Placerville Camp and Retreat Center’s 100th anniversary celebration last year was thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Placerville and other camps in the Black Hills are preparing to reopen and welcome back campers. If all goes well, Placerville also hopes to host an anniversary open house on Labor Day weekend.
“We’re very excited to get up and going again. We missed our 100th anniversary last year. We were bummed we had to shut down,” camp director Kerry Steever said.
The United Church of Christ-affiliated camp and retreat center near Rapid City has cut back somewhat, operating five weeks of camp this year instead of nine.
In April, the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidelines for youth and summer camps to help camps develop safety strategies. Placerville Camp posted on its website, placervillecamp.net, that it’s implementing COVID-19 guidelines.
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“Of course, you’re going to have some people upset by it, but that’s why we put it in on the website. They’re going to know what to expect … or not come to camp. We’ve got to keep everybody’s safety in mind,” Steever said.
Placerville is limiting each camp session to 30 people. The camp is upgrading the air circulation systems in its cabins to provide more fresh air. Every camper will receive hand sanitizer to carry with them and a mask. Masks will be mandated indoors, except for sleeping. Campers also will stay in “family groups” of about 10 people for activities and meals, he said.
“We’ll be doing as much outside as we can, and that includes meals, to try to keep things safer as well,” Steever said.
Rimrock Camp and Retreat Center
Camps in the Black Hills vary on how much, if any, information they’re posting on their websites and social media about COVID-19 precautions, and not all camps responded to Journal inquiries about their safety measures this summer.
Rimrock Camp and Retreat Center’s website, rimrock.camp, lists detailed COVID-19 protocols. Campers come from all over the state, and director Jason Wiedrich said precautions start before some campers even arrive at Rimrock.
“We provide transportation so if they’re on our bus, they have to wear a mask. I think it’s going to be an obstacle for people who don’t like that, but if have an outbreak at camp, we have to shut things down,” Wiedrich said. “Last year was hard on us and our campers. We want to do the best we can to ensure our campers have their week at camp.”
Rimrock is bringing in extra workers to sanitize camp facilities and to handle some clean-up chores that typically would be assigned to campers to teach them good stewardship of the camp, Wiedrich said.
Campers will stay in small groups for activities and stay outdoors as much as possible.
“When they’re forced to sit in closed quarters, they have to be in their cabin groups,” Wiedrich said. “We’re asking all campers, when we are indoors, to be wearing masks.”
If campers get sick, Rimrock will have quarantine areas set up where campers can be cared for until their parents can pick them up, he said.
Camp Judson
Camp Judson near Keystone is trying to ensure this summer’s camps run as normally as possible, while still taking precautions. Campers’ temperatures will be taken when they first arrive at camp. Camp director Tracy Koskan said the camp was undergoing extra cleaning, as well.
Weeklong camps — two for families, three for kids and teens — plus day camps are scheduled this summer. Koskan said many camp activities, including some chapel services, are outdoors. Staff and campers will not be required to wear masks, and campers will be allowed to mingle freely instead of being limited to small groups. The camp attracts kids, families and counselors from all over South Dakota.
“We want the kids to hear about Jesus and we want them to have fellowship with each other,” he said. “If they’ve been in school, they’ve been around other kids.”
The camp is changing its rules for counselors, Koskan said. In previous years, counselors could serve at back-to-back camps. This year, counselors will be required to take a break before returning.
“If they’re at a camp, they’ve got to take a week off to monitor and see if they get sick or not,” Koskan said.
Parents must sign a liability form when they register themselves or their kids for camp.
“They understand there’s a possibility of contracting COVID-19. We’re going to do our best but you can’t guarantee they won’t come in contact with someone who has it,” Koskan said. “If parents are concerned, they don’t have to send their kids to camp. They know the risks involved.”
By late April, all the camps were already almost full, he said.
Boy Scout camp
Campers at the Black Hills Area Council’s Boy Scout camp Custer will see frequent reminders of ways to keep themselves safe. The council designed several posters with guidelines about preventing the spread of COVID-19, what campers should do if they feel sick, and reminders about when to wash their hands.
Stewart Smith, program director for Black Hills Area Council BSA, said the council is adhering to all the CDC requirements during the five weeklong summer camps at its Medicine Mountain Scout Ranch.
Campers can cook and participate in small-group activities outdoors, Smith said. Hand washing and hand sanitizing stations have been installed throughout the camp. All scouts will have their temperatures checked when they arrive at camp and every morning. The camp has set up an isolation area in case campers become ill.
“It’s better to be more restrictive than not. We’re going to put stuff in place and encourage people to follow it,” Smith said.
Because the state doesn’t have a mask mandate, the camp isn’t requiring masks, Smith said. However, the camp is providing one neck gator mask for every adult and camp. The Black Hills Area Council encouraged its staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and most have.
“We’re asking all camp participants to include a vaccine card (when they register) so if something happens and they need medical treatment, we’ll know if they’ve been vaccinated,” Smith said.
The camp attracts scouts from South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado and Texas, Smith said. Many like to plan a trip to Mount Rushmore on their way to or from camp, and Smith encouraged travelers to take precautions.
“Be respectful of whatever rules are required at each location. The best thing is when you’re traveling to camp, eat at drive-thrus only, carry hand sanitizer and wear masks in bathrooms. We’re telling people to take the precautions they need to take,” Smith said. “We’re telling people if you have any symptoms, don’t come to camp. We’d rather you stay home and refund you than make everybody sick.”
Giraffic Park Day Camp
Each two-week session of Giraffic Park Day Camp lets kids explore the YMCA of Rapid City’s 54-acre wilderness park. The camp runs June 1 through Aug. 13 and provides care for kids who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade. Like other area camps, Giraffic Park will get kids outdoors as much as possible, in smaller groups. Camp counselors will conduct daily health screenings.
“We try to limit the number of kids per counselor. That way they can ensure that they won’t have exposure to a large number of people. … Kids stay in that group for the whole two weeks,” said Keiz Larson, chief operations officer of the YMCA. “When they can’t maintain six feet of social distancing, kids and counselors wear masks.”
“We were pretty blessed last summer. We had absolutely great feedback and families felt that our camp system was very safe. We were one of the pioneering camps in the whole nation that put in place protocols for COVID-19,” Larson said. “Kids are required to wear masks. The kids didn’t have any problem with those protocols. After a year of school, they’re used to masks. Everyone on the bus wears masks to get to Giraffic Park.”
Following the COVID-19 protocols instills positive habits, she said. By teaching kids to wash their hands often and use hand sanitizer as they move from one activity to another, kids are learning how to follow guidelines proven to reduce their exposure to COVID-19.
“We are a tight-knit, close family here at the Y, and I really feel like our staff does anything and everything to ensure safety for our community,” she said. “Our staff have taken the opportunity for immunizations very seriously, and we feel good about where we’re at.”