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Hillside's Family Camp, July 25 - August 1, 2009

Sugar Pine Point State Park @ Lake Tahoe

Once again, and for over 35 years running, Hillside Church's Family Camp organizers have secured campsite reservations at the largest campround at Lake Tahoe, Sugar Pine Point State Park.  This annual Hillside tradition is for you and yours.  
 
Activities include hikes on alpine trails, riding bikes on paved lake shore lanes or rugged trails to incredible vistas, swiming or jet skiing on Tahoe's azure blue waters, fishing for lake or river trout, golfing on courses of unrivaled beauty, rafting down the Truckee River, sunbathing and picnicing on the rolling lawn of a restored turn of the century mansion as you look out on the lake's peer at Sugar Pine Point, playing board games around campsites picnic tables with friends, eating out at restaurants with incredible views, telling stories while roasting marshmallows to the warm of evening campfires, or just reading under a tree by a mountain stream.   
 
Two informal worship and praise services around the group campfire are planned for Sunday and Wednesday evenings, along with our fourth annual all campsite pot luck dinner, and a kid's movie night or two under the stars.  As always, we are interested in your ideas on how to make this year's family camp the best yet.  Most importantly, please begin praying now for good weather, safe journeys, and God's work with and through us as we gather together once again this summer in a towering forest by a majestic lake created for our pleasure by an awesome God.
 

Campsites, Registration & Capacity: 

The campground sites at Sugar Pine Point accomodate everything from under the stars camping to tents, tent trailers, campers and motorhomes, so whatever your preference, this campground is ready for your style of camping.  

Demand for campsites at Lake Tahoe was incredible this year.  As such, our reserved camp site capacity is less than the average number of people that have attended Family Camp over the past few years, so we expect to reach capacity this year.   By California State Parks standards, our current reservations allow us to accomodate a maximum of 232 campers for stays of 6-8 days/5-7 nights.  If there is sufficient demand, we currently hold additional group site reservations that can accomodate up to 80 additional campers for mid-week reservations of 4 days/3 nights.  We are looking for some in our group to arrive mid week and for some to arrive early on Friday, 7/24/09 to see if we can move into day-of-arrival individual campsites that will allow us to comfortably accomodate more Hillside families and their friends.  Please contact Mike and Terry Sodergren or Mark and Bonnie Thorne if you are interested in mid week reservations or if you can arrive early.  We absolutely want to have a campsite full of God's people, so if you haven't signed up yet, now is the time to send in your registration application.  If you have already signed up, and you are looking for an opportunity to introduce others to the Hillside family in a non-traditional "church" setting, now is also the time to extend that invitation.  

 

 
* A late fee of $7.50 applies registrations received after 03/08/09.  If space is available, late fee exceptions can be made for those currently experiencing financial hardship preventing payment in full by 03/08/09, for guests that find out about Family Camp after 03/08/09, and for guests of families who have already registered for Family Camp and are adding campers to their group.  
Open registration began 01/25/09, and continues until we reach capacity.   Please download and complete the Family Camp Registration Application Form.  Completed forms and payments can be given to Family Camp organizing committee representatives at the sign-up desk within the church lobby or sent by mail to:
 
Hillside Church
c/o Family Camp 2009
545 Hillside Ave.
San Jose, CA  95136
 
Payments by check should be made out to Family Camp 2009 committee coordinator, Mike Sodergren.  The early registration period runs through Sunday, March 8, 2009.  Depending on campsite availability, the Committee may staff a table in the lobby of the church inbetween Sunday morning services for late registration sign ups during the Spring.  Registration by mail will continue until we reach capacity, at which time, applicants will be notified that their applications has been placed on a waiting list.    
 
We are often able to accomodate arrival dates and site assignment requests as submitted.  Campsite locations for accepted applications will be assigned by the organizing committee based primarily on rank ordered sign-up dates and available space.  Due to the reduced availability of group sites this year, approximately half of all campsites will be available for arrival on Saturday 7/25/09, with most of the rest available on Sunday 7/26/09.  Some reservations will require departure on Friday 7/31/09, with all others on Saturday 8/1/09.  The minimum possible duration of  any single reservation will be six (6) days/five (5) nights, with a maximum of eight (8) days/seven (7) nights.  A significant number of four (4) day/three (3) night campsites are available mid-week (7/28-31/09) at a 50% discount if there is enough interest in mid week camping.   In all cases, groups of less than eight (8) campers will be combined with other Hillside campers as a means of accommodating the maximum number of campers, and for the purpose of sharing common resources such as picnic tables & food storage boxes. 

For detailed information on Family Camp at Lake Tahoe, please download Tahoe 2009 Fact Sheet and Sugar Pine Campground Map.