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The Lane - Spring 2026
- Camp Mardela
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
For a PDF printable version of the newsletter, click below
UPDATES
Winter Retreats
We had the most winter retreat campers since 2020! We had a total of 40 campers over 3 retreats for ages 2nd-8th grade. We had our first Mini Day Retreat, giving younger campers the opportunity to enjoy a full day of camp without the pressure of staying overnight. We held our second skate night in conjunction with Jr. High retreat, which was so much fun! The Twix campers got a visit from a police dog. There were so many fun activities this winter, and our campers got to make new friends, see camp in a new season, and deepen their faith.
Skate Nights
We started offering community skate nights after we discovered a few years ago during summer camp that Krabill Hall makes a decent skate rink! We had 2 in 2026 and had about 30 skaters between the 2 of them! They're a fun and exciting way to engage the community in a new way! We plan to host more in the fall - so stay tuned!!
Valentine's Dinner
We had our 2nd annual Valentine's Dinner in Krabill Hall, held on Friday & Saturday night, making for 2 peaceful, intimate, and romantic dinners! Members from 3 different scout troups also helped serve on Friday night (1091, 77, & pack 264). With 45 people attending, we made just under $1,000 on the dinner, and we’re excited to host it again next year!
PROJECTS
Krabill Ovens
The ovens in the Krabill kitchen have proven quite challenging over the past few years. After trying to repair some of the issues, we decided we needed to prioritize replacing them. Thanks to several generous donors, we were able to get not one, but TWO BRAND NEW OVENS! We are going to have them installed next week. We are SO EXCITED for how these new stoves will make work in the kitchen so much more efficient for programs, events, and rental groups! This upgrade will greatly benefit all people who enjoy eating food prepared in Krabill kitchen.
King Improvements
In November we began replacing the carpeted floors in King with laminate floorboards. The carpet was worn out, stained, ripped, difficult to clean, etc,, and needed an update. We were given a generous donation to purchase the initial materials to do the main areas of King. Then in the past few months we replaced the carpet with laminate in the dorm rooms. We are also getting new, custom built wooden bunks to replace the old and uncomfortable metal bunks that were up there. A HUGE thank you to Jim Summy for installing the new floors, Elvin Schrock & Son's plumbing for helping fix the dorm room toilet plumbing, and John Trax & family for the new dorm bunk beds. Feel free to stop by and see these improvements.
Once we finish these projects, we hope to replace the carpet in the King bedrooms with laminate, replace the sliding glass doors into the King dining room, and start looking into mini splits for the rooms in King. However, we cannot move forward with these projects until we can raise some more funds. We currently have $3,000 of our $10,000 goal. If you would like to contribute to these projects, you can donate using the link at the end of the newsletter, or mail a check to P.O. Box 460, Denton, MD 21629.
Camp Sign
In February, a delivery truck hit our sign and damaged the frame and scratched the sign. This initiated an effort to replace the sign. We got plans and materials lined up to replace it with a similar sign with a bit more information about the camp, and tracks for removable letter to share about upcoming events! Since the old sign is so beloved, we have plans to give it a new home on camp property. We also made stickers we are selling in the camp store to commemorate this historic part of camp as well.
Volunteers Needed
We are still in DIRE need of more, able-bodied Thursday volunteers. If you have skills in any sort of labor trade (electric, plumbing, lumberjacking, construction, etc), we would greatly appreciate you sharing your skills with Camp Mardela. Nearly ALL of camp's year-round maintenance is done on Thursdays every week by these volunteers, and our crew is getting smaller. Even if you are unable to help on a weekday like Thursday, but could come out and help with special projects on the weekends, that would be greatly appreciated! Just contact campmardela@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out, and we can tell you where you skills can be of the greatest service to Camp Mardela.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2026 CAMP PROGRAMS
Check out our summer and fall camp programs.
Register before May 1st for discounted prices!
Host YOUR Event at Camp!
Camp Mardela is so much more than summer camp programs. All year long we host events, fundraisers, and rental groups. We love sharing our facilities and resources with the community to provide space for people to host their own events at our camp. If YOU would like to rent Camp Mardela to host an event - such as picnics, weekly meetings, family reunions, or even weddings - you can make a rental inquiry at www.campmardela.org/rentals-facilities. Our 2026 rental calendar is nearly full, but we still have openings for 2027 if you want to plan ahead!
We also want to extend our facilities to be used by our supporting churches, as a thank you for your support as an extension of our church camp ministry. Churches that give over $500 in annual financial support to Camp Mardela are "Camp Supporters" can host one day event per year at camp. Churches that give over $2,000 in annual financial support to Camp Mardela are "Camp Sustainers" and can host unlimited church events at camp for NO CHARGE (pending schedule availability). Just contact camp for open dates to host your church's events.
SUPPORT
Support camp by repping our merchandise! Check out the online store: www.campmardela.org/fundraisers
Support Camp while Shopping
Support camp while you shop with RaiseRight! Order gift cards and a percentage will go back to camp without you spending any more money than you normally would. Go to www.raiseright.com or use the RaiseRight app and enter the group code* to purchase gift cards and give back to Camp Mardela. If you order physical cards camp incurs a shipping fee so please consider getting e-cards which you get immediately! In 2025 Raise Right purchases gave $1,725.16 to camp.
For detailed information on how to set-up an account, visit www.campmardela.org/post/shop-with-scrip-fundraiser
*Contact campmardela@gmail.com directly for our fundraising group code to enroll
Give to Camp Mardela
Generous donations of churches, organizations, and individuals enable us to offer the programs and ministry we do through camp at affordable prices. It is because of these funds that we can give so many camper scholarships, so that cost is never a barrier for someone to experience the life changes that happens at camp.
If you would like to support Camp Mardela in our mission to teach children the value of living a faith-filled life peacefully, simply, and together, we hope that you feel lead to give a financial gift to Camp Mardela today. You can use the link below or mail donations to P.O. Box 460, Denton, MD 21629.
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