Camp Guide

Summer Dreaming

Camp Tamarack's Arts and Crafts Center
and Sheruth Village get upgrades.

Lee Trepeck

Special to the Jewish News

I

t is Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2, and I have
driven to Camp Maas in Ortonville,
which is approximately 40 miles from
our Bloomfield Township office; yet, travel-
ing through less populated areas with open
fields and dirt roads lined by trees, it feels
like a world away.
I pull into the property, which is totally
quiet. Yearning for the sounds of summer,
I stare into DeRoy Field; suddenly, in my
mind, I am at the first day of camp! There,
I imagine the iconic green Tamarack buses
pulling toward their opening destination,
and I recall joyful campers and enthusiastic
staff members celebrating the commence-
ment of summer.
Walking into my camp office, still eager to
relive last summer, I open previously written

newsletters. Immediately, I find heightened
joy from reading about the sentiments of our
kids. Here are some random camper com-
ments, quoted verbatim, that caused me to
smile even wider:

• "Camp is better than a vacation to
Universal Studios Orlando Resort!"
• "I want to keep one of the horses:'
• "I made a lot of friends that I really like:'
• "I love Tamarackmilmummmumfl" (Yes,
there were 26 exclamation marks!)
• "I love camp and my counselors:'
• "Camp is fun!"
• "I miss family ... but my nice friends,
supervisors, and counselors drag me away
from missing them with fun activities:'
• "This is the best camp in the world!"

I aspire that, this summer, we even further
enhance these wonderful expressions —

-

r

1 AK

THE 810

which is our ongoing mission.
In that regard, I'm certain we're on our
way, especially with two significant off-
season projects already under various forms
of construction: The Arts and Crafts Center
and Sheruth Village. And, I am thrilled that,
in both of these logical designs, we remained
mindful of the connection between old tra-
ditions and modern necessity.
Leaving the office, thinking about our
recent summers, I want to explore the
progression of our future. I walk toward
piles of dirt and big machines, which is
where our Arts and Crafts building once
stood. Through the generosity of the Ravitz
Foundation, we are building a totally new
facility — 5,000 square feet of a first-class
cultural center, scheduled for completion by
the beginning of this summer. The spacious
design will comfortably accommodate a
myriad of typical crafts, such as silk screen-
ing, candle making, paper mache, tie-dye
and batiking. Additionally, there are devoted
areas reserved for specialties like jewelry
making, wood working, glass fusion, fashion
design and painting studios — just to name
a few.
I stroll further down the road, headed
to Sheruth Village, home of girls entering

sixth grade, and it is invigorating to see
more construction. Here, our grounds have
been cleaned, where beautiful new steps are
immediately visible. As I move deeper into
the village, I am struck by the exterior of our
cabins, where we are building new porches
with affixed benches, perfect for smaller
conversations and camper connections. The
interiors are modified, too — improved
flooring, fresh coats of vibrant paint, built-in
shelves and new wooden beds with thicker
mattresses. The lodge, a central area of the
village, is also receiving a full facelift — a
wide porch on the outside and supervisor
sleeping quarters inside.
As nightfall settles upon "the Greatest
Place on Earth:' I take another lap around
the fields, enjoying the peace. Yet, in many
respects, it is too serene — I absolutely miss
the boundless energy of our summer pace.
As fall fades into winter, our entire team of
staff members, board of directors and volun-
teers are already seasons ahead — stretch-
ing toward the summer, preparing for the
milestone moments that become lifetime
memories.

❑

Lee Trepeck is director, Camp Maas of Tamarack

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December 6 • 2012

