Writers, Singers, Swimmers

GAMBIER, Ohio (June 9, 2008) The proud graduates have marched off into the future. Alumni reunion has ended with hugs and promises to stay in touch. So the Kenyon campus enters a lull—but only for a moment. Gambier hums with activity during the summer, as both Kenyon-sponsored programs and outside groups use the College's classrooms, auditoriums, and athletic facilities.

From June through early August, the College will host more than 50 groups, ranging from sports camps, to writing workshops, to educational programs. And that's not counting the Kenyon students who stay on to pursue research as part of the Summer Science Scholars Program, the Summer Legal Studies Scholars Program, and the Food for Thought Program.

Kenyon-affiliated summer programs include the Kenyon Review's writing workshops, one session for adult writers and two for high school students. All of the sessions feature readings open to the public. There are also programs for high-school teachers and students in the Kenyon Academic Partnership, a program linking the College to 37 high schools around Ohio. The Oral History Institute returns, as does the Elite Swim Camp, run by legendary Kenyon coach Jim Steen.

Year-round residents look forward to the annual gathering of barbershop quartets, which offer concerts, and to the School for Mime, which traditionally marches in Gambier's Independence Day parade, stopping in front of the Kenyon Bookstore to perform. The parade is a neighborly, inclusive affair, in which tractors rumble, fire engines blare, local kids shout from their bikes and trikes, and the Kenyon Review's high school writers chant poetry.

Among the larger groups this summer are a Unitarian summer institute, with 600 guests expected, the Rainbow Girls, with 400 guests, and a Grace Brethren teen organization, with 400. There will be camps for lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

For more information about summer activities, or about using College facilities during the summer, contact Fred Linger, manager of business services.