Summer Camp

Parents will notice some changes this summer when they sign their children up for the Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department summer camp. In the past, there has been one four-week camp for all children ages 6 to 12 years of age held at the College Park Library. But there had been some problems with some of the older kids bullying some of the younger ones, and also some problems with some of the field trips not being suitable for all age groups. In an effort to correct those problems and make the camp better for all age groups, the Parks Board Monday approved a recommendation by aquatics director/programmer Mandy Faulconer to divide the camp into age specific groups and keep them separate.

Because she’s a mother of two and is gone numerous weekends during the cross country and track seasons, Centre College coach Lisa Owens has never conducted any type of summer camp. However, that’s going to change in a big way June 5-8. Centre will host the Maximum Velocity Track and Field Academy and will bring in a variety of current and former Olympians headed by sprinter Tyson Gay of Lexington and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won medals in four different Olympic Games. “I have never done camps because my summers are sacred with my kids,” Owens said.

Clark County students have been bitten by the acting bug. After facilitating a successful theater camp at the Leeds Center for the Arts last summer, actors from the Lexington Children’s Theater are back in Winchester, ready for round two. “It’s basically the same concept, we just wanted to offer the opportunity for something during the year, as well as in the summer,” said Miller Gaunce, president of the Leeds Center...

The week of Oct. 3-9 is National 4-H Week. Celebrate with us and wear your 4-H T-shirts or green on Thursday and share your 4-H story with friends, neighbors and family. Encourage a friend or youth to join one of our many 4-H clubs and activities or become a 4-H adult volunteer today. Clark County 4-H will have a window display on Main Street and at the Clark County Public Library. October 4-H newsletters are also available. In Clark County, more than 3,735 4-H members and 116 volunteers are involved in 4-H. The organization offers in-school programs, day camps, summer camp, clubs, speech and demonstration contests, leaf and insect collections, independent projects, talent show and much, much more.

Pictorial history book will be worth the wait To The Sun: A letter in last Thursday’s Sun from Connie Mays asking about the Clark County Pictorial History Book being published by the Bluegrass Heritage Museum does indeed merit some answers. We at the museum began promoting publication of the book about a year ago. Initially, we had a November 2009 cutoff date. However, because of public response and the high volume of pictures submitted for inclusion in the book, the deadline was extended several times.

For the 9- to 13-year-olds in your life, give them the gift they'll never forget ? a trip to 4-H Camp, July 19-22. Boyle County 4-H camps with youth from Lincoln, Estill and Powell counties at the J.M. Feltner 4-H Camp in London. Campers get to swim every day at camp and can take at least three classes. Classes offered may include canoeing, archery, riflery, swimming, crafts, dancing, soccer, outdoor cooking, volleyball, photography, ropes challenge and nature discovery. Games and a nightly social, including "Sally Down the Alley," conclude each day's activities.

Morning showers on Wednesday caused some changes to the schedule but did nothing to dampen the spirits of hundreds of volunteers who turned out for the annual Heart of the Bluegrass United Way Day of Caring. The event, now in its 18th year, grew once again, with more than 550 volunteers taking part in more than 50 projects in Boyle, Mercer, Garrard and Lincoln counties. Although some outdoor projects had to be modified or canceled, marketing director Libby Suttles said the volunteers adapted.

Baldimir Luna was working hard on his numbers, copying them from a book onto a dry-erase board while trying to help 4-year-old Leslie Gomez do the same. "Miss Kim! Come here and look," he exclaimed as he finished. He recounted his numbers for math teacher Kim Daniels, only pausing over the difference between enunciating "sixty" instead of "sixteen. " "Good job," Daniels said. Elsewhere in the room, students were rewriting stories to take home or reciting passages to get a better feel for the rhythm and cadence of speaking English.

The Community Arts Center's "Arts Exploration Camp," now in its second year, will take students on a four-day excursion through the arts. The summer camp, led by local artists, will allow participants to experience a broad range of artistry and, most importantly, encourage each student's personal interest, skill and growth in the arts. The daily sessions will include demonstrations and hands-on "exploration" in pottery, painting, drawing, drama, creative movement, poetry, storytelling and music.

It seemed the perfect ending for a fire prevention program as campers attending the Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department Summer Day Camp gathered in front of a firefighters' ventilating fan to cool down Wednesday morning, top photo. The fan, and fire prevention program, were furnished by Clark County Fire Department Lt. Ryan Miller, foreground, firefighter Luke Bush, background right, and Battalion Chief Billy Jones. Campers Christian Lopez, 6, left, and Jacob Adams, 7, moved in for a close look at Miller, who was dressed in his firefighting gear, left photo.