While we can’t be at Shehaqua this year, there are some exciting changes to look forward to next time we attend! The camp has finished some beautiful renovations to the kitchen and they are looking to update the bathrooms as well! Along with other physical improvements, we hope to bring new, engaging programs for the entire Shehaqua family. We appreciate the improvisational flexibility of all of our volunteers this year and hope to carry that ingenuity forward into the future. Wherever you are, may you and your loved ones be safe and enjoy your summer!

For those who are interested in getting outside, Sally Sayre and Daniel Hess are coordinating in-person tent camping at Hickory Run State Park since those campsites will be open in the summer. While this camping trip will not be organized by Shehaqua Family directly, we will be able to lend mattresses to families who plan to tent camp this year. All families will need to bring their own tents and food. The goal of this event is to continue to have fellowship, group activities and education similar to Shehaqua but with more ability to stay safe outdoors since families will eat on their own at mealtimes.

Campsites are first-come first-served. Contact Sally at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if your family is interested in joining and she will coordinate with you to reserve a site in our loop.

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

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!

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.

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!