SOMERS, N.Y. -- The Somers PTA Council presented a camp expo at the Somers Intermediate School on Wednesday evening to introduce parents and kids to the many summer camp opportunities in the area.
I was hoping wed get 100 people, said Council President Lex Kessler. The doors been open 15 minutes and the place is already packed. This event is bigger than our town.
When the council conceived the idea of an expo, it contacted a few local camps to see if there was any interest.
They were all excited, Kessler said. Weve got around 36 camps here -- day camps, sleepaways, travel camps, all kinds of sports like soccer, lacrosse, baseball, sailing, swimming and tennis. Weve got traditional arts and crafts. They came from New York City, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts. Weve even got one from the Caribbean."
The lead sponsors of the expo were Camp Kiwi, Camp Saw Mill, the Solaris Sports Club and the Summer Trails Day Camp. Representatives of all the camps were on hand to distribute information, answer questions and discuss their facilities.
Parents received a booklet with write-ups of each camp, detailing its focus, organization, schedule and often prices. The booklets also included a set of guidelines for parents, Choosing the Right Summer Opportunities for Your Child.
There have been sleepy little camp expos in the past, Kessler said. But theres nothing north of 287. This is the next big thing in summer camps."
Expo Organizer Alex Mitchell added that it didnt hurt that the event had popcorn, raffles and a chocolate fountain with smores.
When asked what the most unusual camp was, Mitchell had to think a minute. Maybe its Camp Madden, she said.
Camp Madden Science 7 Exploration Camps, based in Carmel, describes itself as a camp for the child who is fascinated by creepy crawly critters, cant get enough of the nature channel and loves designing his or her own mad scientist experiments.
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