Beckie Korzyniewski experienced her first family campout last year with the Gurnee Park District. As the district’s new facility manager, she arrived a few weeks before about 100 children and adults spent the evening under the stars at Hunt Club Park for an annual family campout.
For the park district, the camping experience “embraces the whole idea of getting outdoors, especially in today’s times, with all the distractions we have,” Korzyniewski said.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see people and families come together and enjoy the great outdoors.”
Slated this year for Saturday through early Sunday morning, the campout will include family games, a cookout, s’mores, a movie and morning breakfast, plus the opportunity to fish in the pond.
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Pre-registration is required.
Families bring their own camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags and other items. The district provides the rest including food, games and the movie.
There’s plenty of room for everyone, she said.
“There’s a big soccer field at the park,” Korzyniewski said.
She said it’s fun to watch some of the seasoned campers come with their air mattresses already blown up, set up their tents and string battery-operated LED lights in the tents.
“Some kids even have their own little compasses,” she said.
For those who’ve never camped before, staff members can help them set up the tents, she said.
Once folks check in and pitch their tents, the evening begins with a nature-based scavenger hunt. Participants search for leaves, pine cones, different kinds of rocks and other items found in the park.
Other organized games will honor this year’s summer Olympics. For example, participants can use squirt guns to hit targets to imitate archery. Staff will run a javelin toss using pool noodles, she said.
“We’ll even have an equestrian competition. We have cones and horse heads that you ride on a stick.”
Hungry campers will be served hot dogs, chips, apple sauce and other surprises, as well as s’mores. Participants can also bring their own food.
When it gets dark, a movie will be shown on a 12-foot-by-12-foot screen — and campers will get glow sticks to wear around their necks.
Korzyniewski said she expected people to stay up all night at last year’s event.
“But it did get really quiet at night,” she said.
While campers were sleeping, Korzyniewski said she “went out very early in the morning and picked up a whole boatload of Gurnee Donuts and some yogurt and other morning snacks and had them on site by 6 a.m.”
Campers need to have their tents taken down by 8 a.m., but they can stay to fish in the pond.
“With the campout, we’re just trying to enrich peoples’ lives and create memorable experiences,” she said.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
Great American Family Campout
When: 6 p.m. Saturday to 7:30 a.m. Sunday
Where: Hunt Club Park, 920 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
Tickets: $28-$35 per family, up to six people
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Information: 847-623-7788; gurneeparkdistrict.com