hayground winter overnight
It all started when…
We decided that ten months was far too long to wait to reconnect with our Hayground Camp friends. The Hayground Winter Overnight is part reunion, part mini sleep-away camp, part challenge to the Hayground Spirit and all fun. The Hayground Spirit is something that is easy to feel when you are on our beautiful campus in Bridgehampton. But I am here to tell you that it is not simply about the land. It is about the people. It is about the approach to life. It is about boosting one another up with love and caring.
The first year of the HWO was 2017. The plan that year was to go to Sharpe Reservation, a sleep-away camp with heated cabins and a dining hall, a lake and trails in the mountains. It was to be a rustic experience in a completely different environment than the farms and beaches of the Hamptons. We arrived at Hayground to pick up the Hamptons kids at 5:30AM. We loaded up the vans in the dark and said our goodbyes to the parents. Then, somewhere around the Nassau/Suffolk county line, we got a call from Sharpe Reservation. The storm had been pretty bad up there. Power lines were down. Trees were down. We couldn’t come.
The kids were singing songs in the backseat, dreaming of adventures to come. Little did they know…
Over text, our leadership team made a decision: We are going to have an awesome time together. This was never really about what we were doing. It was about doing something… together. We had an hour before we reached Manhattan and scooped up our city kids. We needed a new plan and we needed to clear that plan with all of the parents.
Five minutes before we pulled up to the pickup spot, through a series of phone calls and a lot of lightning-fast internet research, we got a reservation at Camelback’s indoor waterpark for hotel rooms. This trip could not be more different than the one we had planned. We no longer needed sleeping bags and hiking boots and extra pairs of snow pants. We needed bathing suits!
When we pulled up to our stop in the city, we got everyone out of the vans and had a team huddle. We told them we had good news and bad news. The bad news was that we were not going on the trip we had planned. The good news was that we were going to an indoor waterpark! The crowd went wild.
We hopped back in the vans with a new and even more excited spirit. We were going on an adventure. And, as Miguel De Cervantes wrote in his great novel Don Quixote after mounting his horse, “With this he quieted his mind and went on his way, taking whatever road his horse chose, in the belief that in this lay the essence of adventure.”
The ride to Camelback was not without its challenges. Trees weren’t just down at Sharpe Reservation. Pennsylvania was hit pretty hard, too. We passed downed trees and power lines on the backroads, police barricades and detours.
And, of course, we had to stop at Target for bathing suits! What an adventure that was! 25 Hayground kids and counselors running around Target riding shopping carts and playing hide and seek.
Well, we got there and we had an amazing time… together.
But what was most rewarding about the whole experience was that we all stayed positive the whole time. Not for one minute was any counselor or kid anything but excited to see what would happen next. When we talk about the Hayground Spirit, THIS is what we are talking about.
Hope your child can join us this year as we take our adventures back to a waterpark. This time, The Kartrite in the Catskills. See below to learn more about this year’s Hayground Winter Overnight.
Hayground Winter Overnight 2020
March 7-8, 2020
On Saturday, March 7, 2020 early in the morning, campers will be picked up from either Hayground or Manhattan in our Hayground vans and drive with us up to The Kartrite, a brand-new indoor waterpark and resort in the Catskills.
We will settle into our fabulous suites and get changed for the waterpark. Most of the day will be spent swimming and riding and laughing. In the evening, we will all go bowling together and campers will have the option of rock climbing, a ropes course or laser tag.
We will all get a good night’s sleep, wake up in the morning and go on a hike on one of the beautiful trails. (We have to connect with nature! It’s part of what we believe in!) And then back into the waterpark for some more fun.
We aim to be back in Manhattan around 4:30 and back to Hayground around 7.
The cost for the trip is $425 per camper. This is all-inclusive: travel, lodging, all activities, meals and anything else that comes up. There is no need to send money with your kids (unless you want them to be able to buy a souvenir.)
Following are some FAQs. If you have any additional questions or just want to connect with Doug, Daniella, Dave or Janella about the particulars, please don’t hesitate to call (631.537.5188) or email (info@haygroundcamp.org). If your child is nervous and wants to talk to another camper who has gone on the trip, we are happy to facilitate that.
FAQs
Is this an every weekend thing?
This is a one-night event. It starts on Saturday morning, March 7 and ends Sunday early evening, March 8. If you want to be a part of it, sign up early. We have limited space.
Who is invited?
This event is only for current Hayground Camp campers and Hayground School students ages 8 and up.
Who is coming?
That's up to you. If you are interested, get your friends excited about it. We are looking to get 36 campers this year.
How does lodging work?
We are staying in beautiful hotel rooms with bunk beds and living rooms and kitchenettes. If you’d like to see the rooms, we are staying in Three-Bedroom Grand Corner Suites and Family King Bunk Suites.
If you have special requests for who your child will bunk with, just let us know. We should be able to accommodate any requests you make.
What should the kids bring for sleeping?
Pajamas. That’s it. This is not a camping trip!
How much does this cost and what does it include?
The cost for this wonderful weekend is $425 per person which includes travel, lodging, meals, activities and all the fun you can have! All profits go to our Hayground Camp Tuition Assistance Fund. That means that our profits will help a young person who can't afford Hayground Camp to come this summer!
What is the purpose of this event?
This event is primarily a mid-year reunion. Every year, we have such a wonderful summer together and then we say goodbye for ten months. Why? Wouldn't it be great to check in half-way through the year, reminisce about last summer and dream about the next?
You say there will be Hayground counselors at the event?
Yes. The staff that will be driving and riding in the vans, working with the kids and supervising the kids throughout the weekend are all Hayground Camp staff members.
What kinds of activities will we be doing throughout the weekend?
This is a waterpark, so the majority of the time will be spent playing in the waterpark. That said, we will also be bowling, doing a ropes course, rock climbing and hiking.
What are the meals like?
You can see the menus for each restaurant on the Kartrite website. We will be eating at the Eat.Eat.Eat. (a buffet) and the Surfside Grille, a simple grill with salads, burgers, pizza, hummus and guacamole.
How can I get in touch with my child if I need to?
The kids will be in the water most of the time. We ask that they leave their phones in the hotel rooms. When we take breaks, we will encourage them to check in with you. If you need to reach us, you will have Doug's phone number as well as a hard-line camp number. We will be posting to Facebook and Instagram the whole time, so if you want to see what's going on, follow us!
What should we bring?
You will be provided with a packing list as a follow-up to your registration. Essentially, kids will need a bathing suit or two, some cozy clothes for walking around the hotel and bowling and some seasonally appropriate clothes for our Sunday hike.
When do we show up and how do we get there?
At 6:00AM (!), three vans will be leaving from Hayground School with anyone who needs a ride from the east end. We will swing through Manhattan and scoop up the rest of our friends at 72nd and Madison at 8AM. We will drop campers/students off on Sunday at 4:30PM (in Manhattan) and 7PM at Hayground. Details will accompany your packing list.
Does the event take place at Hayground? Because I am not out there during the winter.
No, it does not. The event takes place at The Kartrite in the Catskills. (It's about two hours north of Manhattan.)
If you have any questions at all, please reach out to us at info@haygroundcamp.org or call Doug directly at 631.two.seven.six.1076.