Camp Lyons opens June 4
Summer camp to include more field trips
By Steve Metsch
Registration is open for Camp Lyons, a summer camp which promises to be bigger and better than last year with more emphasis on field trips.
The 11-week camp starts on Monday, June 4 and runs through Frida, Aug. 17, said Ted Tala, director of the Lyons parks and recreation department.
The camp is for children ages 5 through 12. If a youth turns 13 over they summer, they can still attend.
The summer camp comes on the heels of a first-ever spring break camp that proved more popular than last year’s summer camp, Tala said.
“Our high last summer was 25 kids in one day, but once we got the word out for spring camp, we had 33 kids one day,” Tala said.
There will be increased emphasis on field trips, with at least one planned nearly each week, Tala said.
“We have access to the buses this year. We’ll have a field trip pretty much every Wednesday and a few on Thursdays,” Tala said.
Plans include a baseball game in Rosemont, home of the new minor-league team named the Chicago Dogs; a trip to Centennial Beach in downtown Naperville; Chuck-E-Cheese; and Stella’s batting cage in Lyons.
Ted Tala, director of the Lyons parks and recreation department, says this year’s summer camp will feature more field trips. Photo by Steve Metsch,
“We have great facilities here, but we’ll get out, too. We’ll be at the library two times a week. We’ll try to get to the Forest Lanes bowling alley once every two weeks. There’s no shortage of things to do,” Tala said.
When they are at the village hall, the campers make good use of Veterans Park next door by playing Whiffle ball, kickball, soccer and basketball.
“Another big one we want to do this summer is play more water games with them like water balloon tosses and maybe a Slip ‘N Slide. We hit the Cermak Family Aquatic Center every Friday, too,” Tala said.
The price is $100 weekly for the camp which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Siblings are half-price.
The half-day price for 9 a.m. to noon is $50 per week.
Before-care is offered from7:30 to 9 a.m. for $10 per week, with after-care from 3 to 5:30 p.m., also $10 per week.
The ratio will be one counselor for every five campers, Tala said. If more are needed, more counselors will be brought in.
Parents don’t have to pay for the entire summer, either. They can pay as needed. All Tala asks is that a check is turned in the Friday before the week.
There will be no summer camp on July 4, but the camp will have a trolley in Lyons’ Independence Day parade so campers will be tossing candy to parade-goers, Tala said.
For more information about Camp Lyons, call Tala at (708) 442-4858.
“I’m having fun here. I can’t ask for anything more. Lyons has a bunch of amazing kids,” Tala said in his office at the village hall.
Desplaines Valley News
Email Steve Metsch at sm4610@sbcglobal.net
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