August 4 2025

The campers won a prize at EP last night: a special breakfast treat! Dress in costumes (if you want), have chocolate milk, and DJ the music for that meal. They came to Flag in high spirits (and impressive costumes). Their excitement will continue throughout the day because tonight’s EP is their favorite: Carnival! Inflatable rides, junk food, and a camp-wide dance party add up to pure delight in this community, and we embrace the spirit of the evening without reservation. Carnival Al brings everything he’s got in the warehouse. He spends two days dropping off trailers and rides so that he can have everything ready to go at 5:45 this afternoon. So much fun!

All this fun will take place in the rain. Yes, it is going to be cool and rainy for a couple of days, and that fact does not seem to matter to the girls. They just put on their raincoats and boots for another day, armored against whatever might come. The rain is one of those “drizzle” rains (not heavy rain), so it doesn’t seem that bad… they are loving the freedom of playing in the rain (something they are typically not allowed to do). The many puddles around camp make even walking more fun. Don’t worry about a thing, they are having a blast.

In a couple of weeks, we will open enrollment for 2026. Now is a good time to think about what session might work for your daughter next year, if she returns (we know it is hard to fit camp into busy schedules). We also know that many of you would like to return to August Camp next year, but are limited due to the age restrictions.

This is not an arbitrary policy. We are convinced that our current age restrictions make a better camp experience for the diverse age group of campers who come to camp. The older the girl, the longer the session. Peer leadership is a real thing, particularly influential in the teenage years. To put it simply, 13-year-olds need a strong group of older peers to be successful. They respect 17-year-olds, and this respect changes the way they act (I am sure you can see how this would be true). We learned this about fifty years ago.

From 1920 to 1970, Greystone offered only one session. Seven weeks, grades 1-11. In 1973, we added a three-week session that we considered a “starter camp” for younger (grades 1-7) campers. This provided something that parents wanted, and we found it worked pretty well. The session was very popular, and about 10 years later, we added a 2-week camp using the same formula (grades 1-7). We found that the 7th-grade campers had a much better experience in the 3-week session. Anecdotal evidence was strong (talking to campers and counselors) and the data (camper and parent surveys) were compelling… longer camps are more effective (impactful) with older campers.

Main Camp is very popular with teenage campers. These are amazing campers. SUPER COOL girls who are old enough to be counselors at many camps but choose to return as campers because they LOVE CAMP in EVERY DETAIL! They enter into the silly fun of camp life, savoring every detail: Breakfast Club, Morning Assemblies, Activities big and small, nightly cabin devotions, Sunday Sermons…they love it all. They are great girls who have grown up at camp. Their leadership sets the tone for the rest of our community. We can’t imagine camp without them!

We have tinkered around the edges of this age policy, but with only one campus and limited space, we are stuck. To put it simply, we can’t figure out how to change the way we do it. Our re-enrollment numbers are very high, and our hands are tied (our facility is maxed out) unless we limit early bird options. God is really glorified with the way we are doing it now, so it is not going to change.

We are very sorry if you are aging out of a session and can’t do another one. We wish we could provide a solution. As it is, we trust the old saying: When God closes a door, he opens a window. There are great programs in other places, and those programs have been proven over time, just like Greystone. Programs that only meet for 1 or 2 weeks and provide a wonderful experience (Young Life Camps, travel camps, and adventure camps specialize in those session lengths). They are great camps with excellent records.

If the time comes that the Greystone “template” no longer works, we will make a change. This policy has been appropriate for this generation, but it might need to be changed in the future. One thing that 100 years teach us is that things change. We welcome change when it is needed, but for now, we believe the age ranges are still the right fit for our current community.

Sorry for the long blog. I know we often use too many words, but it is because it’s hard to explain the nuance of complicated messages. Hopefully, this blog will answer some of your concerns… but as always, we welcome your questions and comments. Thank you for the support; it is appreciated.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, bacon, grits
Breakfast Club: Physical Growth… Eating Well
Joke: “A Little Horse”
Lunch: Mac and Cheese, Ham
Dinner: Carnival Food (Chicken & Waffles, Grilled Cheese, Mac and Cheese bites, Fried Pickles, Funnel Cake, Cotton Candy, etc.)
EP Carnival