| Camps gear up for summer with new facilities BY DAVID BOHNERT UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT New and renovated facilities and innovative programs will enhance this summers camping experiences at the three facilities operated by the Baltimore-Washington Conference.  A newly air-conditioned dining hall at West River United Methodist Center will provide greater comfort for campers, said Camp Director Andy Thornton. The air conditioning will be in place for this summers camping season. 
A new camping and retreat lodge at Manidokan Outdoor Ministry Center will add greater flexibility in programming, said the Rev. William A. Herche Jr., camp manager. The lodge passed the final t wo of four inspections April 26, shortly before a group from Mays Chapel in Timonium arrived for a family retreat. The primary purpose (of the new lodge) is to enhance ministries to adults during the retreat season, September through May, Herche said, adding that the lodge also expands midweek opportunities for campers. An added benefit of the new lodge is the ability to house specialized camps such as music camp where kids can bring their instruments and have a safe place to store them, Herche said. The ground is ready for foundation work at the site for a second new lodge, which should be ready for occupancy by Jan. 1, Herche said. The air-conditioning and the two new lodges are projects of the Retreat and Camping Master Plan adopted by the annual conference in 1999. The annual conference approved additional funding provisions in 2000. The conference owns and operates Manidokan, near Harpers Ferry, W.Va.; West River United Methodist Center in Churchton; and Camp Harmison in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. This summer, a new sign language camp will be conducted concurrently with a deaf camp at West River. According to Thornton, the initiative came from a child, who saw the deaf camp and asked why there was no camp that taught American Sign Language. Fifth through eighth grade students can now be immersed in a camping situation in which they must use sign language to communicate with the deaf campers. Senior high camps are growing, Thornton said, with 80 to 90 registrants expected, compared to 60 last year. Senior high students have the camp to themselves, with such activities as worship bands, off-site daily mission projects and a broom ministry at local shopping centers. The camping program for adults is also being expanded. Registrations for camping sessions at West River are ahead of last year, Thornton said. Some sessions are already full, but if there is an opening in the camp, registrations will be accepted right up to the opening day. Two high adventure camps at Camp Harmison, where Lynn Frum is caretaker and host, are almost full, he said. According to Herche, registrations at Manidokan near the end of April were up by nearly 100 from the same time last year. | 
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