Here Comes the Party [Barge]

As I promised last week, today I will be giving you a glimpse of the work being done on the Party Barge.  Thanks to donors and volunteers we have been able to overhaul one of our greatest assets. Some of the new highlights include: lighting (for night-time fun), a sound system, all new zip-line tower, new composite decking, easy to use staircase, new paint and other eye pleasing additions.

This has been no small undertaking for the site team.  They have been working on grinding, welding, sanding, painting and building since the fall.  I am so grateful for all the hard work that has been going into this project and am so excited to see the finished product in use this summer.

The pictures only show our current progress, you’ll have to come this summer to see it in its full glory.  Campers are going to have a blast on this year, parents, sign up for a family camp so you can experience it first hand as well!

As we say goodbye to the Party Barge as it once was, I would love for anyone to share fond memories they have at the Party Barge. For me its all the time I’ve spent out there training our lifeguards.

As we look forward to using the new Party Barge, I must ask; what are you most looking forward to this year at SpringHill?

Change is in the Air

While I know it is too early to declare the arrival of spring, it sure is hard not to get excited about warmer weather and sunshine.  At SpringHill spring means many things but most importantly it means getting ready.  Every year we try to step it up another notch over the previous year as well as take another step in the direction of our mission.  This year there are three main projects we are working on to improve the physical property and experience of our guests.

1. Dining Hall Upgrade
2. Electricity to all housing areas
3. Party Barge Update

Today I am going to share a little bit about the Dining Hall plan and why this project is important to SpringHill.  By the time we have our summer campers on camp in June we will have totally revamped our dining hall space and improved its ability to be used as a session space.  As you can imagine, a large area with a concrete floor and many hard surfaces did not make for an ideal space for large group sessions and loud bands.  So, we brought in an acoustical engineer and designed a plan to improve this space and control sound.  We are also looking at revamping the stage area to include two screens, a permanent stage and real professional stage curtains.  Another really cool addition is the GOBO.  Usually drummers are stuck in Plexiglas fish tanks in order to control sound levels.  With the GOBO we will be able to eliminate the tank and free up more stage space.

All of this work will add up to a well-purposed space not just a re-purposed space.  We have always used this space for duel roles, eating and entertaining, however the entertaining was always a secondary function.  With these upgrades guests will be able to have a truly professional audio-visual experience.  Better yet concerts will not turn into mere, cover your ears, noise.

I truly appreciate the vision, planning, time and hard work that our site team has put into this project.  When this project is complete we will have to ability to serve more campers and guests on our property, which means our capacity to reach others with the message of Christ increases!  If you would like to help with this project please contact myself or call the office at 812.497.0008.