(Rye, April 25, 2013) The Rye YMCA will host a Family Camping 101 Workshop for people who want to experience a taste of wilderness but don’t know where or how to start. The interactive event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 10:30 a.m. – noon at the Rye Y (21 Locust Avenue.)
The workshop will be led by several experienced campers, including staff members from the Rye Y, Rye Nature Center and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS). It will cover such topics as: finding the right campground, buying or renting gear, cooking outdoors, and staying safe in the woods. Families will be able to try their hand at setting up a tent supplied by EMS for the event. Participating families and individuals will receive helpful handouts and a free raffle ticket for an EMS gift certificate.
The focus of the workshop will be on “car camping”—staying at a public or privately-owned campground with one’s car nearby—as opposed to wilderness camping or backpacking.
“Camping, especially with young children, can be an intimidating prospect if you’ve never been,” observed Rye Y Executive Director Gregg Howells. “However, the benefits of spending time in nature—sleeping in a tent, swimming in a lake, cooking over a fire—can last a lifetime. We want to take the mystery out of camping and show families how much fun it can be to have quality, unplugged time together.”
The workshop, which is part of the Kids Outdoors initiative, will be held on the lawn behind the Y parking lot. In the event of rain, the workshop will move inside. To RSVP or for additional information, contact Denise Woodin at 967-6363, ext. 101 ordenisewoodin@ryeymca.org. Children are welcome at this event, but must be accompanied by an adult.
The Rye YMCA is a family oriented community service organization which welcomes all people and promotes positive values through programs that build spirit, mind and body. Kids Outdoors is a community collaboration to promote unstructured, physically active outdoor play and exploration for children of all ages.
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