The very last day of school classes at the Eldred school is coming up fast on June 27, so the kiddoes will need something to do for the summer. When I was growing up once school let out  the first thing we did is move to our respective beach houses. In my Irish tribe of a family, we for some reason didn’t live in the same towns in the summer but pretty much all the summer houses were in different locations but all were on the ocean. 

During the summer months, we lived like a band of travelers staying at various family relatives’ houses and having a great time. I never recall any discussions about where we ( my brother Fred and sisters Jane and Molly) would be going, or what the schedules were but the ever-hovering elders worked all of that out. We would catch up with our cousins and enjoy every summer activity we could. In the middle of this fabulous free form migration, my mother might decide to throw a wrench in the works and send me and Jane off to Girl Scout Camp for two weeks-which was annoying but fun once we got there. Soon enough we were back with our cousins and all too soon the grownups would start talking about “back to school” topics. 

Thinking what a special charm this pre-dog days of summer held for me about what great times we had as summer ragamuffins, I am aware of what activities are around in the Summer in Highland for kids. I found out from our Town of Highland Supervisor, John Pizzolato, that this year the Town will sponsor a whopping forty-three scholarships available for day camp at Camp Koinonia for kids from 4-15 years old. The day camp is Monday through Fridays 8:30-3pm and operates from the end of June through August. To apply for a scholarship call the Town Supervisor’s office at 845-557-8901 or email him at townsupervisor@townofhighlandny.com. Another option which is free is starting in July and led by Reverend Charles Perez called Holy Hoops a one-week basketball clinic. The Clinic is sponsored by the Lumberland Parks and Recreation Department and is open to both males and female players in 7th and 12th grades and will teach the fundamentals and give coaching tips to strengthen game skills. The free clinic will take place in Circle Park from 10am - Noon on July 21-25. If interested contact Charles Perez by text/call 973-901-2903.

A great resource is Bethel Woods that has a pretty extensive listings of programs for kids as part of the Summer Arts Program called P.L.A.Y. The programs include a day camp for 5-6 year olds; a film making class (10-14 yrs), 3D Design course (10-12yrs) and the most popular class-the Rock n Roll Music Camp (10-14yrs old) taught by mega musician, music journalist, rock band leader and  best-selling author of “Sympathy For the Drummer: Why Charlie Watts Matters” - Highland’s favorite son, Mike Edison! The Bethel Woods P.L.A.Y. classes do have a fee structure and there may be scholarship opportunities available. All classes are taking place at the Bethel Woods venue and are held from June through August. Please go to bethelwoodscenter.org for costs and enrollment information.