Peggie Stone Center at Camp Newaygo Unveiled

A sneak peak of the newly renovated Peggie Stone Center at Camp Newaygo

Peggie Stone Center at Camp Newaygo Unveiled

NEWAYGO, MI – Like everything else at Camp Newaygo, the Arts & Crafts Lodge is steeped with rich history. First built in 1949, the lodge has seen countless girls and community members create within its walls; pottery, tie-dyed shirts, paintings, drawings, and even more importantly – memories.

Camp’s use has grown by an amazing 128% over the past six years since the renovation of Lang Lodge, and with the seemingly non-stop increase in summer resident camp attendance, and year-round use, it became readily apparent that they had outgrown the Arts & Crafts Lodge.  As part of the “Building a Healthy Future” capital campaign, for which to date, 355 donors have given nearly $1.4 million, a renovation and expansion of the Arts & Crafts facility has been underway for the past eight months.  

As things are wrapping up with the expansion and renovation, in what is phase two of the Capital Campaign, Camp Newaygo is pleased and proud to announce the grand opening of the Peggie Stone Center, named after longtime TrueNorth and Camp Newaygo supporter and lead donor for this project.

Peggie Stone was raised in Fremont, and after returning there after some time living in both Florida and New York, became an avid supporter of the Youth Programs that TrueNorth and Camp Newaygo offered, recognizing the need for enrichment and mentoring opportunities for local youth. In fact, TrueNorth presents the Peggie Stone Award to a volunteer or group each year that are particularly committed to and involved in the issues surrounding youth.

Preservation and enhancement of the vintage craft shop makes this nostalgic building a centerpiece for both community and camp activity and provides four seasons of use and enjoyment. The original wooden structure featured the beautiful craftsmanship of the time period, with its stone fireplace, open plank ceiling and hardwood floors. It was a mere 1,230 square feet though, and was bursting at the seams. Camp Newaygo has now expanded the building to 1,837 square feet, which includes; a new lakeside room with cathedral ceiling which hosts a wall of windows overlooking Pickerel Lake from camp’s ridge setting, its own restroom, and a covered front porch off the fireside room. All of the original shiplap, plank ceiling and hardwood floors have been preserved, and the expansion shares an esthetic which blends perfectly.
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While it will obviously better serve the girls of Camp’s summer resident camps, the new facility will also offer the local community a new, beautiful meeting space. 

There will be a Ribbon Cutting and Open House honoring community involvement, donors, and supporters on Friday, June 9th from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (program and ribbon cutting at 4:30), and an Ice Cream Social and Casual Drop-in Open House on Sunday, June 11th from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Contact Camp Newaygo at 652-1184 for details on either of these events or for more information on the rental options available for this space.

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