Some new porches and even a roofball bench on Boys Row

Dear Friends,

We have had a very exciting fall season, working on plans for Summer 2012, running winter events, enhancing our facilities, and providing different tastes of camp for you to enjoy at home.

Despite a temporary relocation, thanks to Hurricane Irene flooding our office, we have been busy processing the hundreds of registrations that keep pouring in! Our new online registration system made it much easier for families – and for our staff – to sign campers up for next summer. I am SO excited to have so many returning campers, as well as many new campers and younger siblings. We have more full summer campers than ever before! Crane Lake is getting full, so please spread the word to friends and make sure they get their registrations in right away.We have a huge number of returning staff, also more than ever before, so there will be plenty of familiar faces in our cabins, running activities, and leading all areas of camp.

We no longer have an “off season” for camp. Crane Lake and Eisner families can have a summer camp experience throughout the year with our Heller-Wexler family programs: Father/Son weekend in December, Chaggigah (arts) weekend in January, and Mother/Daughter weekend in April. We know that all of these will provide unique experiences for families to share the joy of camp. Both Crane Lake and Eisner families are invited to the weekends held at Eisner’s winterized retreat center.

Now, the really important news: facilities improvements. This may not sound glamorous but I know that all campers and staff will be cheering. We are replacing every single toilet on camp that was not replaced last year! And, we are renovating four of the porches on Girls Row and all of the porches on Boys Row – including new steps to the bunks!

Please check our calendar to see when our directors will be visiting your congregation to speak to future campers and their families. Stop by to say hello. We’d love for you to share your experiences with other families as well.

And, as your children will tell you, the countdown has begun! Session One opening day is less than 170 days away! In the meantime, we want to send camp home for you to enjoy. For all you music lovers, we are creating a CD of all your favorite Crane Lake music and will send it to all families in late January (Check out a sneak preview on our blog). And, be on the lookout for our annual video Chanukah gift coming in the mail soon.

L’Shalom,

Debby