Each Friday night during the summer, Songfest concludes a fun-filled week of camp, before parents arrive to pick up campers the next day. It’s a night of music and laughter that campers and counselors don’t soon forget.

In fact, that’s one of the reasons Sarah Goslee Reed, a talented musician from Mount Vernon, Ohio, returns every summer to play at an average of six Songfests a year.

Sarah Goslee Reed

I had a conversation with Sarah today, so let me share what I learned!

Q: How did your relationship with Camp Nuhop start?

A: Almost 20 years ago, I performed at an environmental conference in Central Ohio. Jerry (Dunlap) called me after the conference to see if I’d come play at Camp. The rest is history and I return every summer!

Q: What keeps you coming back?

A: The songs are so special to the kids. Watching them sing along is absolutely wonderful. It’s so neat to see the campers and counselors year-after-year. I don’t even have to think about what to play, since a lot of them know the songs. I always get to drive home with a smile.

Q: What is your favorite song to play at Songfest?

A: The counselors love “Old Blue Suit”.  A few years back they wrote a new chorus with lines about camp and Jerry. They also asked me to learn “Right Field” and that’s been a hit ever since. Campers love “Walk a Mile”, a song about looking at an argument through someone else’s eyes.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from playing at Songfest through the years?

A: The first time I played “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, it was special to see the campers and counselors crying and hugging. They have a very special relationship and the song means a lot to them. Now it’s always the last song I play, a perfect way to end the evening.

Q: When you’re not playing music, what are you doing?

A: My education is in microbiology and I love the outdoors! I volunteer at the environmental center at Kenyon College, monitoring Bluebirds. I love rollerblading, kayaking, reading, knitting, and watching absolutely no TV!

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Songfest album cover

You can check out Sarah’s website for a little more information about her, to see where she’s playing next, or to purchase one of her CDs. $5 from each CD sale of her “Songfest” album goes to the endowment fund for camp.

Please share your memories from Songfest in the comment box!

Family members listened to a short presentation from summer camp director Jason Picking, before breaking into smaller group discussions with counselors. Meanwhile campers enjoyed the outdoors by playing volleyball, creating arts and crafts, and walking to the beach with counselors.

Jason Picking, summer camp director, answers questions about summer camp

About 93 new campers and 123 of their family members joined us for the first, of what we hope will be many, wonderful experiences together. Thank you to those who joined us for orientation day! Your thoughtful questions encouraged us to create a frequently asked questions page to serve as a reference to some of your questions. We will add the FAQ page to the blog soon, so make sure to keep visiting!

If you participated Saturday, we’d love for you to share your thoughts by commenting on this post. Tell us what you thought about orientation day, what we did well, and what we could improve upon in the future.

Make sure to check out our Flickr site for a few photos from orientation day.

Welcome to Camp Nuhop!

Of course, if you’re reading this blog, you’re part of the Nuhop family! I know I can count on you to interact with us via comment boxes, e-mail, or even a phone call.

Know someone who may enjoy reading the blog? Send them the link! Have an old photo or memory you’d like to share? Send us an e-mail! Have a question about a blog post or an idea for a new post? Type it in the comment box! We want to hear from you.

Also, please make sure to check out our Flickr site for pictures and our Youtube site for videos from camp.