Willowbrook's Father/Son and Father/Daughter Weekend

Willowbrook pulled off a great weekend of camping, starting off with their Father/Son Campout on Friday overnight into Saturday.

The guys came in and got tents set up in the main campground and enjoyed an evening around the campfire.

Saturday morning found them out at the obstacle course:

And also at the various stations, working on blow dart skills, archery, hatchet throwing, and air rifle practice!

At lunchtime, the father/daughter group came in and both groups enjoyed lunch and a very personable missionary who spoke to them all.

The fathers and daughters also took an afternoon of going through the stations, after setting up their tents.  They had a fabulous time and while the numbers were close, there were 75 in the father/son group and 80 in the father/daughter group!

We hope to have *both* groups back again soon!

Two Eagle Projects Completed!

The Camp has been the beneficiary of several Boy Scouts working on Eagle Scout projects this year.  The first project finish was one that's been near and dear to the heart of the camp -- taking the Nature Trail and adding tree/plant identification markers:

and over twenty birdhouses:

to the trail to make it of educational benefit.  The scout, Ethan Canup, has worked diligently for a year, working with a several different people to get this project completed and we're so excited!  We are very thankful for Ethan and Troop 8 for all the hard work and effort that went into getting the project finished.

The second project was completed by Neil Hudson from Troop 7004.  Neil chose a project that benefited the obstacle course.  Most folks when they come up don't even see the course, so Neil organized the building and installation of a large sign at the obstacle course entrance. Neil's troop came out to help him get the sign in the ground:

They did a great job!

So, two Eagle Projects are finished and several more are in the works!  We're so blessed to have the support from the Boy Scout community in Madison County!

Girl Scout Troop 264

The only thing more fun than a new group up at the camp, is a new group that's also new to camping! That was the way of it this past weekend, when Girl Scout Troop 264 came out for their inaugural camp out.

A few of the adults came out ahead, to get their tents set up first, but before dark arrived, all the girls and their moms were present, and all tents were up!  Well, almost.

One last arrival and the ladies made short work of getting the tent set up!

Dinner was foil packet meals, cooked over the campfire.  You'd never know these gals weren't pros!

The girls had a great time (if the shouts and laughter were any indication) and even got in a little time on the obstacle course.  

They left early Saturday morning . . . and didn't leave of trace!  We hope they'll visit us again.

Lighthouse Baptist Youth

One of our favorite groups came up this past weekend from Lighthouse Baptist Church. 

The older youth came up for some R & R and some team building exercises. Prior to them coming up it had rained every single day during the week. 

Everyone set up their sleeping arrangements near the pavilion which proved to be a good idea since around midnight the rain came. 

There was much scurrying about and by the time it was over people had new resting spots, on top of picnic tables, in the bed of pick-up trucks and in tents that were now under the pavilion. 

All in all they said the weekend went great and they look forward to coming back in the Fall.

Pack 451 Family Camp Out

This pack had never made a visit to the Camp before . . . and the weather Friday was so bad, they cancelled for that day and came up early Saturday, instead.

Luckily, though the ground was a little damp, the sun came out and made for a great camping weekend.  This group had a LOT of activities going on . . .

They started with a thorough briefing to their participants on the camp layout and rules, the safety talk and the Boy Scouts "Leave No Trace" talk.

Once that was taken care of, they had a flag ceremony and a bridging ceremony . . .

And from there, they did a great first aid presentation and even used elements of the obstacle course to help show the boys what to do in different situations!

They also used the obstacle course in the traditional sense . . .

And made sure each boy got a helping hand if he needed a boost!

The families camped both down around the pavilion and up in the top field.

Several of the adults commented they'd never heard of the Camp before.  We hear this a lot!

They had a great time and the boys had the opportunity to learn a lot, as well as enjoy lots of play time (and lots of good food, too).  We hope this pack comes back again, soon!