Camp Manitou

Pre-Visiting Day Dinner

2010-01-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Manitou Camps Foundation will be hosting a Pre-Visiting Day dinner at 7pm on Friday the 16th.

Specific details for the event will be emailed seperately but please save the date if you plan on coming up for Visiting Day weekend. Feedback, from families who attended last year, was wonderful.

All proceeds support Manitou Experience, a one-week non-profit camp for boys who have lost a parent.

For more information, please contact Sara Deren: sara@campmanitou.com.

Spring Major League Baseball Games Gatherings

2010-01-26T14:55:00.003-05:00

Each spring, Manitou reserves a block of seats at several Major League Baseball games for campers, parents and staff to get together and enjoy some live baseball action.

The dates for this spring’s Major League Baseball gathering tour are set (except for NY).

We will be sending details (separately via email) to families in the respective area about reserving seats. The dates are as follow:

Washington Nationals: May 8th

Philadelphia Phillies: May 7th

NY: TBA

New Camper Event Dates Set

2010-01-26T14:55:00.001-05:00

A great way for new campers to meet with other new campers and directors! We will be sending specific details separately via email.

Dates are as follows:

Los Angeles: March 7th

South Florida: April 29th

DC/MD: May 8th

Tri-State: May 16th

Boston: May 22nd

New: SAT & College Prep Program

2010-01-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

Manitou is very excited to announce it's newest program, a College Prep and SAT Course, available to all Manitou campers who have finished 9th and 10th grade.

The program will be directed by Jenn Steinhardt (Camp Mom during the summer and Professional SAT tutor and college prep advisor in the off-season) who has put together a course syllabus that is available in your myManitou Forms and Documents section . The course will consist of 20 sessions (10 the first session and 10 the second session), each focusing on specific topics of the SAT exam and the college search and application process. Course sessions will be conducted during periods that will have the least impact on a campers schedule. The program will also consist of a trip to a local college (Manitou has close administrator connections at both Colby College and Bowdoin College) as well as discussion on how to use camp in your college application. So many Manitou counselors (former campers) who attend wonderful schools have been through the college application challenge and can share their insights and experiences.

The program will cost $500 for full summer course ($300 if only for half summer) and includes the college visit and all course materials. For further information and to register, please email Jenn Steinhardt at jenn@campmanitou.com.

Winter Fun at Mt. Snow

2010-01-25T11:59:00.003-05:00

28 Campers, Counselors and Directors traveled up to Mt. Snow, VT for a wonderful weekend of skiing with their camp friends.

Mostly sunny skies and 30 degree temperatures provided great ski conditions for campers and staff. The group was broken into 5 smaller groups, which were seen throughout the weekend visiting one of Mt. Snow's impressive terrain parks, conquering the black diamonds of the North Face, skiing in the trees and cruising down one of the long runs on the front side of the mountain. With such good weather and conditions, campers were on the snow as much as possible, with the occasional break for a tasty treat from the Waffle House down below. Each evening, after a long day of skiing, campers and staff met at the heated pool and hot tubs to rehash the day's adventures and debate who would win the football games that day. After a hearty buffet breakfast on Monday morning, campers and staff packed and returned home to start counting the days til camp opens in June.

Pics below...

Manitou Alumni Spotlight: Major League Soccer player Geoff Cameron

2010-01-24T13:52:00.001-05:00

Manitou Alum, Geoff Cameron, continues to see his dream job develop with an invitation to try out for the USA National team that will compete for the World Cup this summer. Geoff was named to the MLS All-Star team and played the entire game in 2009. His impressive soccer career began in Attleboro, MA before attending Camp Manitou as a camper in 1995. Geoff also played on the Manitou fields with Attleboro soccer coach Peter Periera's soccer camp in late August.

Geoff's full profile can be found on the Houston Dynamo website right here.

Florida Reunions

2009-12-09T10:02:00.003-05:00

Manitou directors JD, Derek and Sara ventured to sunny Florida for back to back reunions in Miami and Boca. The turnout was incredible for a weekday and it was great to see so many parents as well as campers attend. Even some loyal Manitou alum joined the party. In Miami, campers bowled with friends at Lucky Strike Lanes on Miami Beach. In Boca, campers met at Boomers. A new location for a Manitou reunion that will surely be a new tradition. Campers, staff and parents played games, rode bumper cars, and shared stories over pizza at the entertainment complex. A great time was had by all.

