Winterpalooza

Our annual camper retreat is coming up in a month and a half! If you'd like to be back at LCCC to celebrate the New Year, go visit www.ligoniercamp.org and click on the snowflake logo to download a registration form. We'd love to have you there.
Our theme for the weekend is "X Marks the Spot" - and we're all going to dress up as pirates to bring in 2010. We have a fabulous party complete with DJs as well as tons of wacky games, skits, talks, and (hopefully) snow activities.
Sign up soon or the spots may be gone!

Work Day

Ligonier Camp's work day is taking place this Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. We're working on getting the facilities ready for winter, and welcome willing volunteers for a great day of work - and delicious meals prepared by our chef, April. Any and all are welcome (kids, too, if they're ready to help!). Please call us at 724-238-6428 x 110 if you're interested in coming.

Getting started

It's only October, but it's time for Summer Camp 2010 recruiting to start! We're excited about all the great things God has done at camp this year, and can't wait to share it with more campers. One of the most exciting parts of recruiting season is getting to know parents and families of our campers and developing long-term relationships with them.
This past year, we've really enjoyed tea parties as an outlet for moms to get together and learn more about the camp setting. And we mean real tea parties, not the similarly named political events! :) There's just something about the relaxed atmosphere over a cup of tea that allows for honest questions and interesting conversations about sending little ones off to camp for a week. If you're ever interested in hosting a Ligonier Camp Tea Party, we'd love to be in touch with you!
Wish us luck on our upcoming season. We look forward to seeing so many of you again soon!

Thanks, everyone!

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend's events so successful and enjoyable. Our Dining Hall Dedication went off without a hitch, with beautiful music provided by Jim Paul, Stef Walker, and Brian Jinks, as well as a wonderful message from Pastor Tom Hall. And there's not enough to be said about April Pasternak's delicious food, from artichoke chicken pizza to spicy-sweet meatballs. How wonderful to spend time in our new dining hall, enjoying the fall scenery and the company of all those who prayed for the building process!
On Monday, our Golf outing had more than 90 golfers, as well as beautiful weather and awesome prizes. Thanks to all the Ligonier merchants who willingly provided gifts and services for the event - you made the event! With everything from gift cards to Betsy's to a meal at the Tavern to a Ruthie's t-shirt and ball cap set, the golfers in attendance went home laden with great gifts.

Pack your clubs and head on over!

Our annual golf outing is coming together quite nicely! Held October 5, 2009, at Ligonier Country Club, this year's outing should be both beautiful and relaxing. If you would like to golf with us while supporting this great local non-profit camp, please call Ligonier Camp at 724-238-6428.

Posted Sign Day

Every year, we at LCCC get pumped up for a day full of property management: posted sign day. Usually, this takes an entire day to complete, and this year we have our own 543 acres plus all the land at the new lake property. In order to keep our campers, retreat groups, staff, and local families safe, we spend a full day (and then some) posting signs all around the property notifying everyone of our boundaries and how to get in touch with the camp with any concerns or questions.
With the busy doe season ahead of us, it's only wise to make sure the property lines are clearly marked. And 'Posted Sign Day' has become a favorite because a large group of our staff set out early to enjoy a breakfast at Ruthie's and spend time enjoying the woods. Today's excursion included a baby deer sighting, several handfuls of wild grapes, and probably a few too many encounters with poison ivy. All were a little let down by the summer-like temperatures of the day, but we expect the cool weather to be here all too soon.
Only 364 more days to the next posted sign day!

Garage Sale

Next Friday and Saturday, September 9/25-9/26, Ligonier Camp will be hosting a Fall Garage Sale (or in our case, a "barn" sale). The sale will run from 7 am to noon on Friday and from 7 am until mid-afternoon on Saturday down along Route 711 at the big white barn. All are welcome to check out the variety of items available for sale. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center ministry.

Do you have things that you would like to donate to the sale? LCCC is currently accepting donations of garage sale items through Thursday, September 24, 2009. Please call ahead so that we can meet you and assist you in unloading your donated items. Our contact at the office is 724-238-6428 - ask for Sheri.

We appreciate your support of the camp throughout the year. We hope to see you all next weekend!

Also this...

I realized I've never posted a completed photo of the dining hall. There are still some minor improvements to complete inside, as well as the construction of the climbing wall, but this is the final product (although there's more grass grown in now!)Thanks to all of you whose prayers and giving made this dream a reality.
What do you think?

Golf Outing

Coming up on October 5th, Ligonier Camp will again be holding its annual Golf Outing. Imagine the early morning fog lifting over the color-tipped hills of the Laurel Highlands, giving way to a clear, cloudless day where friends come together in support of the Ligonier Camp ministry by enjoying a day on the links. (At least, that's what we're praying for!) The Golf Outing is undoubtedly one of the greatest days of camaraderie and encouragement for the camp and its programs throughout the year.
Are you interested in participating? Ligonier is looking for green sponsors, tee sponsors, golfers, general sponsors, and even prize donations for this year's event. We offer special rates for those serving in ministry careers and even great deals for golfing foursomes!
If you're interest in golfing this year, please visit www.ligoniercamp.org or call the camp at 724-238-6428. We'd love to see you there!

