One hundred feet of sliding downhill and across the lawn can only spell one thing…FUN! Water soaked plastic on a bed of sand with a super cushion as a coaster enhances the speed and joy as one floats across the surface trying to outdo the distance of the last person!
Your friends help you out by pulling you up to the launch point on the giant swing. You hit the disconnect and are sent swinging into the wild blue yonder at Camp Howard. The spectacular view of the Bull Run along with the impressive location of the giant swing, up against a steep hill, helps add to the awe of the ride! Once is never enough!
The Camp Store is a favored place for campers and this year is no different. The Camp Store Director has changed however as Cheyenne Cunning graduated from college and began her work career, “Sister Mike,” has stepped into the role and has had a lot of fun creating her own vision of the space. Each director brings their own flavor to the store but one thing doesn’t change, it is a daily function for campers to experience the store and find those items that will enhance their camp experience!
Sister Michael Francine is thrilled to be a part of the Camp Howard staff and grateful for the helpful staff who have kindly made her learning experience much easier!
Sister Mike is a Sister of St. Mary of Oregon (SSMO) and has a special devotion to St. Michael the Archangel.
Wowzers! It is clear the mural in Mary’s Lodge at Camp Howard will finish the building in grand style! The dedication on August 11th will show off the new state of the art food preparation and dining facility, a dream come true for staff at Camp Howard!
Wayne Chin is a well known local artist and art instructor. It is a joy to watch him at work!
ps – He moved the raccoons!
Kenna Reid on break from her studies at OSU, is heading up the Archery Range this summer at Camp Howard. A highly popular activity, Reid has plenty of participation from enthusiastic participants!
Kayla Houston and Andreas Markantonakos have spent the summer building courage in young boys and girls through activities on the “Howling Howard” zipline at Camp Howard. The massive fir trees provide a shade from the warm temperatures this summer as the youngsters and their mentors zip across the camp enjoying the features of the zip line and the fantastic views at the camp.
Gimpl Dining Hall, named for Rev. Carl Gimpl, will always be a very special place to us. Our first experience of the building (1997) however, was not positive once we stepped inside. The building was in dire need of maintenance including a new floor, maintenance, windows and color! It took a few years to accomplish those tasks and even after giving it a cosmetic facelift, problems lurked in the rafters and foundation.
Recognizing the eventual condemnation of the building, we got ahead of the situation and started a capital campaign to replace the old structure. Last summer a beam cracked forcing a quick examination by local engineers. A support was installed to get it through the summer of 2018. It won’t be easy to say goodbye to a building that saw the opening of Camp Howard in 1953 and welcomed every camper to visit since. Plenty of pictures have been taken over the years and it is well documented.
The building use as a dining hall will be closed in two weeks as the camp moves to the new facility. It will be removed within the next two years to make way for a new chapel.
BELOW: 1998 Old plywood walls are cleaned and painted. Bats are added over the seams to help them lay straight!
BELOW: windows are added in 1998 to the end of Gimpl Hall to let light shine into the building. Greatly improved the view as there was no view prior!
BELOW: 2012 Gimpl Dining Hall is stained and trimmed for the first time in it’s history. The wood soaked up the stain with an unquenchable thirst. Gallons of paint were injected into the wood.
BELOW: 2013 New floor, walls and wainscoting replace the original plywood walls from 1953. The building looks are improved but the size is too small and there are problems in the rafters and foundation.
Hamburger night and Hot dog nights fall on Tuesday and Wednesday each week. Dinner is served on Horton Field, the music gets cranked up each night and the kids have a great time eating the hamburgers and dancing to the country music.
On Hot dog night the theme is “School Spirit!” Lots of kids wear Camp Howard shirts or their school shirts to show their connections.
It is hard to beat the taste of a good hamburger and hot dog! Two hundred campers attended camp this week and the line for “seconds” attested to the great food served!
Also, listen to Stephanie Piering on KBVM last week talking about her experience in CYO Swimming and her choice to join the Faith!
https://materdeiradio.com/morning-drive-guest-stephanie-piering-cyo/
As Mary’s Lodge, the new dining hall at Camp Howard continues to wrap up construction, the final phases of preparation are in the works including the painting of a mural by Wayne Chin. He came early in the afternoon last week and said he would like to get it blocked out. He prepped his lines on the wall and laid out the under painting. It was amazing to watch!
I need to remember to tell him a refrigerator will go where his ladders are and can he move the raccoons? 🙂
CYO/Camp Howard 