Organizers behind Longmont’s summer camps are tip-toeing their way toward normalcy while still adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.
Longmont Summer Day Camps will commence on Memorial Day weekend and span until mid-August with groups of 15 enjoying a variety of activities around the St. Vrain Memorial Building, said Jeff Friesner, the city’s recreation and golf manager. Each group of 15 will be broken into smaller groups during the 10-week camps to adhere to Boulder County Public Health requirements to avoid the spread of the virus, he said.
Summer campers won’t be allowed to take field trips, swimming will be limited, social distancing will be encouraged, and staff and campers 11 and older will be required to wear masks during the day, according to the city.
SkyHawks Sports Academy weekly athletic camps also are scheduled for this summer with the same mask requirements for staff and participants, Friesner said.
Sunset Pool, meanwhile, is scheduled to open May 28 with reservations still required to limit capacity, he said. Reservations also are required at all other Longmont recreation facilities as Boulder County remains at the yellow status on the state’s COVID-19 dial.
Yellow status allows gyms and fitness centers to operate at 50% capacity or at 50 people, according to Boulder County Public Health.
“As of right now everything we do is based on reservations,” Friesner said. “As we get further into the year, maybe some of these reservation requirements will go away.”
Summer camps for ages 3 to 16 also are planned June 7 through July 30 at the Longmont Museum. The museum is running 30 camps, five of which are virtual, and 25 of which are in-person, Leigh Putman, museum program director, said in an email.
In March 2020, museum officials moved all summer camps to an online-only format. The move came after the closure of St. Vrain Valley schools through the remainder for the 2019-2020 school year and the cancellation of many other local summer camps, according to a city of Longmont news release issued at the time.
During this year’s museum camps, children this year can explore themes such as Longmont history, STEM, visual arts, outdoor skills, pop culture, fabric arts and sewing, music and theater, a wizard’s school, and classic arts and crafts, according to a news release.
Most of the in-person camps will be set outside in the museum courtyard and surrounding outdoor spaces, Putman said. The few indoor camps will be held in the museum’s largest classroom to accommodate social distancing or in a secure Zoom meeting room, she said.
Families will have the flexibility to choose which environment feels most comfortable during the ongoing pandemic, the release states.
“Our outdoor camps will also feature an outdoor standing sink/hand washing station so that campers have quick outdoor access to hand washing,” Putnam said.
The museum on its webpage will explain how volunteers and camp instructors are treating camps this year with COVID concerns in mind, she said.
Additionally, all teen volunteers and camp instructors will be trained during pre-camp orientations on general protocols, as well as health, safety and COVID protocols, Putnam said.
Camps range in cost from $150 to $300 per week, and last two to five hours a day. The cost of camps include all materials needed for the week, including a specialized kit of supplies to be picked up outside the museum for virtual camps, the release states. Need-based scholarships are available thanks to the support of the Dodge Family Fund, said Kim Manajek, the museum’s director.
The museum’s camps are essential in helping families deal with the stresses of COVID lockdowns, Manajek said.
“These summer camps are extremely important for meeting the needs of our community,” Manajek said in an email. “Especially at this point of the pandemic, we are seeing that families are eager to find engaging activities for their young ones.”
