Kiwa Camp (Longmont Girl Scout Day Camp Committee) has been in existence for over 70 years. The camp was formed in 1951 before there were even GS councils in Colorado!
Kiwa Korral:
The property, Kiwa Korral, was purchased with a collection of money from Longmont Girl Scout troops and then donated to Mountain Prairie GS council in 1952 or 1953. Its name comes from the partnership with Longmont Kiwanis who helped build and maintain the property for GS use. Primary use for Kiwa Korral was Longmont Girl Scout Day Camp.
The property was situated 1.8 miles north of Lyons on Hwy 36. It consisted of a few acres of basically raw land in a triangular shape bordered by the St Vrain River on one side, a friendly neighbor on another and Hwy 36 on the 3rd side. Over the years, Kiwa Korral was updated with a cabin, a craft shelter, a latrine and a storage shed. Fire pits were placed around the property for use in cooking. Pathways were constructed with rock borders to navigate between units and common areas for games. Units could be found in the south portion of the property under a covering of pine trees. It was truly a little piece of heaven that served our area well.
Kiwa Korral was maintained by a joint effort between Longmont Kiwanis and Girl Scouts until the flooding of 2013 destroyed it.
Kiwa Korral was truly beloved by all in our area. It was tranquil and serene with the rushing of the river heard throughout the camp. While we miss the property itself, the true spirit of camp comes from the PAs and adult volunteers who work hard each year to bring a quality day camp experience based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law to our campers.
Kiwa Camp was moved to the Boulder County Fairgrounds in 2014 with staff recreating the feeling of the beloved Kiwa Korral to the best of their ability. I think we are successful in blending the legacy of Kiwa Korral with the conveniences of the fairgrounds.
Longmont Girl Scout Day Camp Committee:
Our committee originated with a few Longmont GS leaders who were looking for an alternative to both in-town day camp location (Roosevelt Park) or driving to Estes Park area day camps. The original committee is lost to history as are the many people who continued the camp tradition over the years. The earliest members were the ones who purchased the beloved GS property, Kiwa Korral, with a collection of money raised by the Longmont Girl Scout troops at that time.
Our committee originated with a few Longmont GS leaders who were looking for an alternative to both in-town day camp location (Roosevelt Park) or driving to Estes Park area day camps. The original committee is lost to history as are the many people who continued the camp tradition over the years. The earliest members were the ones who purchased the beloved GS property, Kiwa Korral, with a collection of money raised by the Longmont Girl Scout troops at that time.
Boys and Minis units have been developed to include the entire family. These children also participate in all camp activities that are safe for their age level. Many of our Boys love camp as much as, or even more than, their sisters!
Kiwa Day Camp has offered PA training for the PA designation since 2009. We have a council-certified PA trainer leading our current program and have successfully graduated many, many scouts as full PAs. We are especially proud that we offer one of the few true leadership training experiences for girls in the Jr High through High School age group!
Our Kiwa PAs are truly looked up to, as one mother said many years ago, “as the girls we want our daughters to grow to be.” Our pride in and emphasis on the leadership capabilities of our Kiwa PAs is readily apparent to anyone coming to camp! We have developed an amazing environment for our Kiwa PAs in which they truly lead all camp activities and gain valuable leadership skills that serve them well as they move on into the world making it a better place.
We have been nut free for over 10 years.. We want our camp to be safe for everyone including kids with life threatening peanut allergies.
Fun Kiwa Facts:
- Duffy, our nut sniffing friend, sadly passed away in 2017. We keep his memory alive here for all the kids who loved him.
- Most of our families are local but we also attract families from outside the Longmont/Erie/TriTown area:
- Some families come from out of state for camp week!!!!
We go through:
- over 600 S’Mores
- a gazillion pounds of GORP
- almost 3000 camper SWAPS
- Add in PA SWAPS (potentially 11,000) and staff/adult SWAPS (potentially 3000) and you can figure at least another 5000 of those little things and probably many more (not all PAs and adults make SWAPS so it’s hard to get an accurate count)
And last but not least:
- Sleep time for our staff during camp week: 0