Summer camp near Peachland back after hiatus

Silver Lake Camp back in business this summer under new operator

Asummer camp for kids that took a holiday itself last year is once again readying for business. The Silver Lake Camp west of Peachland, closed in 2016, is reopening after more than $50,000 worth of renovations.

“We’ve breathed new life into the camp,” said James Kay of the Silver Lake Forest Education Society, which has long had a lease for the camp from the provincial government.

“We’re hoping to have about 350 kids come to the camp this summer,” he said. “Silver Lake’s a place where lasting memories and enduring friendships are created, in a gorgeous natural setting that brings out the best in kids.”

Two early summer programs are already sold out, but space is still available for other weeks in July and August. The cost for six days of camping, for kids between six and 16 years old, is about $400.

Silver Lake Camp, which dates back almost 60 years, had been operated by the Kelowna Family Y from 2011 through 2015. The Y ended its involvement with the camp to focus on other operations.

Since early 2016, the Silver Lake Forest Education Society had been working to find another camp operator. Although the society itself had run the camp for many years prior to the Y’s involvement, taking over operations once again was deemed to be too great an undertaking for the relatively small group of volunteers.

“We needed an operator who had plenty of experience, and who could run the camp in a high-quality and safe way,” Kay said.

Squamish-based Evans Lake Forest Education Society, which has had a camp on the Coast since 1960, will take over day-to-day operations of Silver Lake Camp, located 20 kilometres northwest of Peachland.

In past years, as many as 1,000 kids a year have spent time at Silver Lake.

Many of those former campers are now adults themselves and are eager to send their own children to the camp, Kay says.

“It’s amazing how many people have a personal connection to the camp,” he said. “We look forward to getting it up and running again for generations to come.”