FREEPORT – L.L. Bean is taking on a new strategy to expand its customer base – it’s starting a day camp this summer.
The company’s new day camp for children ages 6-12 will open in June. The camp will feature traditional outdoor activities such as canoeing, kayaking, and archery, plus provide guided nature hikes through a 33-acre company-owned parcel located on Lower Flying Point in Freeport.
The move is a logical extension of its brand, said company spokesman Mac McKeever.
“We felt this was an opportunity to have kids experience a smorgasbord of activities that Bean’s specializes in,” he said. “It’s pretty unique for a retailer to be able to offer this.”
Guided by instructors and counselors, the campers will be also able to participate in a wide variety of small-group activities, including stand-up paddle boarding, fly and spin casting and slacklining, a kind of tightrope walking. Other daily activities will include arts and crafts, games and environmental-focused programs such as nature walks, learning about native wildlife and leave-no-trace hikes designed to reduce disruption to the environment.
The camp will join a crowded field of similar options locally, including day camps at Wolfe’s Neck Farm and the YMCA-sponsored Camp Osprey, both in Freeport.
“We offer a hands-on experience using our equipment and a hundred years of knowledge,” said McKeever. “This is another day camp option for parents and kids. Any time more kids get outside and experience nature is good.”
Officials at the Freeport YMCA declined to comment, and efforts to reach David Herring, Wolfe’s Neck Farm executive director, were unsuccessful before the Tri-Town Weekly’s deadline Monday.
McKeever said the popularity of the company’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, primarily geared toward adults with the occasional program for kids, was another factor in expanding its instructional and educational offerings.
“We have incredible brand recognition and an amazing amount of affinity from our customers for our programs,” he said. “We have the available land at Lower Flying Point and felt this was a no- brainer.”
The Bean camp will begin on June 24 and end on Aug. 23, and will cost $350 per week or $100 a day per child. By comparison, the weekly cost for Wolfe’s Neck Farm ranges from roughly $200 to $300, depending on the age of the child. Camp Osprey charges a flat weekly fee of $195. Bean is offering multiple-tiered discounts for pre-registration through its website, llbean.com.
According to McKeever, staff members will meet campers at L.L.Bean’s Flagship Store on Main Street and be shuttled to the Lower Flying Point recreation area.
“After arriving, the instructors and counselors will have a brief team meeting to outline the day’s activities, divide the kids into groups and play games to help campers get to know each other,” said McKeever.
Instructors and counselors will also assign campers responsibilities such as assistant safety watchdog, assistant chief navigator and more, to help them start developing basic leadership skills and gain confidence, said McKeever. The company will use existing staff and hire additional counselors, depending on demand. McKeever was unsure on the exact number of kids the camp would be able to accommodate.
The company also feels the shrinking number of children engaging in outdoor activities is alarming, he added.
“It’s a different age. There’s myriad leisure options available to kids these days, chiefly from the growth of personal technology,” said McKeever. “I discovered at a young age how great being outside is and hope we can be a part of passing that tradition on.”
Archers take aim at L.L. Bean’s Lower Flying Point recreation area in 2012. The company is opening a summer day camp for kids in June. Courtesy photo
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