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Loading ...For a gay old time, go to ‘Camp’ Camp
Over the years, though, it has grown into something more. According to Clift, his first year at “Camp” Camp was so overwhelmingly positive that he was often moved to tears.
“It was a place I could go and feel comfortable and be myself,” says Clift, “and I didn’t necessarily have that in my life at that time.”Suzanne Blackburn, a camper returning for her third year, was drawn in by the tightly knit “Camp” Camp community. “The activities are great,” she says, “but I think the essence of it – what really keeps me coming back – are the people.”
“Camp” Camp also encourages campers to challenge themselves. “It’s a safe place for people to be creative or be a beginner,” says Clinkenbeard. “They can step out and try something new in an environment that’s supportive.”
Clift agrees: “It’s hard not to go there and feel changed in some way.”
Another benefit of “Camp” Camp is that it provides an opportunity for gay men and women to interact. A letter from a camper posted on the camp’s website reads, “As a gay man, I don’t exactly surround myself with lesbians all the time….But at ‘Camp’ Camp it’s so different. We’re all in it together.”
Clinkenbeard says she hears comments like this all the time. “When you think of how the bar scene is mostly segregated, people are happy to discover something that was missing but they didn’t realize was missing – socializing with men and women.”
That integrated “Camp” Camp experience doesn’t end when everyone goes home.
“The community exists not just during the week of camp but all through the year,” says Blackburn, with campers meeting up around the country for parties, holidays and weddings.
This year, camp takes place August 24th through 31st, and there are still spots available. There is no registration cut off, so participants can register at www.campcamp.com until August 23rd. The $965 registration fee includes food, lodging and activities.
Campers willing to work at the camp or lead activities can become part time staff members in exchange for a reduced fee. Approximately 200 campers attend each year from around the country, and even overseas. According to Clinkenbeard, 30 percent of those campers are couples and 70 percent are singles, so “it’s a comfortable place for singles, but it’s not a singles scene.”
And, while some campers register with their partner or with friends, many campers come alone. “Camp” Camp is structured to ensure that campers who come by themselves feel comfortable.
Why should someone go to “Camp” Camp?
“Because,” Clinkenbeard says, “they’ll have a really good time. Hopefully they’ll make a lot of new friends that they’ll keep beyond the week of camp. And, if all goes well, they’ll be able to stretch into new parts of themselves and come away with a feeling of accomplishment.”
When Forrest Clift packs his seven pairs of underwear and heads for Maine this August, he won’t just be going for the canoeing or the croquet.
He’ll be going for the community.
“It may sound cliché,” Clift says, “but it really is a family of people who are there to lift you up and help you succeed….It’s not something I want to do, it’s something I need to do because it renews my spirit.”
Journalism 101. Load the pertinent facts in the beginning of the story. Like maybe where the camp is??!?
jeez
JT – How about clicking on the provided hyperlink 365gay.com provided in the article to Camp Camp’s website and find out all the information you desire.
In cyberspace, hyperlink offer the prescribed requirements of Journalism 101 without the need to break the flow of the article.
Please keep yourself open to the changes to come.
‘Camp’ Camp is in southwestern Maine (Kezar Falls). It’s about 45 minutes from Portland.
This is going to be my third year at http://www.CampCamp.com – I love the variety of people I meet each year, and the activities. Oh, and unplugging my spine from the real world. No internet, no cell phone signal – it’s divine!
I remember going to a boys camp when I was about 10. I realized years later that it probably had a mostly gay staff of college kids and they had fun….naked basketball games (one team wore T shirt).
Another note to JT: As a print-emphasis Journalism graduate from ‘83, times have changed. The web surfers of today know to look for a hyperlink anywhere in the article, or at the end, to not clutter up the story. And as a ‘Camp’ Camper since 2001, I say, go! You’ll have a wonderful time, challenge yourself, make new friends, and feel renewed.
I found this article both informative and entertaining!
Job well done, Jenny Hagel! Job well done indeed.
Good day.
I was a first year camper this year and can say it was beyond expectations. The staff and other campers were great. Tons of activities and you could pick and choose what events to attend. I never went to camp as a kid, but now realize that was a mistake. Will be back next year. What a great way to disconnect from technology and just enjoy other people (men and women).
Don’t you love how commenting gives people brass balls? As if we’re supposed to blindly believe that some random, anonymous commenter is actually a journalism professor that spends all day teaching the reverse pyramid? By the way, JT, 7th paragraph from the top: ““Camp” Camp’s location in southwestern Maine is complete with bunks, a mess hall and a camp store.” Also, did you not notice the links? Read the story next time.
As for the actual camps, there are several of these here in the Midwest that have been operating for far longer than the one you mention here… and they exist all over the country. I don’t see what the big deal is.
Yeah, they’re ALL meant to be an “alternative” to the bar scene and they start with good intentions, but the reputation among the ones out here at least has become pretty bad. Just google “Camp Willowswish.” Apparently, these camps just end up ATTRACTING the folks FROM the regular bar scenes and the camps usually turn into big booze-laden orgies where, more often than not, the police are called or someone gets thrown out for fighting.
Not saying that that is the case here, particularly, but cliche misbehavior at these types of events seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
Aucuns doutes c’est une bonne page..