Greetings, Woodstockers!
As I am writing to you from the Wirth Panorama in the boathouse on a beautiful fall morning, the leaves are changing and my reminiscing on the past summer is in full effect. Looking back at the 100th summer of Camp Woodstock, I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of that and the upcoming summer too. In working alongside Tony and Megan, our 2023 planning phase began the second that the 100th summer came to an end. Our goal for the upcoming year is to create an even better experience for everyone across the board. Soon we will start bringing together the incoming support staff team to collaborate on new night games, choice acts, and all camp events.
Once the process of getting the team together begins, we will start ramping up our Instagram and looking for all of you Woodstockers to help build the energy that will carry us into the summer season! We cannot wait to hear and see all of the excitement that our community has in the off-season! We would love to see as many of you register as early as possible to secure your 2023 camp experience. And come springtime I hope to see you at one of our many volunteer days. Whether you are a camp family or an alum, we would love to see you come out on one of our volunteer work days and help paint a cabin, or my personal favorite, clean up the grounds after the winter storms! It takes an army to get this place ready. As for Tony, myself, and the rest of the crew, we wouldn’t have anyone else but the Woodstocker army standing with us. The best part is that if you can’t make it to a volunteer day, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of our crew. We want to see people wearing our merch, posting on social media, spreading the word, or making a donation to the cause via our website! With donations and volunteer work, we are able to use our resources to create camper scholarships and spread the love to anyone who wants to be a Woodstocker. In fact, last year we had 120 campers here due to the generosity of our families and alumni Woodstockers!
My hope for this year is to make it the year of night games and new experiences for new and old campers alike, while maintaining timeless Woodstock traditions. Traditions like CHAOS, campfires, and especially reflections in our cabins, are the building blocks to a great summer in the pines. For those returning to camp this summer, you can look forward to seeing your favorite counselors back to lead activities and be characters in your favorite games. Maybe one of them will be the reaper! New and old campers alike should start thinking about the choice acts that they might want to try so they can find something new to try or something old to practice! For a list of our choice activities, take a look at the website. For new campers that have never experienced camp, I can’t wait to see how much you will love all of our activity spaces like the waterfront, the art barn, and the climbing tower! Come springtime, I urge anyone who has never been here before to schedule a tour of our grounds and facilities with some of our awesome staff! Get a leg up on your comfort here in the pines by getting a chance to meet some of the staff who are here throughout the year!
With all of that said, there is one thing at the front of my mind- I want every single Woodstocker to feel the love and spirit. Never forget to look at our family camp weekends and our volunteer days. On cold winter days, look at pictures to reminisce on the feeling of walking down main trail with your best friends and hopping in the lake to cool off during one of our notoriously hot free swim afternoons. Enjoy your season and never forget to come together and catch up with your fellow Woodstockers.
In the Spirit of Woodstock, and with love, I hope you all remember what it feels like to be a part of Camp and spread the CHoRR values wherever you go. In the words of Tony, Who are We? … WOODSTOCKERS… And don’t you forget it!
Nick DeMaio
22’ 23’ Program Director and Life Long Woodstocker
FACILITY UPDATES THANKS TO THE “100 YEAR PROMISE”
From Carey Greene – Camp Woodstock Board of Advisors
The Woodstock team plus multiple contractors have been busy this off season continuing with the next construction phase of the 100 Year Promise Capital Campaign. Additionally, numerous other scheduled facility enhancements and maintenance updates are also underway in order to ready both sleepaway and day camp for the 2023 camping season.
TWO NEW CABINS AND SIX CABIN ENHANCEMENTS
The trailside leaders cabin located next to the boys’ bath house was picked up and moved this fall to a new location by Fenway Park to make room for a new boys’ cabin. Additionally, a few small trees and underbrush were removed to make room for a new girls’ side cabin located left of cabin #17. Both new cabins are designed for 10 campers and 3 leaders. The 6 cabins scheduled for enhancement will have several bunks removed and features added to make cabin life more enjoyable and comfortable. Camp will not be increasing the overall number of campers served, but rather improve the overall ratio of leaders to campers for each cabin group. Camp Woodstock is committed to ensuring a quality experience for each camper and this realignment will help with attaining that goal. The cabin enhancement project is being funded by the Capital Campaign.
UPGRADES IN THE PINES
This winter our carpentry friends from Ellis Tech will be rebuilding an original section of the elevated connecting deck and stairs in the Yurt Village. Improved air circulation and additional light will improve Yurt living when overgrown underbrush surrounding the Yurts is thinned over the winter months. Also, a small parking area to the north of the floor hockey rink will be expanded to facilitate overflow parking for special events. Ellis Tech will also be replacing the porch stairs at Roskin Lodge. The old archery shed that has been used as a wood shed and gathering place will be removed in preparation for a new pavilion tentatively scheduled for the 2024 season.
LAKESIDE DINING HALL WATER FILTRATION
After multiple interventions and the completion of multiple tests by multiple companies the correct solution to solve the high mineral water content issue at the dining hall has been solved. While the water has always been safe to consume the high iron content had been troublesome. A new high-capacity filtration system was installed this past fall and is receiving rave reviews. Our famous Camp Woodstock bug juice is guaranteed to please.
DAY CAMP ADDS GAGA PIT, ARCHERY RANGE AND PAVILIONS
The ever-expanding day camp program has several facility/program improvements for the 2023 season. A large grass activity area has been added, a gaga pit has already been constructed and is ready to go. This winter two pavilions will be constructed by Ellis Tech and be used for weather protection, quiet-time and other activities. Additionally, day camp will have its own archery range ready for next summer.
THANK YOU
The improvements previously completed to include the waterfront pavilion and new docks, council ring enhancement and dining hall project coupled with the enhancements underway for 2023 are all coming together to make the next 100 years of Camp Woodstock even better than the first 100 years. The camps Capital Campaign success has made outstanding enhancements possible thanks to our many Woodstock friends and alumni who have supported these efforts. If you would like to support these and other upcoming improvements, please contact Anthony Gronski at tony.gronski@ghymca.org or give him a call at 800-782-2344. Camp Woodstock is all about serving and helping kids grow. Our very special leaders, outstanding programs and awesome facilities will continue well into the future thanks to your continued support.
