YMCA Camp Lawrence
Encyclopedia
YMCA Camp Lawrence is a residential summer camp for boys located on Bear Island
in Lake Winnipesaukee
, New Hampshire
. It is owned and operated by the Merrimack Valley YMCA, based in Lawrence
, Massachusetts
. It is the only island-based boys camp in New Hampshire, and one of only several in the country.
The Merrimack Valley YMCA also operates Camp Nokomis, a residential summer camp for girls, also located on Bear Island.
. In late August and early September, 30 boys and 2 adults spent their days engaged in sports, swimming, boating and outings to nearby attractions.
For 8 of the next 9 years, the Lawrence YMCA ran similar camping programs in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, changing sites nearly every year. The sole year without a summer camp, 1911, was due to the YMCA's move to a new facility and the financial and administrative challenges involved with it. Beginning in 1916, however, the camp found a home at Loon Cove in Alton
, New Hampshire, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.
The five years spent at Loon Cove saw tremendous growth. The camping season was expanded to a full 9 weeks, of which 4 weeks were the regular Boys Camp. Boy Scouts, choir boys, and "employed boys" from Lawrence used the facilities for the remainder of the season. The camp purchased its first motor launches for transportation and entertainment on the lake. From 31 boys in 1912, by 1920 the Boys Camp population had grown to 219 - more than the Loon Cove property could comfortably accommodate. In the fall of 1920, a committee from the YMCA, led by George Hamblet, surveyed several island areas before settling on the southern tip of Bear Island. The following spring, Loon Cove was abandoned and all the camp equipment (including the large tents) was transported to the new site.
The tents were erected on wooden platforms on the eastern shore of the property, facing across the lake towards the Ossipee Mountains
. Those platforms still serve as the floors of 2 existing cabins in the Middler Unit. Other surviving structures from the early years on Bear Island include the Dining Hall, built in 1923, and the cabin on the western shore, known as West Beach, which dates to lumber operations on the island in the decade before the camp's arrival.
Camp Lawrence has continued to offer young boys summer camping opportunities on Bear Island since 1921.
Camp Lawrence occupies 70 acres (28.3 ha) at the southern tip of Bear Island in Meredith
, New Hampshire. The property includes roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of shoreline; nearly a dozen locations along the shore are designated swim areas. Only three are proper beaches, however: East Beach is used for swim lessons, the adjacent Boating Beach hosts sailing and kayaking, and West Beach is home to waterskiing and canoeing.
Two large grassy fields (the larger known as the Senior Ball Field and smaller known as Junior Ball Field due to their respective proximity to the units) are used for field sports. An asphalt basketball court and one clay tennis court also serve as volleyball and dodgeball surfaces as needed. A sand beach volleyball court was added in 2010
A state-of-the-art ropes course
, built and maintained by Project Adventure
, draws many campers. Twenty elements rise thirty to sixty feet above the ground, including two zip-lines
and one unique "swing shot".
The camp has a total of three large camper bathrooms in addition to several other smaller private bathrooms. The largest, and by far nicest, bathroom on camp is the "Bijou". It was recently redone with six toilets, four urinals, and new tiled floors.
A large dining hall can accommodate up to 230 staff and campers at mealtimes. A complete kitchen renovation was completed in 2010. The Hamblet Lodge provides a secondary enclosed program space, used for socials with Camp Nokomis and rainy-day activities. Such activities include the camp favorite of "one ball".
Sixteen camper cabins can house between eight and sixteen campers and two to three staff members. Most all camper cabins have been replaced or renovated within the past fifteen years. Fourteen cabins house the leadership staff and support staff, and a large infirmary houses the two camp nurses.
Two main boats are used for transportation between Camp Lawrence, Camp Nokomis and the Y-Landing Marina on Meredith Neck. The M/V Bear II can transport up to 120 people, while the Weekeepeekee II has a capacity of 27. These boats are used to transport all passengers, luggage, food and garbage on and off the island. Mail is delivered daily, Monday through Saturday, by the U.S. Mailboat M/V Sophie C or "M/V Doris E". In addition, Camp Lawrence owns four smaller motorcraft, a half dozen sailboats, fifteen kayaks and ten canoes. Two canoes are century-old "war canoes" which can hold up to ten people and are used on an annual basis during the camp's "color wars" and other special activities.
Each session, boys camp serves roughly 150 campers between the ages of eight and fifteen. It runs for eight weeks, in four two-week sessions. Session breaks are on alternate Saturdays. Roughly one-third of all campers attend for longer than one session; a handful stay for the full summer.
