Families enjoy the YMCA Adventure Guides Spring Base Camp
Contributed by
The YMCA

Thunderbirds (from Left to Right): D'Arcy Bass and Josh Roper. In the background (from Left to Right): John Bass, and Lance Roper

The YMCA Adventure Guides hosted their Spring Base Camp the weekend of April 28- 29. The camp outs are the premiere events for the Adventure Guides. This year's highlights included a police dog demonstration from the Lexington County Sheriff's Office, both a New Member Induction and an Aging Out Ceremony, the ever favorite Gold Rush, and ended with the outgoing Navigator being thrown into the lake. The children and their parents also performed skits for the entertainment of the rest of the Adventure Guides. These skits can be quite involved and show tremendous imagination and talent. Additional activities included archery, horses, canoeing, chapel, games and the story of the three- eyed alligator. The campers were introduced to the story of the three- eyed alligator at the Saturday evening campfire ceremony.

The campers saw the awarding of four Thunderbird and Golden Thunderbird awards (pictured above). These are the highest honors an Adventure Guide can earn.

Golden Thunderbirds (l- r): Molly Coats and Katheryn Burkett. In the background are Mark Fox Overall Navigator, Keith Coats, and Michael Burkett

The Adventure Guides is a YMCA Family Based program for Fathers and their Children. The local program, Three Rivers Federation Adventure Guides, is composed of families from Lexington and Richland counties.

For more information about the program, contact Richard Spangler, YMCA, at (803) 359-3376 ext. 15 or visit adventureguides@columbiaymca.org.