Edited by Sarah Hagerty
Local folks, lucky enough to have spent time at a summer camp,
share some memories with us.
“In 1930, Henry De Coursy Wright Thom, a businessman from Baltimore, gave 140 acres on Kent Island to the Episcopal Dioceses of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Easton for use as a summer camp for boys and girls. Since then, more than 1,000 children a summer drive down the Camp Wright lane to enjoy a week of camp. “It began with a separated boys and girls camp for a few weeks each summer. It now hosts eight weeks of co-ed Resident Camp and nine weeks of co-ed Day Camp. The beauty of Camp Wright (a Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton), its history, and its core beliefs keep campers connected year after year.”
—Dee Zeller, Executive Director, Camp Wright
“Twenty three years ago, I was one of the kids in the first Kids Camp. My mother was concerned because I couldn't swim and wanted to send “swimmies” along with me to camp, but the swim instructor said that I wouldn't need them because I would learn how to swim during Kids Camp. Turns out, I did learn to swim that summer and fell in love with swimming! Fast forward about a dozen years, I became a lifeguard at the Truxtun Park Pool and took the Water Safety Instructor course to teach swim lessons. I then came back to teach swim lesson to the children of Kids Camp, where I had learned many years before!”— Michele Davis, past Annapolis Recreation and Parks' Kids Camp participant, lifeguard and swim instructor
“Summer of 1988 and nine years old. That was when I attended my first week of overnight camping through the Key School, which took place at Shenandoah Acres, a resort in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. The year was easy to recall because that summer the rock band Metallica released their album …And Justice for All. It was looping over the airwaves and not a day went by when we campers couldn't hear several of the charting songs piping through the lakeside PA system. The exact location of this camp was tricky to recall. My only recollection centered on the manmade lake with a three-story tower in the middle that had zip lines running from the top down to the water. It was dangerous as hell, but wildly fun. Only an exhaustive Internet search uncovered my lost playground. Sadly, though, Shenandoah Acres is no longer in operation—having closed after the 2004 season, not surprisingly because the cost of insurance was too high. A real shame. It was a true lake resort with all the bells and whistles a nine-year-old could dream of.”—James Houck
“The best [memory] was when I put the Discoverers (four to five year olds) in squirrel costumes. They loved running around and “terrorizing” the whole camp. They wanted to scare the other kids but everyone just said ‘awe, how cute.'”—Ms. Theresa, Video Coordinator, Annapolis Area Christian School Summer Programs
“Whether it was slip-n-slide, sprinklers, or sponges, one boy would have nothing to do with it. He just didn't want to get wet. Then came the hottest day of the summer. We put tons of ice cubes and water in a “dunk tank.” and he jumped right in—T-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes, and all! He went right down to the bottom, and came up smiling!” —Mrs. Susan, Counselor of four and five year olds, Annapolis Area Christian School Summer Programs
