Living in Saucon Valley most of my life, I am not quite sure how I didn’t know about this awesome summer camp called the Summer Parks Program which is run through the Saucon Valley Community Center on Northampton Street. If it wasn’t for Laura Muzerall-Lynch of Bethlehem, who reached out to me via Hellertown Rocks on Facebook, I may have never known about it. I set up a meeting with Laura in order to write this article and make more local parents and children aware of this program. Laura has been actively involved in the program for seven years.
The Summer Parks Program for children ages 6-12 has been run annually for more than a decade. The camp runs from June 19 through Aug. 11 at Town Hall and other parks in Lower Saucon Township (the dates vary each year). Laura said the camp starts one week after school ends and runs until one week before school begins.
The kids can engage in a daily game of dodgeball (which she said seems to be the highlight of the morning), crafts, nature walks, basketball, other games, playing on the playground and even a talent show.
The camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Kids do not have to attend every day.
It is a very relaxed camp where kids can be kids (without electronics) and make good use of their energy. It also gives parents a safe place for their children to stay if they have to run errands or go to work (or regain their sanity, lol). Laura also said they do have certain days where they have classes after camp which run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Some of the topics for those classes include: Science Camp, Beach Week, Chess Camp and more. This Wednesday Laura is having the kids paint rocks for Hellertown Rocks, a community project I started in order to help spread kindness around town. Laura said there is usually an attendance of 20-30 kids daily, with an average of six counselors on hand.
To get involved with the SVCC-Lower Saucon Summer Parks Program, you must contact the Community Center at 610-838-0722. In order to be able to attend, you must be a resident of Lower Saucon Township, per the center’s website. Any questions regarding the Summer Parks Program can be answered by contacting the Community Center.
