Almost exactly 13 months ago, on February 26, 2020, U.S. 1 published its 2020 summer camp issue. It would be one of the paper’s last issues that described events that were upcoming rather than events that were canceled or moved online.
The only mention of “the novel coronavirus” in that paper was in a short article documenting collaborations of two area pharmaceutical companies with Chinese officials battling a mysterious illness half a world away.
This week the summer camp issue is back, a month later than usual due to continued uncertainty about capacity restrictions and venue closures that may well persist into the summer.
In a change from past years, many camps are now offering all-virtual programs or hybrid programs; others are operating fully outdoors; and most are limiting the sizes of camp groups and requiring safety precautions including mask-wearing and daily temperature checks.
The camp listings themselves, which begin on page 6 of this issue, are sparser than in previous years. In some cases that is because certain camps are not operating this year or have severely cut back their offerings.
Other programs have not yet finalized their plans for the summer. Information on programs that becomes available after this issue is printed will be posted in the paper’s weekly Opportunities section as well as online at www.princetoninfo.com. Know of a camp that’s missing? Email hastings@princetoninfo.com.
Just as the summer camp information included in this issue offers a semblance of a return to normalcy for the children who have spent the better part of the last year at home, learning from screens, the poems included in this section as part of U.S. 1’s ongoing effort to include selections of poetry and short fiction year-round show how far we have come in the past year — and all the progress that remains to be made.
Submit short stories and poems to fiction@princetoninfo.com.
