Camps to keep the kids busy

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt editor
MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. --  The dog days of summer are anything but drab for MacDill youths, who have a host of activities to choose from courtesy of the Youth Center.

Since school let out for the summer break, the center has been holding special days and activities to keep kids productive, entertained and learning, with some of the best yet to come, said Loretta Gaines, assistant youth programs director.

The next camp offered is strictly about fun. Children 9 to 18 can learn the art of being a disc jockey in the Youth Center DJ Camp, which will run July 22 through the 26. Children will learn how to mix and play music tracks and there will be a spin-off competition where students can show off their DJ skills. There is a $10 fee for the DJ camp.

"That should be really fun for them (the children)," said Gaines.

The finals camp will give kids a chance to show off their acting chops, when the Missoula Children's Theatre troupe visits MacDill Aug. 5 through the 9 to cast and stage a play featuring Youth Center children as the performers. This year's play is the Wizard of Oz, and children 5 to 13 are eligible for casting.

Missoula arrives with set decorations and everything else needed for a full-scale musical production, minus the cast. MCT, which has been touring for 39 years, will use 50-60 MacDill children in the show. MCT visits nearly 1,300 communities in all 50 states, three Canadian Territories and five provinces and 16 countries. Its mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.

Participation in the MCT production is free for Youth Center children.