Record attendance mark established
Wood County 4-H youth were among nearly 1,200 youth who enjoyed their week-long 4-H camp experience in
June at 4-H Camp Palmer in Fayette.
The camp which is owned by 4-H members in 11 Northwest Ohio counties has provided great camp experiences
for decades.
Again this year, Wood County sent the largest contingent to the camp and broke its own record for numbers
of attendees.
A total of 280 individuals attended including 215 campers, 45 counselors and 20 adult staff members. In
addition, there was a waiting list.
This year’s theme for the Wood County group was "4-H Camp Never Goes out of Style."
Jenny Morlock, a 4-H program assistant with the OSU Extension office, said one of the popular
"optional sessions."
What she called a "new tradition" began last year as the optional sessions were added to the
traditional camp activities.
There were at least 25 different sessions available for the campers to choose including making dream
catchers, outdoor cooking, shooting sports and line dancing.

"They love the opportunity to learn new skills along with the traditional activities with their
groups and cabins," Morlock said.
For those who would like to see pictures from the 4-H Camp, as well as a video, links are available
through the 4-H Website or listed below.
Camp Palmer’s pool is now 53 years old. A capital campaign for replacement is underway. The camp
officials said in last year’s survey of more than 1,500 users, the top item desired was a new pool with
a water slide. The camp has never had a water slide.
In May the camp’s water slide project was among 350 projects competing for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh
Project grant. The project finished 67th in the voting. Unfortunately only the top 10 received funding.

That’s the bad news, the good news is another round of voting began on Friday and runs through July 31.

Morlock says the local 4-H organization is supporting Camp Palmers efforts and urges everyone to log on
and vote for the Camp Palmer pool project.
Each person can vote daily, just go to www.refresheverything.com to vote for the water slide. In addition
to voting organizers ask everyone to please encourage their friends and neighbors to vote as well.
People can also collect power votes-yellow Pepsi caps to increase the votes.
Morlock says the aging pool has been a valuable asset for campers over the years noting that is where she
personally learned how to swim.
Camp Palmer will also be used for other camp activities including a new teen camp weekend which is
planned for later this month.
Authorities from the camp are also asking supporters to mark their calendars for the fourth annual
"Celebrate 4-H Camp Palmer" on Oct. 1. The second annual reverse auction to benefit the camp
is scheduled for Knights of Columbus in Archbold on Oct. 22.
On the Net"
Wood County 4-H blog: woodcounty4hoh
Wood County 4-H: wood.osu.edu/topics/4-h-youth-development
Wood County OSU Extension: wood.osu.edu
4-H Camp Palmer: camppalmer.org
Pepsi contest: refresheverything.com