Camp Lutherhaven was a wonderful location that met our needs for almost 5 years. But I was realizing that we needed to find a new camp that better suited our ever changing group. After hearing about Epworth Forest I took a day trip to North Webster to see this new camp. I think you are all going to be pretty happy with what I found!
CAMP INFO
We will be staying in Freeland House which is a hotel style facility. There will be private rooms with either a queen size bed or 2 twin beds. 16 of the rooms have twin beds and 8 of the rooms have a queen size bed. I will be filling the rooms on a first come/first serve basis. Just let me know your room-mates name and if you would like a queen or twin beds. Each room has a private bathroom with linen and towels included. Four of the rooms are handicap accessible on the first floor. There is also a beautiful lobby/lounge area on each floor completely with couches, fireplace and beautiful views of the lake.
Our scrapbooking and dining hall are located in the basement/lower level of Freeland House. I believe there were 12-15 steps to get down to the lower level. There is a parking lot behind the building that has drive-up access to our scrapbooking room. So you will be able to easily unload/load your scrapbooking supplies without using the stairs. There are windows on three walls of the scrapbooking room but the majority of our light will be from overhead lighting. I believe we can get 32 tables into this room for scrapbooking. I can fit another 6-8 tables in the lobby/lounge area as over-flow seating. That means I'm going to have to limit this retreat to the first 40 guests.
The dining hall is also located in the lower level. We will have 24/3 (since we are only there for 3 days!) access to all the fountain pop and coffee that you can drink. Meals are served buffet style and after talking with the chef they sounded pretty nice. Certainly not typical camp food! He can accommodate food allergies such as gluten-free and dairy free. If you have a special diet please notify me and I'll speak with him and come up with a plan. We will be sharing the dining hall with another group that is staying in another part of the camp.
The entire House was clean, the staff is nice and easy to work with and they seem to be well organized! The price is fair for what we are getting and I believe this location will fit our group very well.
WHAT I NEED!
The camp needs a deposit to hold our space and regular payments to be made before the retreat. It is very helpful on my end if I ask for a $25 per person NON-REFUNDABLE deposit. It holds your spot and helps me to know how many guests to expect.
RETREAT FEES
This years retreat registration will provide:
1 6ft scrapbooking table and comfy chair (these are nice tables not discarded doors made to look like tables--fail camp Lutherhaven!)
Private room with linens--room shared with a friend (leave your sleeping bags at home!)
Private bathroom with towels
(Completely private rooms available upon request)
3 meals--Saturday breakfast, Saturday supper, Sunday brunch--which is huge!
Prize drawings--they're back!!!
Unlimited fountain pop and coffee/tea/hot chocolate/water
All this is included for $120 per person based upon double occupancy! That is $10-20 cheaper than last years retreat Completely private rooms will be $170 per person.
FOOD POLICY
The camp has some strict rules about bringing food into the building. We are allowed to bring snacks but there is NO refrigerator space available. If you want to bring a crock-pot they require that it only be turned on for 4 hours and it must have a thermometer in the food during those 4 hours. AND I can only allow 2 crock-pots for our entire group. So that pretty much rules out Friday night potluck! But aside from those rules we will be able to have our traditional snack table and feast all weekend long. (I think coolers would be fine and it will probably be cold enough in your car to keep cheese and fruit/veggies cold) To keep costs down everyone will be on their own for Friday night supper. There are several restaurants in the town, including Subway, local pizza and other local diners plus a grocery store. I think those options are cheaper than what the camp wants to charge us for supper.
TIME
We can get into Freeland House on Friday the 8th at 2:00 pm. The retreat will end on the 10th at 2:00 pm. Registration is open now and your $25 deposit will hold your spot. The remainder of the fee will be due September 15, 2013. The deposit is non-refundable, unless you find someone to take your place. If you pay for the retreat in full and should require a refund on the remainder it will be given until October 8. No refunds will be given after October 9. If you should have a family emergency or get sick the weekend of the retreat please contact me immediately to see if we can fill your spot.
CASH OR CREDIT
I now offer credit card payments through Paypal! Doesn't get any easier than that. Just click the payment option on the right and you are all set. You will only be able to pay in full with a credit card. No deposits will be accepted by credit card. Cash and checks are still welcome and can be mailed directly to me. Address is also located in the right.
MAILING
I will be mailing out postcard reminders again this summer. Feel free to pass the information along to friends and family. I also have a Facebook Group list which gives you quick access to information. (Retreat Lady Scrapbooking Retreats.)
LOCATION
Epworth Forest
8580 E. Wesley Ln
North Webster, IN 46555
45 minutes west of Ft Wayne and 1 hr 15 minutes from South Bend
Camp has wireless internet and cell phone coverage
