NEWBERRY COUNTY — Now that we are officially into summer, many youths might be looking for something to do, other than watch television until August. If so, Newberry County Recreation has got you covered with a variety of camps this summer.
Gerdi Lake, director of Newberry County Recreation, has a few camps coming up in the upcoming weeks.
Two camps — the Mid-Carolina Baseball Fundamentals Camp and the Newberry High School Baseball Camp — will center around baseball. Both camps will focus on the basic skills, such as throwing, catching and hitting.
The Mid-Carolina camp will be held at the Mid-Carolina High School baseball field for youths ages 5 to 13 from 9 a.m. to noon July 6 through July 8. The cost is $40.
The Newberry camp will be held at the Newberry High School baseball field for youths ages 6 to 13 from 9 a.m. to noon July 11 through July 13. The cost is $40.
A volleyball camp will be held from 9 a.m. to noon July 11 through July 13 at the Mid-Carolina High School Gym for rising fourth graders to rising 10th graders. The cost is $40.
“The money raised from these camps will go back into the high school’s athletic programs. So the money from the baseball camps go into the baseball program and the money from the volleyball camp goes back into the volleyball program,” Lake said.
Typically, 25 to 40 kids attend the camps but Lake said she would like to see that number grow.
Newberry College will hold Little Wolves soccer camp for kids ages 5 to 14 from July 25 to July 28 with half day registration at $75 (9 a.m. to noon) and full day registration at $125 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
Kids who are more into the arts might want to attend one of the five Southern Arts & Outdoors Youth Art Camps being offered: Amazing Animals July 28-July 1; Handmade Crafts July 12-15; Fashion Design July 19-22; Amazing Animals July 26-29; and Handmade Crafts August 9-12.
These camps will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and are for kids ages 6 and up. The fee is $85. Limited slots are available.
“These will help keep the costs down, so more people can take advantage. If you did it privately, it would cost more,” Lake said.
Newberry County Recreation has been offering these camps for about 15 years, and Lake said they have been a success. She said every year before school gets out she is asked about the camps.
“This gives them a chance to socialize with other kids, learn some team work, keeps them busy and keeps them active. That way they are not sitting in front of the TV,” Lake said. “The biggest thing, I think, is that it teaches them how to interact with others, team work, cooperation and social skills.”
Call Lake at 803-924-8328 for more information. There is no deadline to sign up for the camps and children can be signed up the day they begin. However, late sign ups will not be guaranteed a T-shirt.