Plenty of camp options available in town for local children
Page 4 • Wednesday, May 29, 2019 • The Hammonton Gazette
CAMPS, from Page 1
stay for prospective campers since
1954. READ/Camp Tuscaloosa
owners Sam and Lisa Seitles are
preparing for another camp sea-
son–their fourth since taking over
for past owner Dina Moorhead—
that will be full of fun and safe
summer daycare for children ages
three to 14.
The 2019 season for Camp
Tuscaloosa is divided into a trio of
three-week sessions (Camp hours
are Monday through Friday from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and extended
care is available from 7 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. for an additional $3 per
hour).: June 17 through July 5;
July 8 through July 26 and July 29
through August 16. Registration
can be completed by downloading
the necessary forms available at
www.camptuscaloosa.com, or by
picking them up at Camp
Tuscaloosa in person. Call (609)
567-3321 for more information.
Registration
for
Camp
Tuscaloosa is $49 per day, or $47
per day for children who attend
camp five days per week for a
minimum of six weeks. Camp
Tuscaloosa offers a discounted
rate of $46 per day for each sib-
ling who also attend camp five
days per week for a minimum of
six weeks. Parents looking to reg-
ister their children are required to
do so for a period of at least three
consecutive weeks. After those
three weeks, one or more weeks
may be selected. In addition to a
full, five-day program, Camp
Tuscaloosa also provides the op-
tion of choosing programs for
two, three or four days per week.
Once registered, children at
Camp Tuscaloosa will be able to
enjoy a wide range of outdoor ac-
tivities, including swimming in
the camp’s two heated pools,
miniature golf, archery, soccer,
paddle tennis, dance, T-ball, a bat-
ting cage with a pitching machine,
BB guns, cooking, arts and crafts
and more.
Sam Seitles said one of Camp
Tuscaloosa’s newest and most
popular attractions will be return-
ing this summer: the gaga pit,
which he described as a “giant oc-
tagon” which serves as the arena
for a game of dodgeball with a
Burglary
on Pratt St.
by Gabe Donio
G AZETTE S TAFF W RITER
HAMMONTON—Police re-
ceived a call of a burglary on the
500 block of Pratt Street, which
was reported at 9:48 a.m. on May
24, according to Hammonton Po-
lice Lt. Kevin Friel.
The caller stated that they came
home and found the garage door
open and they noticed that the
bathroom window had been
pushed open, Friel said. They said
that a jewelry box and their daugh-
ter’s jewelry had been taken from
the residence, Friel said.
Officer Eric Pohl is the investi-
gating officer, Friel said.
Anyone with any information
about the burglary should contact
the Hammonton Police Depart-
ment at (609) 561-4000, Friel said.
Please recycle this paper .
unique set of rules.
“All the balls are on the ground.
So, you have to hit it on the
ground, if it hits you on the ankle
or the foot, you’re out and you
have to leave the pit. And as time
progresses and less people are in
the pit, more balls get thrown in.
So, it’s just absolute madness …
Every kid should experience our
gaga pit; it has become the most
popular thing in the camp, and
whether you’re a kid or you’re a
counselor, you want to experience
the pit,” Seitles said.
Also returning this summer at
Camp Tuscaloosa are its swim-
ming lessons, which are provided
at no additional cost. Lessons will
be held on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays throughout the season
and will follow the American Red
Cross Learn to Swim curriculum
with American Red Cross-certi-
fied swim instructors and life-
guards on site.
Both Sam and Lisa Seitles are
eagerly awaiting the start of the
2019 season at Camp Tuscaloosa,
which they both passionately
enjoy just as much as teaching
throughout the school year at
READ Preschool.
“This is our passion. If we
didn’t have to make a living, we’d
still do this for free. Just being
able to see the kids have experi-
ences that are going to stick with
them for the rest of their life, that
they’re going to be nostalgic about
later and help them grow … To be
able to make a living off doing
something like that is very special
for us, and I plan on doing it for a
long, long time,” Sam Seitles said.
Summer fun can also be had at
the Hammonton Skating Center’s
(HSC) (131 S. Second Rd.) sum-
mer day camp, which will return
for its third season on June 17,
continuing through August 30.
Camp will be provided for chil-
dren ages 4 to 14 on Monday
through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6
p.m.
Registration for the HSC’s sum-
mer day camp requires a registra-
tion fee of $60 per child that must
be submitted with a registration
form (available at www.hscfun-
center.com). Tuition for camp is
set on a daily basis for $45 per day
($40 per day for each additional
sibling registered) for a mandatory
minimum of 12 days (prior to the
final two weeks of camp). The
HSC is currently offering a $10
discount on registration from now
until the start of summer. Ex-
tended care hours of 7 a.m. to 9
a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. are in-
cluded in the cost of registration.
Lunch, snacks and drinks are also
included. The registration process
can be completed by calling (609)
561-8061, or by emailing hscsum-
[email protected]
Children at HSC’s summer day
camp will be able to partake in
several indoor and outdoor games,
sports and crafts all summer long,
such as gaga, kickball, hockey,
skating, dancing, video games,
board games, basketball and
more. The HSC will also host a
variety of special theme days
throughout the season. This year’s
themes include: Red, White and
Blue Day, Carnival Day, Talent
Show Day, Scavenger Hunt Day,
School Spirit Day, Aloha Day, Su-
perhero Day.
In addition to all the activities
provided on site during HSC’s
summer day camp, there will also
be weekly opportunities for chil-
dren of each grade level (Pre-K
through eighth) to attend various
special field trips to destinations
that include the Hammonton
Swim Club, the Franklin Institute,
the Cape May Zoo and more.
The HSC summer day camp has
been offered every year since the
facility’s new ownership group
took over in 2017. Since its incep-
tion,
HSC
General
Manager/Camp Director Ashley
Riebel said it has been well-at-
tended by local children and has
received positive feedback from
their parents.
“All parents have to work, so
we provide a fun, safe camp for
the kids where they can see their
friends when they’re outside of
school and it’s fun,” Riebel said.
Parents looking for a less phys-
ically active and more educational
camp opportunity for their chil-
dren can sign up for a series of
summer camps offered at St.
Joseph Regional Elementary
School (SJRES). The registration
period for all camps is currently
still open, and registration can be
completed by calling SJRES at
(609) 704-2400.
2019 camps include: Little
Cubs Preschool Summer Camp
(June 24-28 and July 8-12 from
8:30 a.m. to noon; $150 per week)
for children ages 3 to 5; drama
camp (July 8-12 from noon to 3
p.m.; $150 per week) for children
in grades 1 through 8; Camp In-
vention (July 8-12 from 9 a.m. To
3 p.m.; $240) for children in
grades K through 6 and an Art
Camp (July 29 through August 2
from 9 a.m. To 3 p.m.; $225 per
week) for children in grades 5
through 8.