Camp Emmanuel Gets All Spruced Up!

April 14 through 20 saw more than thirty people braving rain and winds to take part in readying Camp Emmanuel for the 2012 camping season. Volunteers came from all over central and southern Illinois and ranged in age from 11 to 75. Churches of the Brethren represented at some time during the week were: Canton, Decatur, Mulberry Grove, Oak Grove, Peoria, Virden, and Woodland.

Two major projects this year was resurfacing the spillway bridge. Massive but rotting railroad ties were pulled up and new lumber installed. In addition electrical service was restored to Cottonwood cabin. This lucky cabin also received a fresh coat of paint. The camp’s two oven-six burner stove was scrubbed and polished. Delicious meals were cooked and served from that gleaming behemoth.

Overgrown shrubs were trimmed; the beach water treated for moss; chapel windows re-glazed, painted and reinstalled (this prodigious project is about 50 % complete.) Firewood was cut; a leaking water hydrant repaired; four-square courts were repainted; paddle boats got power-washed and launched; a handicap-friendly dining table was made; cabins, bath houses, breezeway, porch, dining hall and pavilion were cleaned; aging play equipment was dismantled and removed. And that’s just the short list! Whew!

On behalf of all the campers--young and old, wedding parties, reuniting families, fisher folk, rv’ers, mushroom hunters, photographers, star gazers and trail-walkers who will experience the beauty and peace of the camp whose name declares “God is with us,” thank you volunteers! Contributed by Ruth Siburt, Camp Manager