Lodge renovations

Hello, all! Slowly but surely, our lodge is going through some serious renovations. We began to renovate our guest rooms several years ago, one at a time. Currently, the lodge dining room is being made over to provide more space for meetings & hanging out for our retreat groups. After that, we'll tackle the lounge area, the breakout rooms, and eventually, the camp offices. Isn't it awesome to know that the camp is growing and changing in so many ways? I know it's not easy to let go of all the cool things we remember as campers, but I love thinking about the way this camp will continue to reach kids in the years to come.
And right now, it's going to reach kids and retreat groups through a stinky, paint-smelling dining room! Well, I guess it's just we lucky few that get to experience that!

Photos

Just a few cool and unique photos that I picked from this summer that seem to capture camp.

Over already?

It's hard to believe that the nine weeks of Summer Camp here at LCCC are over and done. In fact, most of our 1,830 campers have returned to their schools and sports teams - hopefully still remembering great things about their time at camp. While there were definitely some tough things about this summer (illnesses, minor injuries, the hill, and RAIN!), we had an incredible experience up here on the mountain. Are you curious about some of those great things? Here's a Ligonier Camp classic Top Ten.

The Top Ten Strange and Wonderful Things at LCCC 2009
Brought to you by Cinnabutter - 52% vegetable oil spread your kids will die for

10. Our new, regulation prison dodgeball court. (What is regulation LCCC prison dodgeball, you may ask? Well, we made it up, so our court is the only official one.)
9. Introduction of the Neutral Zone in Goldrush.
8. A parade and light show on July 4th that rivals the celebrations in our Nationl's Capital - including fire trucks, gorillas on bikes, glowsticks, jumping flames, and world-famous Ligonier Camp marching band.
7. Visits from two awesome bands willing to share their gifts so our campers could rock out!
6. The Music Sisters (whoo!)
5. The Bonus Brothers and Hannah Nevada....and the Hoedown Throwdown (boom boom clap)
4. Roller door races, boys vs. girls.
3. New CLUB songs: We're gonna Sing Like the Saved! and Count Me In! (sha na na na na na na)
2. Racing down the new zip line, conquering the tower, flying on the vomit comet, and stealthy planning at the paintball field.
1. Learning to live GAME ON at camp, at home, at school - all the time!


There are more things that I can even list - but you can add on! Comment and let us know some other great moments at LCCC.

New Dining Hall Photos

Isn't it beautiful? You should see the inside! (And yes, we'll post indoor photos as soon as we can!)


That little "porch" is where Next Level campers will enter the new dining hall.

Twin Zip Line Construction

Sorry for the long time between updates! But there's something fun, at least: the first ever pictures of the new 1300 ft. twin zip lines! Actually, there aren't any "lines" up yet, but you can see the poles. After generous donations from staff and camper alumni, the zip line that had only been a dream is now becoming reality!
For those of you familiar with the camp, the zip lines will begin up near the pamper jump & main campfire area and stretch all the way across the open hillside until its termination on the hill just above the boy's kybo. It's going to be amazing!
Here are some photos from the first day of construction:

Grossly Delinquent

Sorry about the lack of updates lately! We're well into our recruiting and promotional season, and much of our staff has been on the road for weeks now. We've been to churches, schools, parent's meetings, homes, tea parties, and much more! If we haven't been to your church yet, email (summercamp@ligoniercamp.org) us to tell us when to come!
So here's the much-needed dining hall update. You may not even recognize it - it looks so much like a real building! Our construction crews have been working their tails off to get our dining hall ready for kids to eat in. After all, what's a classic LCCC-style sticky bun without a fabulous new dining hall in which to eat it? The answer is "delicious but not as satisfying". Just kidding! Some details about the dining hall:

1. It has a roof, walls and a floor! I know, that fact just blew you away.
2. The new dining hall has two floors. The "basement" is for storage, restrooms, and a loading dock & elevator. The second is for the dining rooms, kitchen, and porch.
3. If you're on the second floor of the dining hall, you can see out OVER the Lamont Lodge. The building is huge!
4. No one should ever have an excuse to be late for breakfast - the dining hall is less than 100 yards from the flag pole and our lodge.
5. In the new dining hall, every kid will be able to see our skits happen! (I think I just heard Unit one boys and girls give a huge cheer after years of blocked views).

I hope you enjoy the new pictures! Please be in prayer about this project and many others. Have a prayer request? The Ligonier staff meets daily to pray, and we would love to pray for your concerns. Leave a comment or email us at summercamp@ligoniercamp.org.