Pumpkin Patch Success

The 2008 YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln Pumpkin Patch has officially ended.  We would like to thank all of our participants for joining the camp family this fall.  We had over 700 people join us this fall and we had a great time sharing all of camp's activities.  

One particular group that really touched the hearts of our staff was a group of families with children who had Down Syndrome.  We had 40 people in attendance and the children of the group were amazing.  The innocence that they exude is something that makes me jealous.  They did not hide their emotions or thoughts in fear that they were going to say something that was politically incorrect. 

 They spoke what they thought and it was a joyous experience.  The look on their faces when they road the horses and the time around the campfire as they taught me how to play guitar is something I will forever cherish.  

Thank you to this group as well as all the groups and families that decided to bring camp into their lives.  We had a great time working with you and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Camp in the Fall

      As the seasons change, I am not sure if there is a more beautiful place than camp.  We see the signs of fall in the trees all around us.  We are very blessed this fall at                           Camp Abe Lincoln because we have a work group that has come in and is working forty hours a week helping with the flood and storm clean up.  I can not put into words how helpful this is going to be for us.            

Every now and then we have volunteer groups who come out and volunteer for a day which is great, but this group is helping for months.  It is a state run program where displaced workers come to camp every day and help clean up the debris and down trees from the summer.  Some of the work that they are accomplishing unfortunately would not been done had it not been for them.  

Thank you very much to all of our volunteers who come out to camp and make it what it is today.  For over 90 years camp has been growing because of volunteers.  If you would like to find out how to get involved please contact camp at camp@scottcountyfamilyy.org.

Alumni

This past weekend while I was working at the Pumpkin Patch, I had the pleasure of a visit from some Camp Abe Lincoln alumni.  A past Camp Director and a past Spirit of Camp Abe Lincoln award winner, this is the award given to the counselor which best exemplifies the Abe Lincoln spirit.  

The past Camp Director lives on the East coast now and the past counselor lives in the area.  They stopped by just to see how we were doing at camp.  We walked the grounds together and talked about the storm and flooding that we had here at camp and how we have been doing since.  It was truly great to talk to these people as they have a genuine love for Camp Abe Lincoln.  

Earlier this year some of the staff and I found some old camp photos dated back to the 1930's and I showed our alumni members these pictures which are on display and they were going through picking out who the people were in some of the photos.  It was a great experience actually putting some names to the faces of the people that have shaped Camp Abe Lincoln into the camp it is today.  

One of the major topics of discussion was the annual Alumni Social we are planning to organize here at Camp Abe Lincoln.  Our new Director of Program Operations will be inviting all past staff to join us here at camp on the first Saturday of August of every year for a chance to say hello to our current counselors as well as catch up with counselors from the past.  We are really hoping this event will take off so please mark it on your calendars if you are a past staff member.  

Thank you again to the alumni that stopped by this weekend to see us.  I truly enjoyed the conversation and look forward to seeing you again.  I invite any other alumni who would like to visit to call and stop by.  You are always welcome.  Thank you for your support of Camp Abe Lincoln then and now.  We would not be who we are without you.  

Did You Know?

The economy is a topic of conversation that is being brought up quite a bit with the struggling market and the presidential debates and it has caused a lot of people to compare the costs of things now versus five years ago, twenty years ago and even back to the great depression of 1929.

Did you know that before any of that, YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln officially opened its gates in 1918 in Maquoketa, Iowa? It moved to its current location in Blue Grass, Iowa in 1924. I thought it would be interesting to see what was going on in the world when YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln first started.

Woodrow Wilson was the President of the United States.

World War I was happening.

A soldier at Camp Fuston, Kansas falls sick with the first confirmed case of Spanish Flu.
March 4th

Soviet Russia moves its capital from Petrograd to Moscow.
March 5th

The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight savings time.
March 19th

General Motors acquires Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
May 2nd

"Spanish Flu" influenza becomes a pandemic; over 25 million people die
in the following six months (almost twice as many as died in the war).
August

Boston Red Sox defeat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.
September 11th

World War I ends.
November 11th

Woodrow Wilson becomes the first president to travel to Europe while in office.
December 4th

Babe Ruth leads the American League in home runs for the first time with 11.


Not too long ago we found a box of old camp pictures dating back to the 1930's. We have hung up many of the photos to show campers they are part of a rich history at Camp Abe Lincoln. Scattered throughout the blog are a few of the pictures we found. If you are a past camper in the area, stop by our main lodge and maybe you can see a picture with you as a child.

The pictures really make you realize the history and impact Camp Abe Lincoln has had on the community over the years. We would love to hear from any of you who attended camp when you were a child. We are working to put together a reunion activity where past campers and past counselors can come out to camp for a day and walk around the grounds. We are looking for volunteers to help us organize this event. Please let us know if you are interested. If you know of anyone who may be interested in reading more about the ongoing activity at Camp Abe Lincoln, please forward them this website as well as Camp's Website. We would love to hear from any alumni so please do not hesitate to call or email us at camp@scottcountyfamilyy.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Pumpkin Patch

The big activity for the month of October going on at Camp Abe Lincoln is the Pumpkin Patch.  The pumpkin patch has been going on for many years at Camp Abe Lincoln.  It is our way to bring families together for nature activities but it does more than that.  The money that is made at the pumpkin patch helps support our Kids to Camp campaign which helps kids attend camp who financially may not be able to do so.  Join us for a good time and help a great cause.  Groups and families can pick out a pumpkin as well as ride horses, shoot bows and arrows, take a hay rack ride, roast smores and much more.  The event runs every weekend in October from 12:00 - 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday.  It is also available during the week for groups with a reservation.  Join us for some family fun in the outdoors.  

Camp Abe Lincoln Blog

The purpose of this blog is to give campers, parents, family, friends, alumni and all others who may be interested a chance to see what is going on at Camp year-round.  It is written from the Director's perspective and will be giving readers the opportunity to stay up to date with everything going on at camp.  Thank you for joining us.