Alford Lake Camp

One of the smallest buildings at Alford Lake Camp is the Library.  Originally the home of our first Director, Dr. Susan Kingsbury, this beautiful building has long been a favorite spot for our campers to sit by the fire, play a board game with friends, write a letter, or read a book.  Our library holds cherished memories of our camp with ALC logs (camper accounts of the day) that date back to the early 1900s.

Additionally, our library holds well over 500 books for our campers to borrow and enjoy throughout the summer at ALC.  Classics and modern books in a variety of reading levels for our girls – and many books in foreign languages too.  Year after year, generous families have been donating their campers’ favorite books to help our library grow.  Our library is always open for curious campers and counselors to find books to enjoy and share.  We are proud that our tent counselors read aloud to their campers before bed.  We hear the cries of “one more chapter” ringing out from the tent line in the evening!  Reading is a life skill and a meaningful way to continue to learn and grow in life.

Alford Lake Camp is proud of our commitment to literacy.  We encourage campers to write letters home, to write Camp Logs, to create campfire skits and to read just for fun.  We know that communication skills grow through these experiences.  Without computers, TVs, etc. our campers are able to rediscover the joy of reading.

These are our values.  This is our commitment to 104 years of successful residential camp life.  We hope you will visit our library when you next visit camp.  See what has changed and what has not.  You might just find yourself picking up a great book and sitting down by the fire.

What book is on your nightstand right now?  What books do you think you will bring to camp this summer?  Share your thoughts with us by replying to this or any of our blogs.

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

We know we are not the only ones who see it!! The litter on the side of the road, the small bits of our lives accidentally dropped or carelessly thrown away.  The clutter, the trash, the “disposable” part of our consumer based society/economy.  We notice it on the sides of the roads we drive, by the stores we frequent and everywhere we go!  Most of us of a “certain age” remember the powerful public service advertisement of the 1970s of the American Indian crying as he saw the trash polluting a river.  And, so we stop, bend down and pick up what we can.

And we know ALCers all over the world are doing the same…  Taking a moment to stop, to notice and to take a small action to care for the world. Why?  Because one of the foundations of Alford Lake Camp is stewardship of our environment.  Visit our camp and the first thing you will notice is the caring attitude our staff and campers have for this place.  Together we care for our buildings, our tents, our equipment and through this we also learn to care for each other.  We will not overlook, pretend to not see or ignore the people in our community. We will stop and take a moment to care, to connect and improve each other’s lives.  We are stewards of each other!

So, today we hope you will join us and pick something up.  Choose to see the small things and to be a part of the solution.  Share the ALC spirit with the world!!  It is who we are and it is just one of the important lessons of Alford Lake Camp.  This is what we mean when we say Alford Lake Camp is a place “where values matter and people thrive…”

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

Quiet time, time to reflect, rest, recharge, reconnect… at Alford Lake Camp we call this time “tent time”. What is tent time?  The time right after lunch and right before dinner, spent with tentmates and counselors in our tents.

Ask any ALC camper and they will tell you it is one of the highlights of their days, because tent time is mail time – the time when our eager Jr. CTs hand deliver letters from home!!  But tent time is more than just time to savor letters from home.  It is time to spend with their main camp group – their tentmates and their counselor, their small ALC family.  We specifically build in time in our campers’ daily schedules for meaningful time to connect, bond, share and enjoy with their immediate peers and their counselor.  We, at Alford Lake Camp, are proud of our tent groups.  The small, close-knit community of campers and counselor living together provides real relationships, true understanding and acceptance, as well as and a sense of “oneness”.  Our counselors and campers know each other, are proud of their tent groups, and share the experiences, joys and responsibilities of living together.

Just as a family gathers around the dinner table to reconnect after busy days, our tent groups share tent time to reconnect after activities at Alford Lake.  Silly games, books read out loud, stories of the day’s experiences are all part of tent time.  Talking, sharing, and laughing… all ages enjoy the time to be together every day.  The skills of living together, of community building and understanding the needs of others are all honed at ALC and most especially within individual tent groups.  Together our girls learn life lessons of peer relations, communication and group living.

We wish everyone could have “tent time” in their lives!! Time to pause from work, share unscripted time with true friends, all with a patient, fun and understanding counselor.  Imagine how happy we all would be…

Days spent on the shores of Alford Lake Camp are multi-layered.  They are a mix of dynamic activities and quiet times.  Tent Time is part of our tradition, part of our success and part of the gift we give campers (and they give us) each summer.

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

We heard the reminder… this was the weekend that the USA observed “daylight saving time.”  We turned our clocks ahead one hour, playing with time to gain more daylight.

Losing an hour of sleep but gaining more daylight to enjoy.  Children play outside longer, commuters can enjoy coming home before the sun sets!!  We throw open the windows to let in the light and the fresh spring air.  We cheer for the melting snow, glory in the first blooms of spring in our gardens and happily trade in our winter coats for lighter jackets.

As parents, we know about time passing with our children.  We celebrate their growth, we see them ”sprout” in their days, months, years.  A tiny baby one moment, a toddler the next.  An adventurous and independent ”tween” before we know it.  The seasons of their lives flying by.  And for many of us, we wish we turn back the clock or make the clock tick just a little slower.

