Looking Back At 50 Years Of Camping

Reported by: Megan Graves

To say that YMCA Camp Ernst executive director Jon Perry has a passion for Camp Ernst would be an understatement. With more than 50 years of involvement, Perry has seen Camp Ernst grow from a small camp into a vibrant youth development program rich in tradition and innovation. 

In an interview with KyPost.com, Perry shared his camp history, some of his favorite camp traditions and what he thinks makes the camp located in Burlington so special.
 
When did your history with Camp Ernst begin?

“It really begins with my father’s history. In the 1920s, a local businessman Walter Hors, who worked for P &G and went to Immanuel Methodist Church, would go to the tough streets of Covington and give the kids coins so they could go to church and the YMCA. My father was one of those kids.

“Camp Ernst was started in 1928 by Willard R. Wade, who was recently honored as a prominent Northern Kentucky leader in the bicentennial event. They took kids camping at Big Bone State Park. In 1930 they convinced U.S. Sen. Richard E. Ernst to donate the money for the first 100 acres, which is where the name Camp Ernst comes from.

“My father didn’t get to go to camp in 1928 because of the $5 fee. He was sad because he couldn’t afford it. But he did go to the YMCA and to church, and he later sent his kids to camp. In the 14 years of being in my position, we have raised over 1.4 million dollars to help kids come to camp.

“My personal first introduction came in 1958, when I was nine months old. We went to Labor Day weekend family camp. I’ve been there most summers since then. The first six or seven years I was a family camper and then a summer camper. I did all jobs from dish washing to cabin counselor to program director. In 1991 I was No. 2 at camp for five years and became executive director in 1996.”

What are some favorite Camp Ernst traditions?

“When I take people on a tour, one of the places we go first is the dining hall. It was the first building in 1930. If you walk in and look up, you will see hundreds of metal cups hanging from the ceiling. They represent honor campers who have been selected as living out good honor character during their stay since 1928. New cups go up every year. Since being in charge, I have handed out over 500 cups, including to each of my sons and my wife.

“There is also an old moose head nicknamed ‘Mangey Moose.” The campers sing a salute to him to the tune of the Mickey Mouse song at the beginning and end of each session.

“Camp Ernst is known for its recognition programs. We have the honor log, which is an achievement program. There are requirements that campers achieve during the week and then they are honored for completing the log at closing campfire. I think I have handed out over 500,000 awards in general. 

“There are also the blue trees at the lake. Those were painted the first year of the fine arts program. My son Nathan was in charge and wanted to paint a tree as some kind of eye catcher. He painted two dead trees electric blue, which was kind of neat. He got a 40-foot cherry picker and a spray gun. Kids helped at the bottom where they could reach.”

What makes Camp Ernst so special?

"Everyone can be involved. We have a world-class youth development program. From 6 years of age through their 20s, there is something new, different, progressive for each age group. The result of that is that 87 percent of the staff (a national high point) was here last summer in some capacity. Everyone is home grown, brought up in the culture. They all have had experiences that help them be better developed individuals and essentially better adults.

"Our youth development has the distinctive feature of being a full program. There are 24 different activities every day. There are high ropes elements, lake activities (such as a water slide), fine arts activities, horses and traditional camp activities.

"Our largest week last summer was 433 campers. Over the summer we served over 3,000 young people. With teens, some are campers and some are staff — all of them are considered part of the youth development program. We served 1,200 teenagers in the camper and counselor positions. I am very proud of that."

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About Camp Ernst

Summer programs at YMCA Camp Ernst begin June 7. For more information, check out our special camp guide by clicking here or the YMCA Camp Ernst Web site by clicking here.