Ten or eleven days of each session are devoted to regular activities. All boys take daily swim lessons, and they choose four other activities to complete their day. Available activities are waterskiing, canoeing
, sailing
, kayaking
, snorkeling
, ropes course
, archery
, riflery
, soccer, basketball
, flag football
, rugby
, campcraft, theatre, volleyball, fitness
, Frisbee
, general sports, ping pong, arts and crafts, tennis
, lacrosse
, and floor hockey
Two or three days of each session are used for special programs. The most popular are the camp Olympics, held each year during the fourth session, and Orange & Grey, the camp color war held each year during the second session. The highlight of Olympics is Tableaux, the opening ceremony. Tableaux is a form of living statue, accompanied by music and text, in which a team of a dozen staff members is covered in aluminum paint and performs stationary and kinetic poses. Orange & Grey ends each year with the Omnibus, a 2-hour relay culminating in a 9-man war canoe race. Other special programs change from year to year; popular programs have included Fourth of July Activities (varying annually), Zombie Apocalypse, Wild Wild West Day, King Neptune Day, Treasure Hunt, Up All Night, and Gak Night.
Every session the camp will hold a special evening activity replacing one of the daily cabin or unit nights. These are a favourite of camp and vary by session. Some special nights include: Build Your Own Boat, DeRiemer Night (a night for campers to choose and participate in any activity of their choosing), and Casino Night.
Boys camp is followed by a week-long Family Camp, in which families rent cabins and activity areas are open on a more flexible basis. Family Camp has been run since 1961, and some families have returned each summer for over forty years.
The remainder of the program staff, as well as many of the support staff, is made up of international staff members hired through BUNAC, Camp America, and CCUSA.
Camp Lawrence was directed by David Carter Hetherly from 1994 to 2010. Hetherly was a former camper and staff member who, after a career in the Army and the private sector, returned to camp to keep busy in retirement. The camp is currently run by Todd Lennig.
Among the most important alumni are the Hamblet family, whose involvement dates to the purchase of the Bear Island property in 1920. The Hamblets now own the Y-Landing Marina, where the camp boats dock on the mainland. The services the family has provided through the years have been incalculable.
Bear Island (Lake Winnipesaukee)
Bear Island is the second largest island in Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, USA. In the summer it is accessible only by boat or helicopter because it is not connected to the mainland via a bridge. In the winter it can be reached by snowmobile...
in Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. It is owned and operated by the Merrimack Valley YMCA, based in Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is the only island-based boys camp in New Hampshire, and one of only several in the country.
The Merrimack Valley YMCA also operates Camp Nokomis, a residential summer camp for girls, also located on Bear Island.
History
The Lawrence YMCA first offered a summer day camp for young boys in 1901 or 1902, but the origins of "Camp Lawrence" as a residential camp can be traced to 1906, with a 10-day program run in Old Orchard Beach, MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. In late August and early September, 30 boys and 2 adults spent their days engaged in sports, swimming, boating and outings to nearby attractions.
For 8 of the next 9 years, the Lawrence YMCA ran similar camping programs in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, changing sites nearly every year. The sole year without a summer camp, 1911, was due to the YMCA's move to a new facility and the financial and administrative challenges involved with it. Beginning in 1916, however, the camp found a home at Loon Cove in Alton
Alton, New Hampshire
Alton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is home to Alton Bay State Forest and Mount Major State Forest. Alton includes the village of Alton Bay, a long-time resort located beside Lake Winnipesaukee.The primary settlement in...
, New Hampshire, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.
The five years spent at Loon Cove saw tremendous growth. The camping season was expanded to a full 9 weeks, of which 4 weeks were the regular Boys Camp. Boy Scouts, choir boys, and "employed boys" from Lawrence used the facilities for the remainder of the season. The camp purchased its first motor launches for transportation and entertainment on the lake. From 31 boys in 1912, by 1920 the Boys Camp population had grown to 219 - more than the Loon Cove property could comfortably accommodate. In the fall of 1920, a committee from the YMCA, led by George Hamblet, surveyed several island areas before settling on the southern tip of Bear Island. The following spring, Loon Cove was abandoned and all the camp equipment (including the large tents) was transported to the new site.
The tents were erected on wooden platforms on the eastern shore of the property, facing across the lake towards the Ossipee Mountains
Ossipee Mountains
The Ossipee Mountains are located just south of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Mount Shaw, at , is the highest point in the range.-Geology and physiography:...
. Those platforms still serve as the floors of 2 existing cabins in the Middler Unit. Other surviving structures from the early years on Bear Island include the Dining Hall, built in 1923, and the cabin on the western shore, known as West Beach, which dates to lumber operations on the island in the decade before the camp's arrival.
Camp Lawrence has continued to offer young boys summer camping opportunities on Bear Island since 1921.
Facilities
Meredith, New Hampshire
Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 6,241 at the 2010 census. Meredith is situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee. It is home to Stonedam Island Natural Area and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad...
, New Hampshire. The property includes roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of shoreline; nearly a dozen locations along the shore are designated swim areas. Only three are proper beaches, however: East Beach is used for swim lessons, the adjacent Boating Beach hosts sailing and kayaking, and West Beach is home to waterskiing and canoeing.
Two large grassy fields (the larger known as the Senior Ball Field and smaller known as Junior Ball Field due to their respective proximity to the units) are used for field sports. An asphalt basketball court and one clay tennis court also serve as volleyball and dodgeball surfaces as needed. A sand beach volleyball court was added in 2010
A state-of-the-art ropes course
Ropes course
A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground...
