true character.

And that can make all the difference in the world.

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The people you meet, the friends you make: You will form lifelong friendships at camp. Although 8 weeks may not seem like a long time, when you are living and working in a group setting and in close proximity to others, you create bonds that normally could take years to form. Many of your co-workers will be from other parts of the country or other parts of the world. The takeaway is learning about different cultures, having new and exciting places to visit, and realizing we all have a lot to offer as our world becomes a lot smaller.

Expense-free living: Camp provides food and housing and for some, a travel allowance. As a camp counselor, you’ll find yourself spending most of your time walking around camp with smiling campers, doing the activity you love, or singing songs around a campfire thinking, “I’m getting paid to do this?!”

Being outdoors: While many of your friends are behind a desk or making copies, you are spending every day (and most evenings!) outside. You can jump right in and learn a new activity with your campers, or help teach a sport you are passionate about all in the fresh air and sunshine. Have a period off? Why not jump in the lake?

The kids: They are the reason why you are here in the first place. Having the rare opportunity to make a major impact on a group of kids is probably what you’ll love most about your job. Being a role model and being looked up to by your campers is one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have and it will have a long lasting impact on both you and your campers – probably more of an impact than you’ll even realize.

It’s a resume builder: Camp is the perfect place to gain experience in a lot of areas and looks very impressive on your resume. Being a camp counselor requires a lot of multitasking, responsibility, flexibility, adaptability, teamwork and many other challenges and surprises. You learn to live and work with a variety of personalities and that is a skill that you can bring to any workplace.

Learn about yourself: The opportunity to learn and grow from a camp experience in limitless. At the end of the summer, you will realize things about yourself that you never knew before. You’ll reflect upon all of your new strengths, which you’ll find could be anything from social skills to caretaking, to coaching skills and multitasking. Pat yourself on the back! You deserve it.

Those who know and love camp and whose lives have been impacted by their summer days working at camp cannot think of a better way to spend their summers. Sound good to you? Apply here today!

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