Throughout the 30 years that I’ve been a camp director I am frequently asked, “So what do camp directors do for the REST of the year?”. The short answer is, “This is actually a year round job. There’s actually a lot that needs to be done between seasons”. Well, like what? The list of tasks is long and people aren’t surprised once I point out that, well, just for starters, somebody has to… recruit new campers, check in with families about the summer, staff and plan the ever-better programs for next summer – oh, and close up the site for the winter. It starts as soon as the camp season ends and it continues until campers arrive next summer. (I wish we could say that we just hang out on a beach in the tropics but alas, that’s not to be).
One very important piece of seasonal work that is happening right now is the physical closing up of the camp for the season. So what does closing Camp Runoia involve? Well, typically it starts with a list, a very LONG list, and under each header lurk many detailed items that need careful attention. The main headers look something like this…
- Clean all buildings and shutter the cabins
- Inventory and pack supplies
- Move boats into storage and take down docks
- Shut off the water
- HORSES
And… there are also three items that aren’t on the written list, but definitely happen throughout this whole process:
- Smile at wonderful camp memories
- Dream about next summer
- Remember that it is only 9 months until campers arrive for 2018
Looking forward to seeing you next summer!!
