Bored this summer? Programs spice things up

Twins Andrew and Philip Raley, 10, were thrown into the past to Civil War times and were given the task of guarding prisoners on a march to the Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens' New Bern Academy.

Robed in gray wool and carrying mock muskets, Andrew and Philip escorted the prisoners, all female Union nurses, in a line.

"He marched in the front, and I marched in the back," Andrew said, as Philip described his uniform as gray with "very fancy buttons."

"Everybody kept yelling, ‘the rebels are coming!'" Philip said.

The brothers from Maryland were two of a group of 13 campers who learned local Civil War history at the Colonial Life Day Camp, held at Tryon Palace June 22-26.

Participants were invited to "step back into the past and experience life before iPods and the Internet," as they learned about New Bern's founding, the construction of the palace and other historical events.

They planted Lima and kidney beans after touring the palace gardens, assisted the cook in the Kitchen Office to learn about cooking and laundry in colonial times, and made cornhusk dolls.

The group gathered on day five at the Robert Hay House, a historical home built in 1805 used as the palace's living history museum. Campers watched and played along as the Hay family, interpreted by palace employees, went about their colonial life.

 "People stay into character the whole time because the whole point is to show them what life was like in the early 19^th century," said Nancy Hawley, marketing and communications manager at the palace.

Susan Griffin, camp director and a historical interpreter at the palace, said the camp is not meant to be like summer school.

"It's not about paperwork," she said. "It's about hands-on, face-to-face exchanges where they get to do things as well as learn, and it seems they retain the information better than if I had them write it down 500 times."

Andrew said he enjoyed the camp, which he attended while staying with his brother at his grandparents' home.

 "Most of the boys my age are video game addicts," he said, adding that he and his brother were the only boys at the camp.

Day four of the session was the day that a Civil War reenactor told the group about the state and the city's involvement in the Civil War.

Philip and Andrew marched the campers to hear the reenactor's presentation at the New Bern Academy Museum, which was the first school in the state to be established by law, and was used as a military hospital during the Civil War, according to the Web site www.tryonpalace.org.

Griffin said that the twins were overtaken by a Union reenactor, who then encouraged the campers to enlist after giving his historical presentation. He drilled the new recruits on the academy yard.

Grace Beauchamp, 10, was an unwilling prisoner of Philip and Andrew.

 "I'd rather help than hurt," she said.

Hannah Wilson, 9, said she enjoyed the week.

 "When we dressed up the other day, I felt like I went back in time 30 years," she said. "(I liked it) because I always liked to dress up, and I feel like I'm going back," she said.

Laura Oleniacz can be reached at (252) 635-5675 or at loleniacz@freedomenc.com.

 Still looking for something to do this summer? Try one of these.

 Camp Riverama, a Twin Rivers YMCA day camp

Campers participate in arts and crafts, outside field and gymnasium activities, go swimming, and take a field trip each week. The day camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in one-week sessions through Aug. 21.

The cost is $95 for YMCA members and $120 for non-members.

Call 638-8799 for more information.

 Children's Theatre Workshop in Oriental

Children who have completed the third and fourth grades are eligible for a camp from 9 a.m. to noon, and young adults who have finished the eighth through the 12^th grades are eligible for a session that runs from 2 to 5 p.m.

Campers will learn different types of acting, about characterization, imagination, sets, costumes and improvisation techniques, and will perform in "Tall Tales" for younger participants and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" for young adults. The performance will be held at The Old Theatre on 609 Broad St. at 7 p.m. July 23. Both camps will run July 13-24, and registration is $25.

Call Patti Higginbottom, workshop founder and director, at 249-2968 for more information.

 Fife & Drum Corps Recruit Camp

This camp, of the Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens, will teach tunes to prepare campers to join the Tryon Palace Fife and Drum Corps, a group that plays music from the colonial and Revolutionary War periods. Children in grades six through 10 are eligible.

The camp costs $150 per person and $120 for Council of Friends members, and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 27-31.

 2009 Summer Arts Camp

"All Kinds of Faces, All Kinds of Places" is a camp for four-year-old children. Campers play, act, sing, dance, paint and draw according to the culture of a country from around the world under the direction of Craven County Schools teachers. The camp runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. July 13 -17 at J.T. Barber Elementary School.

Contact the Craven Arts Council & Gallery at 638-2577 or cravenarts@esisnet.com.

 Art & Materials and Ballantyne Framing

In the Art Camp for seven to 12-year-olds, campers do pottery, drawing, printing mixed media, and painting from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  on July 13-17, July 27-31 and Aug. 10-14. The cost is $80 per session.

The Little Art Camp for 4 to 6 year olds will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon on July 6-10 and Aug. 17-21. The cost is $70.

The Teen Workshop for campers age 13 years and older is aimed to prepare students for college art classes. The camp runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 3-Aug. 7. The cost is $170.

The Pottery Wheel camp will be held from about 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on July 13-17, 20-24, and Aug. 17-21. The cost is $85, but there is limited participation.

Call 514-2787 for more information.