Camp Airy
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| Camp Airy | |
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| Established: | 1924 |
| Type: | Overnight Camp |
| Location: | Thurmont, Maryland, United States ( ) |
| Campus: | 450 Acres |
| Website: | Camp Airy/Louise website |
Camp Airy is a Jewish sleep away summer camp located in Thurmont, Maryland at the edge of the Catoctin Mountain Park. Boys between the ages of 7 and 17 attend for one to eight weeks, depending on their age and interest. Airy is a member of the American Camp Association.
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[edit] Facilities
Located on 450 heavily treed acres, the camp is in a very convenient location 60 miles north of Washington and 62 miles west of Baltimore.
On the lower side of camp there is a large gym, complete with basketball courts, a wrestling area, and weight training/athletic conditioning room. There’s also a 300,000 gallon swimming pool, athletic fields, tennis courts, a floor hockey rink, and a ropes course. [1]
At the top of the hill, there’s a 550-seat dining hall where campers eat each of their meals. Nearby are the music pavilion and the post office. All of the sleeping cabins are also up-campus, and on the far western side is the outdoor theater which is used for performing arts and also for Shabbat services. [1]
[edit] Programming
Airy offers many traditional summer camp activities including Athletics, outdoor living, swimming, performing arts and fine arts. [2].
Athletics are a critical part of any summer camp experience. Campers play baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, floor hockey, tennis, and volleyball. Many also participate in in-line skating, fencing and wrestling. The camp also has a riflery and archery range.
The performing arts department typically produces two plays in a summer, the first a serious production, and the second a comedy. In 2008, the campers will be performing West Side Story and The Nerd.[3]. There are also opportunities for people who play musical instruments or enjoy singing to perform.
In the fine arts department, campers are offered activities in ceramics, painting, silk-screening, photography, and wood working among others. There’s also
Recently the camp has begun to add non-traditional features such as a skateboard park, Scuba diving, and a two-week long “kitchen studio cooking” program.[4].
[edit] Religious aspects
Although Airy is a Jewish camp, most of the activities are not religious in nature. The meals are kosher style, meaning that milk and meat are not served at the same time and nothing that is explicitly non-kosher (such as pork) is served. Traditional grace after meals is also recited on Saturdays.
Shabbat is observed at camp with short services on Friday night and Saturday morning. Very few structured activities occur during the remainder of Saturday. This “day of rest” creates a certain rhythm that helps punctuate the camp experience.
[edit] People
Many of the prized assets of Airy are the people who work there. Many, referred to as “Lifers”. For Airy, those include Director Rick Frankle, executive director Mike Schneider, and the wresting coach Larry Cantor. [5]. Each year, 60-70 percent of the staff returns for another summer. [6]
The Order Of The Leaf is an alumni organization made up of all staffers who have served for three or more years. Its purpose is to allow these individuals to keep in touch with one another, and also raise money to support the camp. Several so-called "camperships" are supported by OTL that allow children whose parents cannot afford the camp to attend at reduced cost.
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.airylouise.org/airy/facilities.asp
- ^ http://www.petersons.com/summerop/sites/016984si.asp
- ^ http://www.airylouise.org/airynews/detail.asp?newsid=130
- ^ http://www.airylouise.org/camps/2008programs.asp
- ^ Esterson, Linda. "Lifers", "Camps (A special section)", Baltimore Jewish Times, 2007-01-19, pp. 10-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ http://www.airylouise.org/ourstaff/faq.asp
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