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The campiest place in the country

July 22, 2004


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• The campiest place in the country

The campiest place in the country

By Megan Whilden

Planning ahead or waiting until the last minute, there are lots of choices in Berkshire County

We all know there are lots of reasons to love the Berkshires, from the people to the mountains to the weather (well, maybe not all the time). This fond feeling for the Berkshires found among residents and visitors alike was often nurtured at an early age -- there are tens of thousands of alumni of Berkshire's many summer camps who still feel a powerful and positive connection to the bucolic place where they spent their summers.

And that's still true today. Berkshire County is home to at least two dozen traditional and non-traditional overnight summer camps ranging from the classic camp programs at Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA to Belvoir Terrace, a fine and performing arts camp for girls in stately Lenox manor -- with landscaping originally by Frederick Law Olmstead.

Boston magazine recently chose four of Berkshire County's summer camps as among the best in New England in a roundup that appeared in their June 2004 issue. Camp Emerson, Camp Greylock, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac and Camp Wahtitoh are somewhat pricey but wonderful full summer camps with sessions that last four to eight weeks, and a high rate of returning campers each year, sometimes carrying over to new generations within the family.

Camp Emerson focuses on exercising the noggin as much as crafts and outdoor activities. They have a very impressive 95 percent return rate, and hold two camp sessions that run for four weeks each. Camp director Sue Lein says they've carved out a niche by offering offbeat and challenging activities along with traditional camp activities. Activities include electronics and robotics, digital photography and moviemaking, circus and clown arts with a Ringling Brothers alumnus and Clown College graduate, and a huge stage magic program.

Their second four-week session starts this Sunday, and if you want to try to squeeze someone in at the last moment, give them a call at 655-8123. Located in Hinsdale, the camp serves kids ages 8-15. For more information visit www.campemerson.com.

Camp Greylock focuses on sports for "the competitive boy," and features five baseball fields, 16 tennis courts, four soccer fields, and a hockey rink, on 400 acres in Becket. They offer one seven-week session each year. For more information, call 623-8921 or visit www.campgreylock.com.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac is another boys-only camp that offers one activity-filled seven-week session. It's been around since 1929 in Lenox, and while it is also sports-oriented, it has a variety of other activities including drama, photography, arts, rocketry and a working radio station where campers can produce their own radio show. For more information call 637-0781 or visit www.campmkn.com.

Camp Watitoh in Becket has separate campus areas for boy and girls and its session runs for eight weeks. As well as both water and land sports, and a variety of activities including a radio station and newspaper, Watitoh campers also attend Tanglewood concerts, the dance performances at Jacob's Pillow, theatrical productions at area stages, and nearby historical sites of interest. For more information call 623-8951 or visit www.campwatitoh.com.

The American Camping Association of New England recommends that you begin searching for a camp the summer before you plan to send your child there. But if you are a parent or grandmother who has waited until the last minute to schedule something, there's good news! There is an abundance of day camps in the Berkshires on all kinds of subjects, perfect for local residents and short-term visitors, and a number of them still have a few spaces, but you’ll want to call quick to reserve one as they will fill up.

The Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, part of the Audubon Society, has been holding natural history day camps for almost 60 years. They offer two-week day camps with one sleepover night. Campers explore 1,300 acres of forest, meadow, mountain, brook and beaver ponds in the Sanctuary and programs include daily field trips to different ecological communities to observe animals and plants; related nature crafts, games, and songs; a hike to the summit of Lenox Mountain; a cookout and overnight, and more.

Sessions that still have spaces include three two-week camps that run Aug. 9-20 for ages 8 and 9 (Explorers), 10-11 (Naturalists) and 12-13 (Ecologists); and another session of the Naturalists camps for 8-9 year olds that runs July 26-Aug. 6. Two additional sessions for ages 6 and 7 (Discoverers) have been added; Aug. 9-13 and Aug. 16-20, and a program for pre-schoolers is also available. Tuition is $385 for Audubon Society members, and $435 non-members. For more information, call 637-0320 or email to berkshires@massaudubon.org

The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield offers a variety of summer day camps and some still have openings, but call quick: 443-7171, ext 10. The Museum camps are $90 for members and $115 for non-members, and there are openings in the following camps, which run from 9 to noon and are for children in kindergarten through second grade:

The Art of Puppetry; Aug. 2-6: Kids will create hand, finger, and shadow puppets and create miniature theater stages.

People from Around the World; Aug. 9-13: Explore the diverse cultures of our world through stories, games, music, arts and crafts.

Animal Discovery; Aug. 16-20: Learn all about animals, and their habits and habitats. Includes games, crafts, and a field trip.

IS183, Art School of the Berkshires, has a few spots left in some of their Art Safari camps, which run Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 3 and are for kids ages 7 to 10. Tuition is $175, with a 10 percent discount for siblings, and tuition assistance is available. The art camps take place at the school, located in Stockbridge. To register call 298-5252. Open camps include:

A Multicultural Art Journey with Anaelisa and Diego Vanegas-Farrara; July 26 to July 30: Using a wide variety of art materials, campers will explore indigenous motifs of Native America and Africa.

Textile Magic with Heather Graber; Aug. 2 to Aug. 6: Campers will explore creating handmade paper, the art of felting, and silkscreen and tiles.

Puppets, Masks and Giant Heads with Mike DiMisa; Aug. 23 to Aug. 27: Campers will build papier-maché style heads of all shapes and sizes, ending the week with a pageant.

And the Rudolf Steiner School in Great Barrington offers a summer program of weekly day camps for four age groups: Play (Kindergarten 4+), Activity I (Grades 1-2), Activity II (Grades 3-4), and Explorer (Grades 5-7). There are still spaces left in the last two sessions of each of these age groups, which run July 26-30 and Aug. 2-6. Each session runs Monday through Friday, 9 to 3, and the weekly rate is $150. To reserve a space, call the school at 528-4015. A wide variety of activities are offered, including crafts, outdoor games, watercolor painting, swimming lessons, river exploration, horseback riding, and an all day field trip to a local lake.

And the above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to summer camp opportunities in the Berkshires. Visitors and residents, young athletes and child geniuses, super-organized planners and last-minute panickers, can all find someplace wonderful in the Berkshires for kids to learn, play, and enjoy everything our area has to offer.