From Summer to Snowfall: Camp Never Sleeps
Adventure is always in season with year-round events and opportunities
As featured in Letters from Camp Magazine – Spring 2025.
In movies featuring camps, it’s not uncommon to see camp staff hop off the bus on the first day of the summer, arriving for duty at the same time as the campers.
The number one question I got when I was a camp director, a question I answered hundreds of times (not an exaggeration) was: “What do you do the rest of the year?”
“I get ready for camp” was my standard answer. Budgeting, program planning, fundraising, property updates, marketing and recruiting, hiring and training staff — that list barely skims the surface of all the things a camp director does to keep a camp operating.
And did I mention year-round programming?!
When you think of camp, do you typically think about hot summer days? I do. But the other nine months of the year, camps are still bustling, filled with energy and lots of activity.
From snowflakes to sunshine: A snapshot of seasonal adventure at St. Croix
In November 2024 alone, YMCA Camp St. Croix hosted 37 events, serving over 799 people.
Some of these seasonal offerings include Christmas with Croix, Children’s Food Fair, Harvestfest, pizza nights, barn dances, candlelight ski and hike, winter camps, retreats, school release days, pickleball camp for adults, weddings, the list goes on and on.
Theresa Douglas, Camp St. Croix business development manager, said, “We are temporary stewards of this incredible resource. We work hard to keep the lights on and the paths trampled in every season to make the most of this beautiful property generations before us worked for!”
These photos are just a sampling from a few of the 2024 events at Camp St. Croix. Events vary in activity, size, and time, but all involve laughter, fun, and community-building — people simply coming together to enjoy their time at camp!
