It is always a happy time at Camp Arcadia when staffers and volunteers alike join together to work to open the camp for the season. Over Memorial Day weekend, a hardworking group of people successfully readied camp for the summer.
Opening Weekend is a chance for different people to experience camp in a different way. Volunteers provide manual labor, gardening skills, playful conversation, and moral support all weekend. It fosters a strong sense of community and love for Camp Arcadia.
The weekend attracts a variety of people, whether they be veteran openers or first-time guests.
Jodie Pettinger brought her family to Opening Weekend this year for their first time. Although their drive from Iowa was long, she feels confident that they will return again in future years.
For Sherl and Dan Kah, Opening Weekend is tradition. Dan, a family camper for over 30 years, has been working with camp’s flowers for 16 years.
Another gardening volunteer, Linda Delao, has only come to Opening Weekend once before this year. However, she plans to continue coming in the future.
“Opening Weekend is wonderful,” she said. “There seems to always be a good hardworking group of people here.”
Carolyn Kraw had a similarly positive experience. Despite living in Pierport with a close proximity to camp, she has never attended. She came to Opening Weekend to get a sense of what Camp Arcadia is all about.
“I was entertaining the idea of being a camper before, but being here this weekend is definitely making me want to come back,” she said.
Needless to say, Opening Weekend at Camp Arcadia is an enjoyable weekend with a satisfying end result. Thanks to the dedicated volunteers, camp is ready to host the thousands of guests that will attend this summer.