, built and maintained by Project Adventure
Project Adventure
Project Adventure is an international nonprofit education organization based in Beverly, Massachusetts. The mission of Project Adventure is to provide leadership in the expansion of adventure-based experiential programming.-History:...
, draws many campers. Twenty elements rise thirty to sixty feet above the ground, including two zip-lines
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
and one unique "swing shot".
The camp has a total of three large camper bathrooms in addition to several other smaller private bathrooms. The largest, and by far nicest, bathroom on camp is the "Bijou". It was recently redone with six toilets, four urinals, and new tiled floors.
A large dining hall can accommodate up to 230 staff and campers at mealtimes. A complete kitchen renovation was completed in 2010. The Hamblet Lodge provides a secondary enclosed program space, used for socials with Camp Nokomis and rainy-day activities. Such activities include the camp favorite of "one ball".
Sixteen camper cabins can house between eight and sixteen campers and two to three staff members. Most all camper cabins have been replaced or renovated within the past fifteen years. Fourteen cabins house the leadership staff and support staff, and a large infirmary houses the two camp nurses.
Two main boats are used for transportation between Camp Lawrence, Camp Nokomis and the Y-Landing Marina on Meredith Neck. The M/V Bear II can transport up to 120 people, while the Weekeepeekee II has a capacity of 27. These boats are used to transport all passengers, luggage, food and garbage on and off the island. Mail is delivered daily, Monday through Saturday, by the U.S. Mailboat M/V Sophie C or "M/V Doris E". In addition, Camp Lawrence owns four smaller motorcraft, a half dozen sailboats, fifteen kayaks and ten canoes. Two canoes are century-old "war canoes" which can hold up to ten people and are used on an annual basis during the camp's "color wars" and other special activities.
Camp program
Ten or eleven days of each session are devoted to regular activities. All boys take daily swim lessons, and they choose four other activities to complete their day. Available activities are waterskiing, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
, ropes course
Ropes course
A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, riflery
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, flag football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, campcraft, theatre, volleyball, fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
, Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
, general sports, ping pong, arts and crafts, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and floor hockey
Floor hockey
Floor hockey is a family of indoor hockey games, usually in the style of ice hockey, that are played on flat floor surfaces, such as a basketball court. As in other hockey codes, players on each team attempt to shoot a ball or puck into a goal using sticks, usually with a curved end...
Two or three days of each session are used for special programs. The most popular are the camp Olympics, held each year during the fourth session, and Orange & Grey, the camp color war held each year during the second session. The highlight of Olympics is Tableaux, the opening ceremony. Tableaux is a form of living statue, accompanied by music and text, in which a team of a dozen staff members is covered in aluminum paint and performs stationary and kinetic poses. Orange & Grey ends each year with the Omnibus, a 2-hour relay culminating in a 9-man war canoe race. Other special programs change from year to year; popular programs have included Fourth of July Activities (varying annually), Zombie Apocalypse, Wild Wild West Day, King Neptune Day, Treasure Hunt, Up All Night, and Gak Night.
Every session the camp will hold a special evening activity replacing one of the daily cabin or unit nights. These are a favourite of camp and vary by session. Some special nights include: Build Your Own Boat, DeRiemer Night (a night for campers to choose and participate in any activity of their choosing), and Casino Night.
Boys camp is followed by a week-long Family Camp, in which families rent cabins and activity areas are open on a more flexible basis. Family Camp has been run since 1961, and some families have returned each summer for over forty years.
Staff
At the age of 15, campers are eligible to become counselors-in-training, or CITs. In order to apply for the CIT program, campers must receive written recommendations from staff members 18 years of age or older. Staff members assigned to the Senior Unit then rank the applicants among all others who apply for the program. Most years, between 35 to 60 names are submitted with 12 to 15 chosen by the camp director for the selective program. The three-year CIT program guides campers in the transition to staff members. 90 to 95 percent of the program staff each year is composed of graduates of the CIT program, and almost all leadership positions are filled with former CITs. Camp Lawrence is one of the few remaining camps whose leadership staff is made up entirely of former campers.The remainder of the program staff, as well as many of the support staff, is made up of international staff members hired through BUNAC, Camp America, and CCUSA.
Camp Lawrence was directed by David Carter Hetherly from 1994 to 2010. Hetherly was a former camper and staff member who, after a career in the Army and the private sector, returned to camp to keep busy in retirement. The camp is currently run by Todd Lennig.
Alumni support
Camp Lawrence Alumni provide valuable support in finances and time. The Bear Island Camps Association organizes alumni efforts to help both Camp Lawrence and Camp Nokomis. BICA also inducts important volunteers into its Hall of Fame at Alumni Day, held the first Sunday of August each year on Bear Island.Among the most important alumni are the Hamblet family, whose involvement dates to the purchase of the Bear Island property in 1920. The Hamblets now own the Y-Landing Marina, where the camp boats dock on the mainland. The services the family has provided through the years have been incalculable.