Joining JD, Derek and Sara were: Alex Agran, Jacob Applebaum, Brian Arkin, Max Brodsky, Zach Burns, Steven Chervony, Zach Friedland (with his brother, future Manitou camper), Evan Gale, Andrew Green, Josh Katzman, Chase and Max Moed, Jacob Morrison, Ben Reise, Trent Steinberg, Ian Edelman, AJ Sacks, Garrett and Griffin Schwartz, Justin Weidenfeld, Bob "Waldo" Waldstein, and alum Brian Weprin

Tri-State Reunion - The Largest Crowd We've Ever Had!

2009-11-17T13:30:00.003-05:00

More than 35 campers, staff and directors made their way to the ESPNZone in Time Square for what turned out to be the largest reunion crowd Manitou has ever had. Those in attendance enjoyed seeing their friends from camp over lunch, watching some football games on one of the many TVs at the Zone and then some game play upstairs.

Pis of the event are below:

Manitou Camps Foundation Has Wonderful First Summer of Programs

2009-10-19T15:37:00.000-04:00

This past August, the Manitou Camps Foundation provided 90 children the gift of summer camp.

The Foundation supported two wonderful programs, Manitou Experience (a one-week camp for boys who have lost a loved one) and the Summers Dreams Program (a one week program for urban middle school boys who acheived academic success through a program sponsored by the City of Boston).

Manitou Experience was funded by Manitou Families, Friends and Alumni and was completely staffed by volunteer alumni and staff. We are proud of all camper, staff, parents, friends and alumni who contributed to effort that we hope to be running for many years.

Details on each of the program as well as photos and video can be found on their facebook pages (see below) as well as ManitouCampsFoundation.org

We look forward to giving many more children the gift of residential camping and some Manitou Magic.

The Lodge Comes Down

2009-10-19T12:40:00.003-04:00

After 95 years, the Manitou Lodge is taken down. A new and expanded waterfront area, highlighted by a spectacular view for nearly all lower camp cabins, is the immediate result. The Lodge, however, will never be forgotten. A brief history below as well as a slideshow of it's demolition this fall.

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Built in 1914 by E.E. Gillette, the lodge had served as the physical and spiritual centerpiece of Manitou for almost a century.

As legend has it, the fireplace contained a stone from every state in the union as well as every known element. The fireplace has been saved and will be reborn somewhere else in camp. The doors, as well as other pieces of the lodge have also been saved.

Ultimate use of the space is being determined now, but those who have seen the new expanded corral have commented how great the lower camp looks and how every bunk in lower camp now sports water views. In the short term, there will be an amphitheater set-up around the fire pit for camp meetings and other camp gatherings. The seen at the waterfront at sunset, from any seat, will be unbeatable.

An era ends. A new one begins.

Phillies Game Reunion

2009-05-03T12:36:00.002-04:00

Florida New Camper Event

2009-04-19T17:52:00.002-04:00

Boston Reunion - Action Packed!

2009-04-02T12:00:00.006-04:00

Manitou campers joined Craig, Derek and Dave for the most active reunion Manitou has ever had! The event took place at Longfellow Sports Club in Natick and featured basketball and dodgeball. "That is the most exercise I've gotten since I was a sophomore," exclaimed an exhausted Dave.

Of course, after lots of play, campers shared laughs and stories while enjoying some pizza.

In attendance were: Sam and Will Levy, Jake and David Warner, Simon Weiler, Geoffrey Fox, Luke Solem, Patrick Deren, Wes and Clay Richard, Ethan Roberts, Jared Scheinberg, Alex Freeman, Andy Kaplan, Andrew Perrin, Steven and Dan Segel, Michael Karon, Dave, Derek, Craig, EShap, and alumni Benjy Tarshis.

Atlanta Reunion

2009-04-02T11:55:00.002-04:00

Craig had yet another huge turnout for his yearly reunion trip to Atlanta last weekend.

Joining Craig were: Matt Palay, Evan Young, Miles & Elijah Sheft, Mitchell & Jason Bohrer, Barret Baker, Trevor Cefalu, Matt Seaman and new camper Zach Durbin. We even had out of state appearances by Blake Niedenthal and popular counselor Steven "Big Bird' Varhall.

They watched many NCAA tournament games and discussed College League Dean choices over some buffalo wings.

We Walked on Water!!!!

