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Parents camp out for day camp slots
By JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer
As it was, Himes claimed the first spot in line -- a day early -- to register his son for the coveted Summer Day Camp '02 program at the Land O'Lakes Recreation Complex. "Last year, my wife started at 5 a.m., and she was 70th or 80th in line," Himes said as he eased back into his fold-up chair Friday. What it is about the day camp that makes normally staid adults camp out like rock fanatics? Price, for starters. At $30 a week for a 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., five-day-a-week program, the county's day camp costs a fraction of private day care. It runs from June 10 to July 19. But the real selling point for working parents is activities and facilities that outshine those at many a country club: a giant swimming pool, a full gymnasium, tennis and basketball courts, movies, art and crafts, and field trips to Tampa. Add to that an enrollment that's capped at 200 kids -- and the fast-growing population of Land O'Lakes -- and you've ensured the mad rush that descends on the recreation complex each year. "We used to come out at 3 a.m., but every year it gets earlier and earlier," said Lynne Jenkins, securing a slot for her 9-year-old son, Jake, on Friday. "It's a steal at 30 bucks a week." Jenkins planned to pass the baton at 9 p.m. to her husband, who would pull the night shift. Then Jenkins would relieve her husband before the doors opened for registration at 9 a.m. today. Stretched out on a lawn chair near Jenkins was Amy Adelman, who, together with her family, slept in front of the complex last year in a pup tent. In the past, Adelman paid $130 per week to put her 8-year-old daughter, Claire, in day care. But for that higher price Claire could enjoy only a smattering of the activities available from the county. Most of those waiting came prepared for the long haul: books, coolers, sunscreen, comfy chairs, a battery-powered TV. "I've seen people come in their robes and slippers with sleeping bags," recreation complex supervisor Leon Price said Friday. Of the eight day camp sites across the county, parents line up the earliest at the recreation complex, Price said. To avoid the line that will eventually stretch all the way to Collier Parkway, Price wanted the county to assign kids by lottery. Parents would have none of it. "A lot of people called and said a lottery wouldn't be fair," he said. Certainly Himes wasn't about to give up his front-of-the-line position. Besides, he brought along his college-age son, Josh, to warm his seat after sunset. Said Himes: "I'm paying him 50 bucks to sit in line all night."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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