Time to register for 2008 Camp Renaissance fun
Release Date: 12/29/2007. Expired: 2/29/2008
Registration is under way for Camp Renaissance 2008 and camp officials are emphasizing the importance of registering as soon as possible.
Camp Renaissance sessions for 2008 are June 16-20, June 23-27, July 7-11 and July 14-18. Camp fee is $155 per child and the registration deadline is June 6, but the sessions are expected to fill up quickly.
“Last year we had to turn away more camp applicants than in any previous year in Camp Renaissance history because our sessions were full,” said Paul McCardle, camp director. “We have a limited enrollment for each week of camp and the best way to assure your camper will get in for the week you want is to register as soon as possible.”
Camp Renaissance is a day camp for boys and girls ages 6-14 entering its ninth year of existence at The Renaissance Center. The camp is a unique combination of outdoor adventure activities and the cultural and educational opportunities available at The Renaissance Center.
More than 600 campers attended the 2007 sessions, many of them attending multiple weeks. Camp Renaissance also regularly experiences campers returning year after year.
One of the reasons Camp Renaissance filled up so quickly in 2007 was the initiation of a referral discount program that continues for 2008. Any returning camper can get a 20 percent discount on his camp fee for referring a new camper. If a returning camper refers five new campers who attend in 2008, the returning camper can receive a 100 percent discount and attend camp free.
Registration for Camp Renaissance consists of a preliminary application and a $75 deposit. The remainder of the camp fee is due by the time the camp session begins.
Camp Renaissance also offers bus transportation from Red Caboose Park on Highway 70 in Bellevue each week and during selected sessions to the Kingston Springs area for a small transportation fee. Camp officials also are considering adding transportation services to other areas.
The unique combination of activities at Camp Renaissance includes traditional outdoor activities at the Adventure Camp, such as swimming, rappelling, rock wall climbing, riflery, skeet, archery, nature exploration, tubing, fishing, arts and crafts and cave exploration. The Adventure Camp site, formerly the Ruskin Cave resort, includes the largest swimming pool in Middle Tennessee with new dressing areas, a 50-foot climbing and rappelling tower, 400-foot zipline, low ropes course, skeet, riflery and archery ranges, stocked fishing ponds and both living and dead caves, including the world-renown Jewel Cave.
The camp week also includes a visit to The Renaissance Center where campers enjoy a live, professional theatre production, Faraday Science Theatre show, karaoke and laser music and planetarium shows in the CyberSphere Digital Theater, one of the largest and most technologically advanced planetariums in the country now featuring full-dome video.
“With our Adventure Camp site and The Renaissance Center combining to offer a full week of exciting activities, Camp Renaissance is one of the most unique camp experiences anywhere,” McCardle said.
Campers also have the option of an overnight stay on Thursdays of each session, during which they can watch movies, swim, enjoy a cookout and sleep inside Ruskin Cave.
A preliminary camp registration form is available on the Camp Renaissance website at http://camp.rcenter.org or by calling (615) 740-5533.
Camp Renaissance also will have a booth at the Nashville Parent magazine Camp Fair on Feb. 2 at Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin where registration packages and more information will be available.
For more information, visit the camp website or call (615) 740-5533. Camp Renaissance is a program of The Renaissance Center, a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.
Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.