General Camp Information

Arrival & Check-In
Camp starts on Wednesday, August 10th with check-in between 6:00pm and 8:00 pm. Please eat dinner before you arrive. There will be an all camp event on Wednesday night at 8:30 pm so please arrive by 8:00 pm. If you know that you will need to arrive after 8:00 pm, please let us know so we can make sure that someone is there to greet you and show you to your cabin.

Final Payment
Please check the letter that accompanied this information packet to see your balance. We would appreciate it if you could mail your check to our office before the start of camp. You can pay by credit card too, but there is a 3% added fee to cover charges.

Lodging
There are four tiers from which you marked your preference on your registration form. Your final tier selection is indicated on your enclosed letter. All cabins have their own bathrooms. Some cabins have small kitchens and living rooms. Only the Tier 2 lodge rooms and a few new cabins have air-conditioning. We have done our best to put you into the housing of your choice. We have a full camp this week and are not able to move you once you arrive. Please call the office if you have questions about housing.

Directions - FROM THE TWIN CITIES
Mount Carmel Ministries:: 800 Mt Carmel Dr. NE. Travel Interstate 94 West to Alexandria. Take exit 103 and turn right on MN-29 N. After 3.2 miles, veer right on 3rd Ave E. After 1/2 mile, turn left on Nokomis St. After 0.6 miles, turn left on Co Rd 42 NE/N Nokomis St. After 2.3 miles turn left on to Carlos Darling Dr. NE. After 0.5 miles, take first right onto Co Rd 11.

Club!
The main focus of our adult time is Club, which features awesome music, humorous skits, relevant presentations, and small group discussions. The kids will join us for the first 35-45 minutes of the evening club. The 7th-10th grade group will stay with the adults on Friday night.

Kids Programs
During the adult Club, all kids will have age-appropriate sessions held around camp led by our senior high and college age KCs (Kid’s Counselors). All kids from infants to 9th grade will experience the love of Jesus Christ with games, activities, crafts, stories, songs and much more. We have carefully assigned classes based on age, number of kids in each program and staff. Please bring your child only to their assigned class.

KCs (Kid’s Counselors)
We are very blessed to have a wonderful group of high school and college age students that will be leading our kid’s programs this year. The KCs will also be assigned to families in the evening to care for the younger children during the evening club and activities. This year the KCs are being led by Matt Kenutis and Maria Flynn.

Volunteers
Family Fest is a ministry to families, by families, and thus uses the gifts and talents of the participants to make the events happen. Throughout the weekend we will let you know where we need a little help. Some of these volunteer jobs might include the worship band, teaching a beginner how to water-ski, spotting in the boat, or helping in the craft shack. We appreciate people jumping in to help when needed!! Volunteer Link.

Family Free Time
Each day at Summer Splash, you will have free time to do something special with your family. You can canoe, bike, (trails nearby), play Frisbee golf, volleyball, Gaga Ball, tennis (courts nearby), shoot hoops, swim, water ski, golf (many courses under 10 minutes from camp), and so much more. NEW in 2021! Mount Carmel just installed 4 new Pickleball courts! These are also set up for tennis. Bring your racquets or use ours. There are also many fun activities such as mini-golf and go-carting nearby. Costs associated with some activities are not included in the camp fee.

Family Activities
Each afternoon following lunch, the entire camp will gather for about an hour for some all-camp fun and activities. For the sake of the kids, it is important that every adult participate in these activities. Your leadership here will make it much more enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

Policies and Guidelines
While alcohol is not prohibited at Summer Splash, we would ask a couple of things. Please keep alcohol out of public areas. Also, we ask that participants keep small in-room parties to a minimum as we are trying to build a sense of community at camp and have found that the small in-room parties have pulled people away from the large group activities. This has been noted on evaluations, especially from new families. Thanks for your cooperation on this. Family Fest prohibits weapons of any kind, fireworks, or any illegal substances at Summer Splash.

Prayer Cave
This is an optional event following our morning session. It is 10-15 minutes of prayer on the deck.

Program Leaders
All the kids programs are being led by a great group of talented individuals. The infant through third grade program contact is Claire Kellner. The 4-6 grade program contact is Ruth Lenker. The 7-10 grade program contact is Becky Fandrich. If you have questions throughout the week, please check with any of these people.

Waterfront
The beach and waterfront area at Mount Carmel does not have lifeguards. Parents are responsible for watching their children at the beach. We will have two boats available to pull tubers and skiers. There may also be a jet-ski available. You can check in with the waterfront volunteer to sign-up. Life jackets must be worn in the boat and are available at the dock.

Tie Dye Shirts
This year we will be doing Summer Splash tie dye shirts. If you did not get a chance to pre-order your shirts you can check to see if we have any left over. We ordered a few extra. Cost $10. To order your shirt, go to: https://familyfestministries.org/summer-splash-tie-dye-form/

Treats!
In past years, we have asked you to bring a treat to share for the adults during club. This year Family Fest will have the delicious treats pre-packed for you. The small group leaders will pick these up and bring them to your group. You can still make treats for your own cabin.

Allergies and Special Diets
If anyone in your family has an allergy or any special dietary needs, please go the familyfestministries.org site and fill out the camp diet/allergy form one week before camp. Special diets need to be pre-ordered and we will only have enough for those who have made arrangements. Please don’t take a special plate (gluten free) unless you have filled out the form. Thanks!

Please Pray
As you prepare for a great week for your family, please pray for the families and the KCs (Kid’s Counselors) who will be joining us at Summer Splash.