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Okanagan camp to run this summer

MacKenzie Camp on Mabel Lake will feature day camps and family getaways
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The highly popular MacKenzie Camp on Mabel Lake will be open in the summer for day camps and family getaways, all COVID-safe. (Photo submitted)

MacKenzie Camp on Mabel Lake will be open again this summer.

There will be kids’ day camps and Family Getaways, running from July 7 to Aug. 15. And all are COVID safe.

“The cancellation of on-site programming last summer was a big disappointment,” said camp spokesperson Don McNair. “But camp volunteers made good use of the time. The dining room in Alice Large Lodge got a big upgrade, and nearly every cabin is now ‘electrified.’ That makes camp an even greater place for a summer vacation.”

Day Camps will run on Wednesdays July 7, 21, and Aug. 11. Camp vans will collect kids aged 9-13 in the morning from church parking lots in Vernon, Armstrong and Enderby.

They’ll drive out to the camp for a day of archery, climbing wall, crafts, games and swimming. Lunch is included. They’ll head home again at 4:30 p.m.

Family Getaways are weekend affairs, running Thursday evening through Sunday noon (through to Monday noon on the B.C. Day long weekend).

You get to enjoy the great outdoors as a family, with a cabin, firepit, and picnic table to yourselves and MacKenzie’s cook providing three delicious meals a day.

Vacationers can hike, kayak, craft, and enjoy campfires, all within their family “bubbles.” Swimming times under a lifeguard’s supervision will also be scheduled.

Registration for these events opens on March 29.

Registration has already opened for MacKenzie’s Leadership Training Camp on July 4. This free event is for youth aged 14-17 who want to learn the skills of a summer camp counsellor. Some will be invited back to camp to exercise those skills this summer, in return for an honorarium.

At every event, all protocols regarding COVID-19 will be strictly observed.

Of course, nothing is for sure during a pandemic. If the provincial government or the BC Camping Association were to disallow summer camps, or if anyone in a household were to test positive for COVID-19, registration fees will be refunded in full.

For more details and to register, go to mackenziecamp.ca and click on “Go Camping,” then “Youth Camps.”

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roger@vernonmorningstar.com

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