Camp Coniston of the YMCA is situated on Lake Coniston (Long Pond), in Croydon, New Hampshire. It is located on the former site of Camp Interlaken for Girls. The camp encompasses more than 1,400 acres (5.7 km2) and occupies the entire shoreline of the lake.
The camp offers a summer resident camp for about 200 girls and 130 boys. There are four two-week sessions during the summer. Campers can chose to stay for one or two sessions.
New for summer 2009 is the one-week session. The session, which will be at the end of the summer following the traditional two-week sessions, is for about 30 boys and 60 girls.
Camp Coniston attracts about 41 percent of its campers from New Hampshire while others arrive from New England, from across the United States, and from Canada, Europe, and Asia.
During the summer, Coniston also has an Adventure Camp program. This co-ed program for 10 campers and 3 staff goes on one-week trips around New England. Trip locations include the mountains of Maine and Vermont, Bar Harbor, Maine, and Cape Cod and the Islands, among others. The Adventure Camp program goes on five different trips during the summer.
Coniston also offers a program during Labor Day weekend called "Camp Winning Spirit" for families affected by cancer.
During the off-season, Coniston offers after school programs for students of schools in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire.
In 1964, the YMCA of New Hampshire purchased the site from the Dudley family of Hanover, New Hampshire and moved their operations from nearby Rand Pond in Goshen. Presently, many children and grandchildren of alumni of both Soangetaha and Interlaken attend the camp. In 1969, the camp’s name officially changed from Soangetaha to Coniston.
In 2011, Coniston celebrated its 100th year of camping with a Centennial Celebration at the camp. This celebration occurred in June. The Centennial events were celebrated the weekend of June 17–19 at YMCA Camp Coniston and included a gala dinner and silent auction, a day of open camp, and a traditional Sunday chapel service.
Since 1911, Coniston provides traditional camping experiences such as canoeing, swimming (swimming is mandatory at camp unless excused by a nurse at camp or a doctor), fire building, ropes, archery, riflery, drama, tennis, frisbee, wood shop, soccer, land sports and the arts. Camp also offers different things to do during free time such as Drama Production, swimming, or just chatting with friends.
During the day, campers have four program areas. There are also two free times, siesta (a time to rest after lunch), and an evening program. The evening programs range from all camp games or dances to individual cabin activities.
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