Appel Farm at 50

On October 23 we will celebrate Appel Farm’s 50th birthday as a summer camp and arts center. There will be a grand party in the dining hall, and we are busily prepping decorations, and choosing menus and wines with our caterer. Stressing about RSVPs, who’s coming and who’s not. Looking out the window at the Fall scene and dusky 5pm light, I reflected on what it means to be at this milestone. Why does this one seem so big?

50 is a celebration of maturity, and when someone turns that corner you expect them to know exactly who they are and how they fit into their corner of the world. 50 is the prime, when a person is accomplished and knowledgeable and still kicking it up a bit. 50 is a time when people start looking beyond their own personal borders and start connecting with the big picture items. We all want to leave the world a better place, don’t we? It’s also a time to start thinking about what to do when the next phase of life happens. A time to extend and solidify social connections that will support and nourish you through many more years ahead.

I think it’s the same for Appel Farm. We have turned the corner into maturity. We are celebrating our past, and looking back with some amazement at how it all evolved. As an organization, we have lots of “life experience.” Camp, Arts & Music Festival, concerts, classes, outreach. We know what works and what doesn’t. We look for opportunities to go into the bigger arena and offer our own unique experiences to as many as we can possibly touch. Scholarship campers, programs for the disabled, the elderly, families in stress, schoolchildren all get a little taste of what Appel Farm does so well. And there are many people and organizations that we have connected with through the years that will solidify our ability to reach out to increasing audiences.

This milestone IS big! It’s a chance to take a deep breath and look back. But more importantly, it’s a time to get excited about the future and where we’re going in the next decades. I am confident that Appel Farm will still be here in 2060, still connecting with people, still a place of learning and growth. 50? It feels like we’re just getting started!