2009-02-25T12:42:00.005-05:00

An early weekend snowstorm made the conditions at camp ideal for a wintry weekend of fun! The main office turned into a cozy lodge as campers and staff arrived Friday night. Everyone woke up Saturday morning eager to get out and play in the snow. The first stop was to the waterfront where kids and staff were seen jumping into drifts, throwing around the football and chasing Walter the dog. After some fun times around the waterfront, the crew decided to make the hike out onto East Pond where more football and fun continued. Nathan Levy rumbled and stumbled his way to two touchdowns leading the Maroon team to a come from behind victory in the annual football game. Shortly after our trip onto the lake the crew made it back to the office and took orders for sub sandwiches at D and L's. After lunch and little downtime the day ensued with another hike around camp. As the hike led us into the woods the crew decided that it would be fun to make a short film which will be uploaded for all to see! As the day ended everyone was excited for Korner Store pizza followed by bowling at Strike Ten lanes. After pizza and bowling the night ended with the group playing card games using popcorn and sour patch kids at collateral. We started Sunday morning with camps favorite breakfast spot Big G's. After a huge meal and some more time playing with friends around camp, campers and staff headed for home. A was a great weekend of fun, friends and Manitou memories.

Joining in the fun were: James Barlia, Matt Schwartz, Holden Wegner, Jared Scheinberg, David Warner, Brandon Shorey, Big Bird, Sweet Bags, the Levy family (Josh, Leslie, Nathan and Sadie) Carolyn Roy, Stacy Pinkham, Walter the Dog, Derek, Craig and Dave.

Pics of the trip are below...

Manitou Around the World

2009-01-20T11:53:00.013-05:00

Scenes of "Manitou" from around the world...

If you have a picture you would like to submit for this section, please send to mailbox@campmanitou.com. We love to see them!

above: Noah Miller's flag raising demonstration in Martha's Vineyard

above: Yuki Schafer at the top of Mt. Fuji!

above: Robbie Rosenthal in Telluride, CO

above: Le Grand Manitou - from the top of Mont Tremblant Ski Resort, Quebec Canada; courtesy of the family of Andrew Green

above: 'Manitou' Tractor

above: Jason Bohrer in front of the sea in Israel (with a thumbs up!)

Manitou Ski Trip

2009-01-20T10:37:00.007-05:00

A wintry wonderland provided great ski conditions for campers and staff at Mt. Snow over MLK weekend. The first day of skiing was chilly! But with good snow conditions and short lift lines - Manitou campers and staff had a very enjoyable day on the slopes. The group was seen throughout the day warming up by the fire at the base lodge - enjoying hot chocolate and a piece of pizza. Sunday morning campers woke up to 6 inches of fresh snow and, after a morning breakfast buffet, rushed to be the first to ski the powdery slopes. Each evening, after a long day of skiing, campers and staff met at the heated pool and hot tubs to rehash the days adventure. Next Stop; Camp Manitou for the Walk on Water Trip.

On the trip were: Simon Weiler, David Warner, Brett Raskopf, Rory Knox, Stephen Leventhal, Matthew Leventhal, Freddy Levenson, Jeremy Levenson, Jacob Maged, Daniel Rosenthal, Robbie Rosenthal, Reid Moak, Michael Greenbaum, Casey Turtel, Jake Turtel, David Hackel, Zach Burns, Jacob Boll, Sam Cadan, Jon Stepakoff, Matt Meyerson, Craig Daintry, Andrew Dunbar, Derek Worley, Brad Tarr, Andrew Fuhrman, and Dave Schiff

Pics from the trip are below...

Florida Reunions

2009-01-20T10:19:00.007-05:00

A beautiful weekend in Southern Florida was host to our annual reunions in both Miami and Boca. With a great turnout at Lucky Strike Lanes and the Boca Ale house - campers and alumni got to share bowling lanes, watch playoff football and enjoy in everything from pizza, burgers and wings to a variety of desserts. After a weekend in the sun, all of us at Manitou are looking forward to a quick return.

Joining Derek and Craig were: Matt Schmer, Max Schmer, David Snitcovsky, Max Bochner, Zach Burns, Osky Serbin, Marlon Serbin, Marlon Robins, Paxton terris, Evan Gale, David Gale, Max Moed, Jacob Appelbaum, Andrew Green, Ian Edelman, Josh Katzman, Garrett Schwartz, Griffin Schwartz, Jacob Morrison, AJ Sacks, Justin Weidenfeld, Jared Schwartzman, Waldo, Jordan Rozansky, Alex Redlus, and Mike Morse

Pics from event are below...

