Arts Council, City of Cape Girardeau to host youth summer camps

For summer camp this year, the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri collaborated with Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department to bring a variety of programs to young campers.

Southeast Missouri State University will not hold its annual Arts Academy this year. Kelly Downes, director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, said she wanted to find a way to fill the arts academy’s void.

“We want to make sure art education is still at the forefront here in town,” Downes said.

Happy Campers

From June 14 through 18, a free camp called Happy Campers will be held for third- and fourth-graders of Jefferson and Blanchard elementary schools. The camp was organized in collaboration with Parks and Recreation and the Arts Council.

In the past, Cape Girardeau has held a lot of camps at the Osage Centre and Arena Park, according to Chris Eastridge, recreation supervisor at Parks and Rec.

This year, however, Eastridge collaborated with the Arts Council to hold a camp that would be more accessible for kids who live on the south side of Cape Girardeau. Happy Campers will be held at the Shawnee Park Center off South West End Boulevard.

“We were trying to think of something that would be fun but free for kids in that area,” Eastridge said. “So, we reached out to all these other groups for help.”

Local businesses including Be Chosen Academy, Discovery Playhouse and Fingerprint Dance Studio will provide campers with activities ranging from art, science, sports and cooking. Bethel Assembly of God will provide campers with a free breakfast.

Happy Campers Project

To serve kids of the larger Cape Girardeau area, the Arts Council collaborated with many of the same local businesses to form the Happy Campers Project. The project will feature week-long art classes with a variety of themes throughout the summer.

Each participating business will host a different camp. The Edge Aerial Arts will offer Circus Smirkus, a camp centered on juggling, magic and circus skills. Riverside Pottery staff will teach campers the basics of working with clay.

At art gallery 20 North Pacific, campers ages 8 to 14 will learn drama and comedy acting. The gallery’s co-founder, Paris Newson, said she hopes the variety of camps will help nurture camp goers’ creativity.

“Kids need to be able to express themselves, and they have to learn that it’s OK to do so,” Newson said.

The Happy Campers Project will feature several other programs, including workshops focused on meditation, science and dance.

“We really owe it to kids in our community to show them that there’s a lot of different ways to be a person,” Downes added. “You can be an athlete or a ceramicist, or you can write poetry and still have an interest in other arts. We wanted to show kids that, but in an affordable way.”

Camps offered under the Happy Campers Project will not be free like the Happy Campers camp. Each program offered will have slots designated for kids from low-income families. Prices range from $65 to $115, Downes said.

Interested participants of the Happy Campers camp may sign up in person at the Shawnee Park Center. Registration ends June 13.

For more on the Happy Campers Project, visit the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri’s website at www.capearts.org/happycampers.