Camp is on Facebook!

(click the photo or the link below to go to our facebook page)

You heard right! Camp Chingachgook now has a fan page on Facebook. Hundreds of your old Camp friends have already joined. You can now connect with Chingachgook in a new way. See what we're up to throughout the year, leave us a message, or reconnect with some old camp buddies...the possibilities are endless! You can even look at Camp pictures from various events. What a great way to keep up with what's going on at Camp. Become a fan today!

Fundraising Gala is coming up!

Mark your calendars! February 19th at 5:00pm.

For the first time ever Chingachgook is hosting its first ever Fundraising Gala! A silent auction will be going on throughout the night for various items that will benefit our Reach Out For Youth campaign. There will be a performance by The Last of the Mohican's...Chief Chingachgook himself may make an appearance!!! You don't want to miss this great event for a great cause RSVP NOW!

$35 per person includes $15 donation to the YMCA Reach Out for Youth scholarship program, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and entertainment. Fort William Henry Resort and Conference Center is offering a discounted room rate of $79 for guests to spend the night (518-668-3081, mention YMCA when reserving).

Please R.S.V.P. to Aimee:
YMCA Camp Chingachgook • 1872 Pilot Knob Rd • Kattskill Bay, NY 12844
abousquet@cdymca.org phone: 518-656-9462, ext 6601

Here is the official flyer

Winter Women's Weekend

"Flashback to the 50's!"

This past weekend was our annual Winter Women's Weekend here at Chingachgook! Over 50 women from all over came for a relaxing getaway weekend here at Camp. Activities included a Zumba Gold dance session(pictured below), body sculpting, belly dance workshops, self-defense seminars, massages, beading, ice walks on Lake George, snowshoe hikes, as well as others. Yup, there was something for just about everyone! Our weekend was capped off by an amazing 50's themed sock hop on Saturday Night (pictured above!) The Pipekings provided some great live music as we danced the night away. It was a fantastic time had by all and we cannot wait for next year already!

Snowblast...is a BLAST!

As you might have guessed from the title, we had a great time when the Southern Saratoga Adventure Princesses visited Chingachgook for a day not too long ago. We had fun tubing, sledding, playing ice hockey (or just sliding on the ice), there were crazy crafts, fun winter hikes, and of course a dutch auction. But the smashing hit? It was our egg drop of course. The picture below was how my egg did...not too well huh? That makes four consecutive years my egg hasn't survived the drop from the dining hall....maybe next year!

You don't always see them

The number of staff on July 1 differs quite a bit from the number of staff on January 1 each year. Yesterday, we gathered the entire Chingachgook staff, 19 of us, for a group photo on the Veranda. To recap, January - 19 staff, July 180 staff. Quite a difference of numbers between the two months huh? For those of you wondering, it was a warm 11 degrees outside when we took this picture but we still managed to see smiles across the board from everyone. We're definitely counting down the days until we see some new faces and warmer weather at Camp!

Alumni Staff Reunion!

This past weekend, close to 100 of our past staff members met up together for a day of fun. It had been quite some time since many of us have seen each other, so it was a great day to catch up with old friends. Some older staff from years ago were in attendance as well as much of our current staff, which made for a nice mix of stories and memories!
Some went down our tubing hill, others played some broomball at the center green which was transformed into an ice rink, and still others gathered by the fire to chat and catch up.

At 3:00, the bravest of Chingachgook staff gathered for a polar bear plunge into icy Lake George! Of course, all participants had to recite the "We are the Polar Bears" song while they stood in the snow before they went for the dip. The rest of camp watched from the bay!

After the polar bear jump, everyone gathered for a great dinner up in the dining hall. We sang our dinnertime grace before digging in. The man of the hour, George Painter, addressed the exuberant staff in his annual "State of the Camp!" It was really a great gathering.

Thank you to all who attended this great reunion. It is always wonderful to see old friends. Remember to always keep in touch with your old camp friends and that you are truly always welcome back at camp! Take care!

A favorite skill class from last summer

New things don't often reach fast success at Camp, but our Guitar class quickly became a must-dp event at Camp. Armed with 14 brand new guitars, almost 100 campers learned to play guitars at Camp. The best part? The class was a roaming one. Sometimes the class was located right outside of Rotary Lodge, other times the class could be found near Rockewell, or perhaps down at the waterfront. For those of you who took part in Guitar class, what did you think? Is it a keeper?