Don't be in too much of hurry to get that garden planted
NEWS

Alley Park hosts 'Super Hero' camp for children

Carl Burnett Jr.
Reporter

LANCASTER – Visitors to Alley Park this week might just see a superhero or a villain wandering around the woods.

The "villains" showed up Monday as part of the annual Alley Park summer camp program.

The program is set up for "pathfinders" and "trailblazers." Pathfinders are ages 6 to 9, while the Trailblazers are ages 10 to 14.

"These are our trailblazers and our villains," outdoor educator Cathy Trimmer said Monday. They began working on their masks that day.

Ava Poling, a sixth-grade student at Liberty Union, said she had attended five other camps at Alley Park before this one.

"I like being able to get a chance to work with the crafts," Poling said. "You get to make new friends, and on Thursdays, we get to camp out at the covered bridge for night, eating hot dogs you grill on the fire."

"This year, it's a Super Heroes camp," Trimmer said. "But for every superhero, you need a good villain."

Some of the events planned for the week include first-aid lessons, hikes through the park, demonstrations on nature, archery demonstrations and crafts.

Trimmer, a retired teacher working on her third camp, was teamed on Monday with another retired teacher, Bonny Calderwood, helping the older kids work on their masks.

"This is the second year I've helped out with the camp. Last year, it was a pirate theme," Calderwood said. "I love teaching kids and seeing them create and learn. It's really rewarding."

Trimmer said one of the goals of this camp is to get the kids to think about what makes a hero.

"We all have something special inside us, some little bit of a hero in each of us," Trimmer said. "We want them to think about what that is inside them."

Liam Dixon, an eighth-grade student at Thomas Ewing Junior High, said he has been coming to the camps for three years.

"There's always tons of activities to do," Dixon said. "I especially like the hiking and getting out on the trails. It's a lot of fun."

Trina Thornton, the Alley Park outdoor education coordinator, said they have two more camps planned for this month with a few openings left in the last one near the end of July. They do cost $90 for the Pathfinders and $125 for the Trailblazers.

For more information about the program, contact Thornton at alleyparkoe@yahoo.com or 740-681-5025.

The goal is to keep the kids occupied during a bit of the summer and maybe teach them something they haven't learned before, Thornton said.

"It's also a lot of fun," Thornton said.

cburnett@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4346

Twitter: @CarlBurnettJr