Summer Buzz

GAMBIER, Ohio (June 5, 2009) They come by the hundreds and the handfuls. They make a lot of noise or none at all. They are cheerleaders, swimmers, and teachers, among many others.

Kenyon's summer population will swell again this year, keeping classrooms, residence halls, and playing fields brimming and bustling and Gambier businesses busy. Episcopalians, Seventh Day Adventists, and Unitarians will keep the peace and a marching band will, well, disturb it. Barbershop quartets and a children's choir will raise their voices and mimes will lose theirs. The athletes will come in all dimensions, swinging lacrosse sticks, kicking soccer balls and shooting hoops.

The summer conferences season started on June 2 with the Oral History Institute and wraps up August 8 with a basketball camp. Red Cross trainers, transplant athletes, and inner-city students getting a first taste of college life help fill the days in between. The Kenyon Review schools writers both young and seasoned.

"Guest nights" this summer will number 17,000, said Fred Linger, manager of business services. "Summer Conferences is not only an important and significant annual revenue stream, but it offers academic opportunities for a host of grant programs and becomes an excellent recruiting visit for those exploring writing, swimming, and similar areas of interest highlighted here each summer."

The attractive setting, attention of Kenyon employees, and the kindness shown to strangers by Gambier residents help cement the College as a summer venue, Linger said. "We know fond memories for many are added to years of satisfaction where this is a summer home, even but for a week each year."