Camp Woodland Blog
The Value of the Woodland Dollar
This is probably not the headline you would expect from a summer camp blogpost! You may even think you landed here by accidentally clicking on a link found on a popular news platform. I have been supporting camp from home part-time this summer, and I have to say there is “sticker shock” every time I pay for gas, groceries, A/C repairs, and more. With inflation being one of many contributing factors, I’m certain that you also notice the dollar continues to buy less while the price of just about everything continues to go up. There is one place; however, where the value of the dollar has remained steady over the past 78 years!
Every year on the 4th Sunday, the Woodland girls take a 2-mile field trip to Towering Pines for the annual TP fair, and on the following Sunday, the boys head east on County D for the Woodland Fair. When fair goers dig into their pocket for “bills” to purchase a yummy treat or play a game at either Fair, they may not even realize the bargain they are getting. A cup of homemade (hand-cranked) ice cream, a chance to play “Bozo Buckets” or to send someone to “Jail” is only $1-2 in “TP/Woodland dollars” – the same price I paid in 1986 during my first summer as a counselor! What a deal!
This past Sunday, the boys from Towering Pines joined us to play various games and enjoy ice cream, popcorn, and bug juice for just a few “Woodland bucks” per game or food/beverage item. The great thing is that the “bank” is open on Sunday’s, and campers simply have to request a “cash advance” from a number of “tellers” so that they can enjoy all the fun a homemade carnival has to offer. There was fortune telling, a dunking machine, marriage booth, dance party, arm wrestling, fish pond, and a plethora of other games set up on and around the volleyball court – Fair Day always delivers a GREAT time!
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the “value” of spending a summer at camp. We’ve been together 5+ weeks now, and it is hard to put a price tag on the minutes, hours, and days that accumulate to form each individual’s Woodland or TP experience. Each person will go home with various technical skills developed by spending 36+ hours per activity taken for the three, 2-week sign-up periods (and no chauffeuring on your part!).
This is in addition to 650+ hours, discovering and being the best version of yourself, building relationships with new and old friends that will last long after the summer has ended, laughing till your sides hurt, singing your lungs out, and loving the people and place called Camp Woodland with your whole heart. Without a doubt, the value of the Woodland dollar has stayed strong over the course of its 55 years (78 for Towering Pines). The Jordan family continues to invest in developing youth today so that they can be future leaders tomorrow!
p.s. It is interesting to note that some campers save their Woodland/TP “dollars” from the current year and bring to camp the following year. It’s kind of like having a stash of “forever” stamps – they never lose their value!