All the camps of Goshen Scout Reservation gathered atop Camp Post hill to celebrate Independence Day two days early – on Tuesday, July 2nd. From Webelos to Scouts BSA to Venturers, everyone met to take part in the festivities. Even the Lenhok’sin High Adventure crews came off the trail for the event.
The evening started with a little rain, but it cleared up as the camps arrived, greeting them with a faint rainbow. Scouts and leaders played field games, enjoyed concessions, and just hung out and enjoyed the view of the lake. As the sun went down, fireworks went off over the lake to end the evening. Happy Independence Day from Goshen Scout Reservation!
Phil is excited to begin his 17th summer working on staff at Goshen Scout Reservation. It will also be his fourth year as the Director of Operations. Beforehand, he worked 10 summers at Camp Bowman, with the last three as the Camp Director. He has served in various positions including Ecology Instructor, First Year Camper Director, and Camp Commissioner. With his promotion, he now serves as NCAC’s Director of Camping with oversight over Goshen, Camp Snyder, Camp Airy, and Camp Wall.
This will be Carl’s 18th summer as a Goshen staff member, and 13th summer at Camp Bowman. Carl has a lot of experience in many different areas of camp, from a variety of program areas to Bowman Program Director, Lenhok’sin Camp Director, and even an NCAC District Executive. When not at Goshen, Carl lives in Australia, works as a high school teacher/administrator/outdoor educator, and runs a successful watersports business at the beach in Australia. Carl is excited to return to Bowman as Camp Director, and hopes to help maintain the many traditions which have made Camp Bowman such a powerful and positive influence on so many young people, while also thoughtfully navigating the many new challenges and changes which come with each summer at camp.
This will be Lauren’s 12th summer at Goshen and 2nd as the Marriott Camp Director. She spent 10 summers at Camp Olmsted as Ecology Instructor, Ecology Director, Trailshead Director, Program Director, and, most recently, Camp Director. She is known for her endless enthusiasm through the summer, and is incredibly excited to get this summer rolling. When not at Marriott, Lauren is the Assistant Program Director at Mountain Trail Outdoor School in Western North Carolina, which means she can change young lives throughout all 12 months – what a dream!
Allan is joining us for his 9th summer at Goshen and his 2nd summer as Camp Director. He has previously worked in facilities and Shooting Sports.
This will be Ian’s 10th summer at Goshen and 1st summer as PMI Camp Director. He comes to us from Camp Ross, where he has worked in a plethora of areas and positions, most recently as Camp Director. He is a very exciting and outgoing individual and especially loves working closely with the Scouts. He will bring much experience and joy to the camp and ensure Camp PMI maintains its positive growth and excellence for years to come. When Ian is not a Camp Director, he teaches 8th Grade English in the Shenandoah Valley.
Taylor as a Scout attended and worked at Goshen Camps and is excited to return this year to Camp Ross. He is a very exciting and outgoing individual and especially loves working closely with the Scouts. He will bring much experience and joy to the camp and ensure Camp Ross maintains its positive growth and excellence for years to come. Taylor recently earned his MA in English from James Madison University and is excited that Camp Director is his first career step after graduate school.
This will be Griff’s 2nd year at Lenhok’sin. He has worked at BSA camps of all sorts since he was 13 years old. He has specifically worked at a lot of trek based camps and interpretive camps in leadership roles. Outside of camp, Griff is a middle school science teacher. He is currently working on his PhD for Educational Administration. He is looking forward to working hard with the staff and providing a quality program this summer.
For the first time this year, Goshen had two Family Camps – one during Memorial Day Weekend and one during Labor Day Weekend. The inaugural Memorial Day Family Camp had good turnout for the new event. It was a little stormy, but campers crammed in fun in the sunny mornings at Aquatics and Shooting Sports and then, when the storms came in the afternoon, tried their hand at crafts in Handicraft. The event was popular enough that Goshen is happy to announce it will be offering Memorial Day Family Camp again in 2019!
The newest aspect of Family Camp during the Labor Day Weekend was the return of the Saturday evening Square Dance. Way back in the day, the Square Dance was a staple of Family Camp, but it gradually faded away as there was no one who knew how to call. Lucky for Goshen, one of the current summer camp staff members, Lauren Brown, knows how to call from her off-season job at an outdoor school. She led much of the camp in square dancing and line dancing at Forster Hall. Everyone had a fantastic time and we’re looking forward to adding the Square Dance back in as a regular event at Goshen’s Family Camps.
Miss out on the fun? Want to come back again? Join us for Family Camping fun in 2019. Goshen Family Camps will be offered Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27, 2019) and Labor Day Weekend (August 30-September 2, 2019). The cost is $20 per person. Bring your own tent, bring your own food, and Goshen supplies the program. All ages are welcome. Registration is already open! Learn more and sign up at 
Goshen had a big, busy summer this year! Attendance was high and weeks filled up quickly, with Week 1 being especially popular. Week 2 was more populous than normal this summer, which made the Independence Day celebration at Goshen even more fun – with field games, snacks, special trading post items and sales, and fireworks over the lake. Our Wilderness First Aid Courses, run out of the Goshen Health Lodge, were also quite popular this summer. Adult leaders from all camps took part in those and other training courses around the lake, improving their skills and getting more prepared for the outdoors and other Scouting experiences.