Holiday Issue 2009

The original plan was to open registration on December 1st, but we decided to delay this for a week while we worked out the details for two new performing arts camps this coming summer. We are very excited about them, and feel that they are worth the wait.

So, new for 2010, we would like to introduce:

2-Week Dance Camp (in conjunction with the Sheldon Theatre of Red Wing and James Sewell Ballet of Minneapolis)

Taiko Drumming Camp (in conjunction with Mu Performing Arts of the Twin Cities)

Read more about them under "Specialty Camps" on the Summer Youth Camps page: http://www.camppepin.org/summeryouthcamps.htm).

Camp Almanac

October brought some snowfall, but Lake Pepin and the Deer Island woodlands are still too warm to hold onto it for much more than a day. Night-time temperatures typically drop below freezing, causing a morning skim of thin ice just along the Waterfront’s shoreline. Almost all of the trees are now barren of their leaves, clearly revealing the large bald eagle nests that are typically hidden by summer foliage. Most of the Canada Geese have left the Upper Mississippi for places south. Jupiter travels low in the southern sky from sunset to midnight, while the Big Dipper and Leo the Lion are waiting in the eastern sky before sunrise to come forth again and announce spring.

Alumni Celebrate Camp Pepin’s 75th Summer

YMCA Camp Pepin turned 75 years old this year, and a number of alumni came out in July to help us recognize this milestone. Past and present campers, staff, and their families took part in activities that have become part of the camp tradition, including the high ropes course, the target range, arts & crafts, canoeing, and a campfire on the beach. We sang songs in the Dining Hall and heard some great stories about days gone by here at camp. Those in attendance were Julie Austin, Paul Austin, Jenny Carlson, Hunter Carlson, Kelly Caruso, John Dahl, Don Enger, Katie Gramse, Ed Hughes, Makenna Klein, Scott Kolby, Mitch Korbel, Chris McFarlane, Danielle Merrill, William Norman, Amalia Oien, Annika Oien, David Oien, Joetta Oien, Elizabeth Oys, Heidi Ridgeway, Jake Seward, Rebecca Skitt, Jamie Stanley, Amelia Weir, and Bryan Weir. Amy Richcreek Baxter and her family were also able to stop by and visit.

Memorial Day Family Camp – A New Tradition!

Our Alumni Camp in 2009 was just the beginning of an annual tradition. Now, every Memorial Day weekend, Camp Pepin will be hosting a Family Camp session for alumni, their families, and anyone who has never been to Camp Pepin before but would like to become alumni. Memorial Day Family Camp will feature a lot of the great activities that have been a part of camp for years, including the climbing wall, the waterfront, a campfire on the beach, and so much more! Meals will be served family style in our Dining Hall, and accommodations will be available in our cozy and heated lakeside cabins.

The dates for Memorial Day Family Camp 2010 will be Saturday, May 29th – Sunday, May 30th. A registration form will be available on our website under Family Camps at the following link: http://www.camppepin.org/documents/PDFs/Registration%20Form%20for%20Family%20Camp.pdf. We look forward to starting this camp tradition with you!

A BIG Thank You to our Fall Retreat Groups

From right after summer camp ends to right before summer begins again, Camp Pepin hosts a variety of guests that schedule retreats with us in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. This Fall, we were able to meet the wonderful folks from the following groups:

Breck School of Minneapolis, MN

Carleton College Resident Assistants

First Lutheran Church of Lake City, MN

House of Hope Lutheran Church of New Hope, MN

Minnesota Youth Symphonies

Narcotics Anonymous

Northwest Wisconsin Association of the United Church of Christ

TriCounty Bar Association (Buffalo, Jackson, Pepin & Trempealeau Counties)

