By Andrew Hackmack
The camp, which is held every weekday from 9 a.m. to noon at the park in Valley Stream's south end, has an enrollment of 235 children, up from about 160 last year. "I'm hoping that more people are becoming aware of the camp," said Nicole Winter, the camp director.
Recreation Director Tom Roberts said that economy could have played a factor in the increased enrollment. "We're a lot cheaper than anything else around," he said. The program cost for a child in the village is $150 for six weeks.
Winter said that all the traditional events are planned such as pajama day and the camp carnival on the second-to-last Friday. The annual color wars are also back when the children divide into two teams and compete in field day activities including a tug-of-war. relay races, basketball shot contest and more.
This year, Winter also introduced Fire Safety day with the Valley Stream Fire Department was on hand last Wednesday. Children got to go through the smoke trailer and learn how to safely escape from a fire, and also got to sit on a fire truck.
Matt Hevia, one of the camp supervisors, said the children look forward to coming to Barrett Park every summer. "They make long-lasting friendships," he said. "It's a good opportunity for them to meet people from various schools."
Jake Markowitz, 11, said he has been coming to the camp since he was in kindergarten. He recently graduated from the Robert W. Carbonaro School and said he was able to meet a lot of people from other parts of Valley Stream. "I get to hang out with my friends and have fun," he said of the camp.
Ten-year-old Virginia Maloney, another child who has been coming to Barrett Park since kindergarten, said her favorite day of the summer is carnival day. "I like all the games," she said, adding that she especially looks forward to when the counselors are in the dunking booth.
Grace Sciretta, 10, enjoys bake day, when all the campers bring in their favorite sweets. Giovanna Gentile, 8, said she loves it when her counselor has McDonalds Day.
Winter noted that while there is a schedule the groups follow every day, counselors do have leeway to do some of their own activities, such as bringing in McDonalds food for their campers.
Hevia said the children also have input into camp activities. For example, he said, last year a child suggested having a "Wet and Wild" day. This year will be the second time the event is held, featuring slip 'n slides, water balloons and water gun fights.
All of the groups are divided by age. Winter noted that each team has a name such as X-Men, Blues Clues, Hannah Montana and Spongebob. "We try to pick things we know they're watching on TV," she said.
Field trips are every Tuesday and Thursday and include locations such as the Bronx Zoo, Citi Field, Adventureland, the New York Aquarium and more.
Winter said it rained two of the first three days of camp, which unfortunately meant having to close a little early. "Since then, we've had very good weather," she said. "It's very disappointing when we have to send [the kids] home after a half-day or cancel a trip because of the rain."
Summer camp at Barrett Park runs through Aug. 14.
