The four Hs symbolized by the clover logo — head, heart, hands and health — are evident everywhere you look at the Dorothy P. Flint 4H camp (DPF) in Baiting Hollow. Children are learning, building community, getting dirty and helping each other in every corner of the camp’s 140 acres.
(Credit: Amanda Olsen)
In 1924, Dorothy Flint saw a need in her community for a space where boys and girls alike could learn about agriculture and home skills, so she began her 4H club at her parents’ farm. They quickly outgrew this space, leading her to convince a land owner with property on Lake Panamoka to let her set up a camp there using equipment borrowed from local schools and the Red Cross.
“They started their official camping program, almost going out of business from buying a canoe for $8 one year, to then moving the buildings when they outgrew that space, to a permanent home on Sound Avenue,” said current camp director Collin Hedges, “all while continuing the 4H mission of bringing youth closer to nature, to agriculture, to the sciences, to the arts. It’s all community-focused, hands-on learning.”
Since 1924, when Ms. Flint set up her borrowed tents, the camp has built generations of resilient, well-rounded kids. They are the oldest 4H camp in New York State. The camp has been commemorating its centennial with a year-long celebration that culminates with a two-day public party over Labor Day weekend.
Courtesy photos of the 4H camp throughout the last 100 years.
“It’s open to everyone, the way 4H has always been,” Mr. Hedges said. “You do not have to be a 4H member to come here and participate in the centennial. We’re going to have all these fun activities that you can participate in, food trucks will be on site, and there will be other vendors. If you want to learn a little bit more about the history of the camp, there’ll be a museum there that will hopefully becomes permanent after this.”
There is much to celebrate. The camp has survived two moves, multiple fires and hurricanes, a budget crisis and a pandemic. According to the American Camp Association, more than a third of camps in the United States closed over the last few years, impacted by health restrictions and changes in how people recreate, but DPF is going strong.
This place has a deep significance for people who spend time there. Multiple “legacy” families, or those who have multiple generations at camp, now work, volunteer and contribute while their children and grandchildren attend. Individuals have met their significant others at the camp, with one pair even getting married on the grounds. People who were campers and then counselors are now administrators.
Camper Damien Hogg, a 15-year-old from Garden City, expressed a desire to create a DPF legacy for his future family. “It’s a very special thing about this campus, that it can be generational, like my family came here and worked here, first as campers and then as counselors for 10, 15 years. And now it passed down to me, and I think I might pass down to my children in the future. So it can become a very generational thing for your family to come here.”
DPF goes beyond the typical 4H farm experience, adding outdoor and survival skills to their lessons. The camp is completely technology free, which means no phones or other screens. It allows the children to disconnect from their device and reconnect with nature and the people around them. The campers come from all over lower New York, and there are some staff members who come from Europe through a visa program, which helps the children to connect with a regional and global community as well.
Many campers come back year after year, creating deep relationships that often endure outside of the grounds. “While this camp is an amazing place, it’s the people that make it, in my opinion, the best sleepaway camp in the world,” said Mateo Orlanski-Ours, 16, of New York. “It is incredible the bonds that you make, whether it’s campers that you’re going to stay in touch with throughout the summer or counselors that you’re excited to see them next year. Luckily for me, I’ve met so many amazing people. I’ve met my best friend through this camp, and he and I spend the school year going up and down New York City.”
Aubrey Lione, 14, from Aquebogue, has been coming to camp for seven years. She encourages prospective campers to come to DPF and see it for themselves. “You should just try it out,” she said, “because you never know how much you’re going to love it here, which a lot of us do, because it’s such an amazing place, and you’re going to meet so many fun people here.”