Maryland, DC, Virginia Reunion

2008-12-09T08:56:00.003-05:00

The Manitou reunion tour continued this winter with its annual stop in Bethesda, MD for the MD/DC/VA Reunion. The event was held at Dave & Busters on Saturday afternoon. JD and Dave were joined by Camp Mom, Jenn Steinhardt, who, even in the "off-season," made sure everyone had enough to eat, didn't leave anything behind, and knew how to say please and thank you. Food, friends and games were a plenty. Congrats to some of Manitou's older camps who arrived now having their driver's permit. Just want to make it clear, however, that this does not mean you are licensed to drive a golf cart at camp.

Joining JD, Dave and Jenn S. were: Michael and Josh Paretsky, Eli Promisel, Seth Miller, Tyler Steinhardt, Michael Fox, Addison Veiner, Dan Stern, Jacob Lourie, Jake Ruben, Matt Spivak, Ben Smollen, James Barlia, Joe and Billy Barlia, Matt and Ethan Blank, Jonathan Schwartzman, Max and Steven Goldberg, Michael Zuckerman, Adam Kanfer, Peter Gold, and Michael Gould.

It was great to see so many parents as well. Next stop, Florida!

Pics from event are below...

East Pond Freezes Over

2008-11-24T17:10:00.004-05:00

Winter comes early in Maine. This year is no exception as a streak of cold weather up North has caused our beloved East Pond to freeze over in November! One of the earliest dates on record for the area.

While Walk on Water isn't scheduled til February, Derek (who took this picture) and Walter could have made it to the island today.

Stay warm and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Your Friends from Manitou

NYC Reunion

2008-11-24T16:37:00.004-05:00

The 2008-2009 Manitou reunion tour started off with a huge pre-holiday showing in New York City yesterday. Manitou campers joined JD, Dave, and staff member/med school student Andrew Dunbar for an afternoon of food, fun and friends at the ESPNZone in Time Square.

The annual gathering saw its largest crowd in years. It was great to see so many campers from the Tri-State area make the trip into the city to reunite with their camp friends.

Joining JD, Dave and Andrew were: Will Robey, Jacob Maged, Pedro Canas, Lucas Sigaud, Michael Albert, Noah and Nate Gallent, Jacob Kaplan, Jared Lerner, Sam Turer, Charlie Davis, Andrew Greene, Henry Herrman, Jack Deutsch, Jack Chaiken, Brett Raskopf, Jeffrey Horowitz, Gabriel Moskow, Drew Adamcyk, Lucas Johnston, and Tyler Mandel.

Pics from the event are below...

Fall Foliage at Manitou

2008-10-23T11:58:00.004-04:00

It's hard to beat those 85 degree, blue sky summer days. But on Derek and JD's recent trip up to Manitou, the colorful scenery put up a good argument as to which season is the best in Maine. See the pics below...

Scenes from the Summer

2008-10-10T08:05:00.004-04:00

So many great memories from the summer!

Below are snapshots of just a few...login to your myManitou account to see a lot more!

Swim-a-thon Success

2008-10-09T14:32:00.002-04:00

We are proud to report the success of our inaugural Swim-a-thon to benefit the Manitou Experience camp for children who have lost a loved one - www.manitouexperience.org.
When our senior campers decided to organize a swim-a-thon as part of their Leadership Program, we never imagined that our campers and staff would so eagerly embrace this project. Manitou campers swam 20,365 laps, despite losing most of the second-session to rain. We got 100% participation from our first-session and full-session campers - with 18 campers swimming at least 250 laps. The outpouring of effort by Manitou campers and staff to help others made us so proud to be part of this mission.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with the Manitou Experience. Please contact either Bob - Waldo - Waldstein (alumni@campmanitou.com) or Sara Deren (sara@campmanitou.com) for more information about getting involved. You can donate via credit card or paypal online at www.manitouexperience.org, or send a check to the Manitou Camps Foundation; 119 W. 72nd St. #107 NY, NY 10023.

New Performing Arts Camp has Tremendous First Summer

2008-10-09T14:28:00.003-04:00

The new Camp Eastwood facility, located just around the corner from Manitou, which hosts the programs Acting Manitou and Camp MoveIT, had a wonderful first season. This brand new campus designed for the performing arts ran for 9 weeks. Acting Manitou runs a 3-week session and 12-day session and will be doing so again in 2009. Camp MoveIT runs two, 2-week sessions. For info on each of the programs, please visit their websites at www.actingmanitou.com and www.campmoveit.com.