Yet, we know the important part of being a parent is preparing to let go – just a little bit more each year.  To see them change and become more independent, more self confident, more of the amazing women they will be.  Alford Lake Camp is part of that process.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us.  Thank you for giving us a “season” with your child!  We know the trust you place in us, we value each wonderful and unique camper.  We cherish the summer “seasons” of their lives.

Wishing all our Alford Lake Camp families a joyous spring!

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

In recent years we have seen a rise in specialty sports camps.  We know that our campers enjoy their participation in team and individual sports during the school year.  We recognize the value of these activities and the important part they play in young girls’ lives.  Many families feel pressure to continue sport training during the summer months.  The American Camp Association recently posted an interesting article titled “Good Sports: Athletes Find Opportunities at Summer Camps,” and we encourage you to read it.

Campers choose their daily activities at Alford Lake Camp.  Each activity period they are given 3-5 choices.  For example, a camper can choose canoeing one period and tennis the next.  Campers can focus and attend many activities as much or as little as they wish.  The great part of this approach is that campers have a voice in their decisions and are still guided by our conscious counselors who keep a good eye to each camper’s experiences.  We have witnessed the value of this ‘liberal arts’ approach each and every summer. A novice tennis player realizes she loves the game and returns to the courts day after day.  A limber gymnast finds climbing the Challenge wall exhilarating and splits her time between Gymnastics and Challenge.  Our Sports activity swells when lacrosse or soccer is announced!  The value in the ALC approach is that campers can work hard and be mentored in their particular sport while still having choices throughout every day.

Swimming, sailing, gymnastics, tennis, horseback riding, challenge (our climbing course) hiking, archery, field sports…. there is no denying that our campers are active and on-the-go all summer long!!  Activities at ALC are designed to keep our campers busy, happy and healthy.  Camp life includes walks up and down our beautiful hill, days spent exploring the natural world and moving, moving, moving.  Fresh air, fun and a carefully balanced diet contribute to a summer that is positive and healthy for all our campers.

As you consider summer activities for your child, we urge you to reflect on the importance of a well-rounded athletic and active camp experience.  Today’s soccer player may well become tomorrow’s tennis player!!  A chance to learn a new sport, discover a new passion, to rest and recharge can benefit athletes of all ages.  What a great opportunity for our children to pursue their interests and explore life skills as well – all to feed their soul and their academic success as well!

Hurrah for camp, education and life skills!

Warmly,
Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

Technology is all around us and contributing to and improving our lives in ways both big and small.  Have you noticed how many cars have GPS systems?  Just a few years ago it was folded maps, stopping for directions, concentrating to make sure each turn took us to our destinations.  Now we can plug in an address and go!  Lost no more but not really aware of our route.  Do we do this in life?  Do we speed along with technology, busy schedules and multi-tasking life requirements?  Are our children along for this ride? Destination over the journey… something to ponder.

As directors of Alford Lake Camp, we know the camp roads and walking paths by heart.   Over the course of the summer, we can feel the path beneath us change by our campers’ journeys.  Our campers arrive in camp to explore, to learn and to grow.  We travel together with purpose and with fun.  We enjoy the journey and not just the destination. Each day campers gain new skills, make new friends, reach out to new people and experiences and through this gain valuable self-confidence and maturity.  This is our ALC journey.  We travel together and savor the route of childhood, of camp life and of values that make a difference in our lives.

We hope that all our ALC families and friends travel safely throughout their lives.  We welcome you to join us any time.  And, just in case you wish to plug it into your GPS, our address is (for the 104th summer):  258 Alford Lake Road, Hope, Maine!

From the road,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new study, Daily Media Use Among Children and Teens Up Dramatically From Five Years Ago, on the technology habits of typical American children. The results are astounding:  children ages 8 to 18 spend on average 7 and half hours a day using computers, smart phones, TVs, etc.  We encourage you to review the study results.

Increases in the “screen time” of American children are on the radars of all American families.  We seek to find the balance in our children’s lives, recognizing that changes in  communication, entertainment and information gathering bring benefits and challenges alike.  As parents, we know our children were not born with adapters!   Surely the balance is struck when children are allowed to learn to live, for a while, without computers, TVs and cell phones.  Alford Lake Camp believes real communication skills, positive relationships and self-awareness comes with personal interaction in a community setting.

A Chance to Unplug…

Think about opportunities for fun and learning we have without electronics:  Campfire skits, drama plays, card games with tent mates, stories read out loud by flashlight, letters written home, summiting a mountain, laughing with counselors and campers as we share our days together.  Time to listen to the wind in the pine trees, to feel the sun on your face and the splash of lake water.  A text message will never replace a hug from a friend. A challenge conquered at camp will outshine any level of a video game. Real and lasting friendships will mean more than any Facebook “friend”.  The self-confidence of our campers, guided by our amazing counselors, can never be replaced by the virtual world.

We know the world is ever changing, yet Alford Lake Camp provides a place where children can still enjoy and benefit from the natural beauty of the world, the positive experiences of face-to-face relationships and the traditions that have been life changing for young women for over 100 years.

Join us in celebrating summer as it should be, as it has always been! Unplug, slow down and enjoy the fun of friendship and learning at a spot that cherishes each individual.

Thank you,

Sue McMullan, Director
Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director