January 2009

We're having a great off-season and want to give you an update on what's going on for 2009:

2009 Camp Managers:

Blue: Back for a 4th summer to manage Camp Blue are Mike and Marilyn White. Their dedication to campers and staff is impressive, and the leadership they have provided has been incredible—we all look forward to them here for at least another four years!

Gold: Returning for a 2nd summer as Camp Gold Manager is Gail Forbes. Gail proved in 2008 that you can come home, as she worked tirelessly to make the experience there as great as it was when she was a young camper and a staffer during the Mike Koll years.

Oski: We're pleased to announce that Gail Hedrick will return for a 2nd summer as manager at Camp Oski. Gail quickly adapted from being a camper to being on staff, and is looking forward to going into 2009 with a veteran staff and a great year under her belt.

Master Plan Update

Even as there is snow on the ground, work crews are busy at the Lair. Head #3 at Camp Blue and Head #3 at Camp Gold are being replaced for the summer of 2009. Camp Oski will see new fencing at the recreation areas as well as a resurfaced basketball court and a facelift for sand volleyball. In addition we will be replacing approximately 15 camper tents throughout the Lair this year and are planning on replacing 15–20 per year moving forward.

We will be presenting an updated three year sequencing schedule for the Master Plan to our Board of Directors this spring and will include that update in one of our upcoming monthly newsletters.

December 2008

We're gearing up and laying the foundation for a great 2009 season. And speaking of foundations, take a look at where we're at with our new Head 3 at Gold. Though the snow is starting to fall, the weeks of warm weather helped us make great progress on both the new Head 3s at Gold and Blue.

Master Plan update—improvements underway at all 3 camps:

Oski: The sports courts have been resurfaced and the volleyball and basketball courts will now have REAL fences—the mesh 'fences' are gone.

Blue: We're putting the finishing touches on the recreation area, including rock facing on all of the new retaining walls. And we've almost completed work on a staircase leading up to the volleyball and paddle tennis courts, and the hill will be naturally landscaped.

Gold: Although not a part of the Master Plan, underway at the Gold lodge is the construction of a new head that will be accessible from inside the lodge. Thank you 4th Week Gold campers, who sponsored the building of this new head.

Lair Trivia Time:

Can you guess how many eggs the Lair uses each week to make breakfast for all three camps? See answer below.

ANSWER to our Lair Trivia Question: The Lair uses 7,350 eggs each week just for breakfast! This amount doesn't include eggs needed for other meals and baked goods. If you guessed 6,300 eggs, you were close, but you may have forgotten we need 1,050 eggs to make our delicious French Toast.

November 2008

The snow is here and the summer's gone, but we're still warm with memories from an incredible 2008 season at the Lair! Thanks to all of you who joined us last summer. We know you have a choice when it comes to vacation options, and we appreciate that you continue to choose the Lair of the Golden Bear.

Though our 2008 season is behind us, there's a lot going on at the Lair:

Goodbye Head #3!

No tears please! In early October, a huge bulldozer conquered Head #3 at both Camps Blue and Gold. Those bathrooms and showers are now completely gone, and groundbreaking has begun on new and improved Heads to be ready for Summer 2009. Check out the photos of the razing of the heads.

Other Master Plan Projects:

Also on tap for this year is the replacement of 15 camper tents (the oldest and least safe in all three camps), and recreation area upgrades for Camp Oski. We are continuing to work on our sequencing of projects for the next three years and will have updated information in a future newsletter.