United Lutheran Church of Red Wing, MN

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Campus Resident Life

University of Wisconsin – La Crosse

Alumni Connections

Kathy (Pederson) Allen (1996-1997) got married and now has three daughters. She lives in Crosslake, MN, and remembers creeking, swamping, a dog wedding that they did at camp, and the talent shows.
Stefanie Billing (2009) says that she has missed sitting around the campfire by Lake Pepin with campers and friends since she’s been back in the UK. She will be continuing her nurse training through a hospital placement next summer. Good luck, Stef!
Tasha Lynne Cheever (2007-2009) is transferring to UW-Stout in Menomonie and will be taking extra classes for her major.
Sam Dunn (2007-2009), Danielle Merrill (2009), and Bryan Weir (2008-2009) recently met for a mini camp reunion in London. Our resident staff there say that it has been quite chilly this fall in the UK.
Chara Elfrink (2004-2006) is living in chicago, and will be finishing her Fashion Design Degree this coming December. Congratulations, Chara!
Dan Gauger (2009) says that he will be focusing on school by taking summer classes, although he is planning to take some family vacation time, as well.
Luke Granholm (2008-2009) got back into the swing of things again in Morris, MN, after this summer. He says that school has been keeping both him and Mikey Spaulding (2006-2009) busy out there on the Minnesota prairie.
Sonja Johnson (2009) has been helping to promote Camp Pepin among her resident hall staff at Winona State University. We look forward to hosting WSU at camp this winter!
Makenna Klein (2006-2009) says that she loves being at Luther College.
Milton Link (2008) worked this summer for YMCA Camp Lowe in Massachusetts before returning to school again in California.
Michelle “Shell” Lucas (2007-2009) has registered with a nanny agency in Perth, Australia, after a trip to Mexico in August with Heidi Ridgeway (2006-2009). We are hoping to soon see Shell on television with her own show: Super Nanny: Aussie Style!
Ruairi “Ru” McDowell (2009) says that he has been back at his university since returning to London from camp this summer and that work is getting tougher. He and Bryan Weir (2008-2009) met in London earlier this fall for some sightseeing.
Colleen McLaughlin (2009) has been working at a daycare in Lincoln, NE, where she is attending school, and stated that she has found a “love for chemistry.”
Amy Miller (1999) says that she loved her summer at camp and worked with the best staff. She now lives in Vermontville, NY.
Megan Neveau (2008-2009) was considering becoming a swim instructor this fall at the Greater Green Bay YMCA. She is attending school at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI.
Heidi Ridgeway (2006-2009) is enjoying her work in Minnesota at a KinderCare – a Learning Center for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old. She went with Michelle “Shell” Lucas (2007-2009) to Mexico at the end of August.
Rebecca Skitt (2008-2009) says that her sister and friend from the UK may be interested in working at camp next summer. Of course, this means that if Becca and her sister were both in charge of Tuesday night campfire, we’d have to call it, “Skitt Night.”

The above entries have been submitted after the Spring Issue 2009 of The Lakesider. More alumni can be found on the Alumni Connections page of Camp Pepin’s website: http://www.camppepin.org/alumniconnections.htm.

Are you a Camp Pepin alum? Let us know what you’re doing either through the Alumni page of camp’s website or by emailing the Camp Director at camp@redwingymca.org. Know of any other alums out there? We’d love to hear from them, too!

Maple Syrup & Family Fun Day: Saturday, March 27th, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Join us at YMCA Camp Pepin for our Maple Syrup & Family Fun Day, where we will doing maple syruping demonstrations with trees that we tap right here at camp. Archery, the Climbing Tower, and Arts & Crafts will also be open. And, of course, we will be serving pancakes and sausage with real maple syrup. The event is free, and everyone’s invited to see what camp is all about! Please RSVP with Joetta at 651-388-4724.

Kimmy’s Korner

Hi folks! It’s Kimmy the Kayaker.

Congratulations to the following winners of my Summer/Fall Issue game:

Manda Vlasak of Apple Valley, MN

Jake Seward of Liverpool, England

Ivy Conrad of Hager City, WI

Dillan Chamberlain of Rochester, MN

Jamie Stanley of Northfield, MN

They will receive a Camp Pepin stuffed animal keychain from the Camp Store for correctly answering the question below:

In September's Photo-of-the-Month (http://www.camppepin.org/photo%20galleries/Photo%20of%20the%20Month/September2009Photo.htm), staff members Oscar, Sam, Bryan, Ed, and Chris are all sitting in front of an American city that they visited during their travels. Look closely at its skyline. What city is this?

The answer is San Francisco, California. Thank you to everyone that played – it was great to hear from you!

My game for the Winter Issue is a trivia game (all answers can be found on YMCA Camp Pepin’s website):

What are the two newest camps at Camp Pepin in 2010?
In the April 2009 Photo-of-the-Month, what activity are the people in the picture getting ready to do?
In the song Beaver Call, what are the rest of the lyrics in this line: “Beavers two, beavers three, …”?
Camp Pepin has been serving the community since when?
In the old days, what was the name of adventurers who forged into the wilderness with the excitement of exploring unfamiliar territory?

Winners with all five correct answers will receive a Camp Pepin flexible flyer Frisbee from the Camp Store. The winners’ names will also be posted in Kimmy’s Korner in the next issue of The Lakesider. Anyone is eligible to play, including campers, staff, and alumni. Good luck and have a great Holiday season – see you at camp!

YMCA Camp Pepin Staff

Scott Kolby, Camp Director

William Norman, Assistant Camp Director

Joetta Oien, Camp Office Manager

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