Dates: July 18-20 (May be adjusted one day earlier or later)

Experience the blessings of Shehaqua in your own home 😃

We are in unique and challenging times with respect to COVID-19. While we would much prefer to have an in-person camp experience, we know it is not safe for everyone. Instead, the Week 1 team is planning a FANTASTIC 3-day virtual Shehaqua experience for you and your family.

Overall, the program will be a mix of limited Zoom (video conference) calls, open schedule where people can call each other/ set up their own hangouts, and a facilitated nature experience. We will have lots of breakout groups in small teams, age-specific Education time, and of course some of our favorite evening programs: Family Fun Night, Candlelight Prayer, and Talent Night.

We need your help! We want to co-create this program with you—What are you interested in, what would you like to see? Please fill out the below so we can customize the different components to your interests, it'll take about 4 minutes.

To fill out the Shehaqua Refresh poll, click the link below. The poll closes on Sunday, June 7th at 11:59PM

Fill out the Shehaqua Refresh Poll »

Sincerely,
Kester Wilkening, Melissa Manor, and Luke Scazzero

Details

While we have continued to keep the possibility alive that camp could move forward and have taken steps to be ready if the opportunity arrived, the number one factor we must honor is the well-being of our campers and volunteers in running a camp during this time. Thank you to all of you who have contributed to the decision-making process and helped us to assess the risk level of trying to open camp this year.

As of Saturday May 30th, we learned that Hickory Run State Park is officially closing Camp Shehaqua for the rest of the summer. Here is a summary of the program updates with more details in the sections below.

  • Week 1 is now virtual – July 18 to July 20. Family Camp Week 1 has converted to a virtual program called Shehaqua Refresh. See more details in the next section.
  • Week 2 team is organizing tent-camping by families – July 27 to July 30. Sally Sayre and Daniel Hess are coordinating tent camping by family at Hickory Run State Park’s group campsites, which are still open. See details below under "In-person tent camping".
  • Music Meetup Weekend (in-person) has been cancelled. If we open a virtual meetup, we will communicate the details soon.

In order for all of the Shehaqua Family to have the option to connect while staying safe at their comfort level, the volunteer organizers of Week 1 and Week 2 have come up with alternatives—both in-person and virtual, for these events. We hope you’ll enjoy!

Details

We have heard officially from Hickory Run State Park that Camp Shehaqua will remain closed for the rest of the summer. This means no programs will be held at Shehaqua. However, there are both virtual and in-person alternative activities being planned:

The Week 1 team will hold a Shehaqua Refresh virtual meetup with a ton of creative group activities and fellowship. This event will take place around the time of Week 1. This will be around a 3-day event. Click here to fill out a poll if you are interested.

During the time of Week 2, Sally Sayre and Daniel Hess will be coordinating tent camping by family at Hickory Run State Park. Families will need to bring their own food and tents but we will have mattresses available from Shehaqua for use by tent campers. Contact Sally here for more details.

Details

Due concerns around safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and core volunteers no longer being available to run the camp, Week 1 will no longer be held in person this year.

We’re considering potential virtual meetup formats instead, and Week 2 is still tentative. We will continue to see if the state chooses to reopen the camp this year and if there are enough people willing to volunteer to keep the camp running for Week 2. Please stay tuned for more news!

Details

For Week 1, from July 19th to July 24th, Kester Wilkening will be our director. For Week 2, from July 27th to August 1st, Daniel Hess will be our director. Thank you both for stepping up again, taking responsibility for Camp! We appreciate all the work you do to help Shehaqua move onward.
Register for Week 1, Week 2, or Musical Meetup »

For concerns about holding camp during this time, scroll to the Please Read section below.

Details

To protect Shehaqua family members, we have modified our Artist's Retreat Weekend into a more informal Musical Meetup! We will be gathering for this smaller program from July 24th - July 27th, between Week 1 and Week 2 of Family Camp.

In lieu of musical mentoring and randomized jam session groups, the Musical Meetup Weekend will provide practice space and outdoor performance opportunities for aspiring and veteran musicians. We have decided to modify the Retreat to allow participants' more freedom to physically distance according to their own judgment. This event is preferably BYOI (Bring Your Own Instrument) to increase participants' protection. Rather than the original educational seminars, we hope to provide an opportunity for people to invest in their craft or rediscover their love for another area of music.

We are encouraging those who wish to come and perform, practice, and/or spend time with other musicians to prepare a piece to perform during the gathering. The fees will be the same as for a regular Shehaqua Weekend. If you just want to get outside, this weekend will also be a more informal portion of camp. You may attend to play or listen comfortably in a relaxed and restorative environment.

Details

With the winter finally coming to a close and Daylight Savings having come and gone, we look forward to our time-honored summer traditions and much needed days of rest, relaxation, and restoration.

Look out for our registration to open within the next month. We look forward to seeing you again this summer! As mentioned above, we are keeping tabs on the news and recommended guidelines to determine if we can safely hold Family Camp this year and will announce any changes as we learn more.

Family Camp Dates are:

Week 1 – Sunday, July 19th to Friday, July 24th

Weekend Music Meetup – Friday, July 24th to Monday, July 27th

Week 2 – Monday, July 27th to Saturday, August 1st

Details

We have an exciting new event coming up for newcomers and frequent visitors to the Shehaqua grounds. This year, for the first time ever, we are hosting an Artists’ Retreat: Music Edition! This event is currently scheduled for July 24th - July 27th, between Week 1 and Week 2 of Family Camp, so clear your calendars!

Over the weekend, we will hear from Laurence Baer on composition, join Laurel Nakai in a songwriting session, and hone our soloing skills with Sebastian Jean. This prototype event is structured for any and all creatively minded people. Whether you are an aficionado or an amateur, there will be something for you. We will have a diverse set of tracks to play, whether you are interested in the lyrical side of music, want to brush up on your performance process, or enjoy singing with a group. Weather permitting, outdoor song sessions and games will be available in the afternoons as well. If you or anyone you know is interested, share this event. We hope to make this event educational and entertaining for all involved. We hope you’re looking forward to this weekend as much as we are!

When registering, you may choose to come for the full Friday to Monday program, just for the weekend or a single day. To get the full experience of the retreat, we highly encourage give yourself a three-day weekend and stay for the whole program if you are available!

(EDIT 3/28: Dates have been changed; the event is now in July instead of end of May.)

(EDIT 5/23: Changed the name from "Artist's Retreat: Music Edition" to "Music Meetup"

Details

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