Campfire & Firepit

The heart of the camp is, of course, the firepit. ‘Late’ nights (ending, sometimes, at 10:30pm!) around the warm glow of the fire, accompanied by marshmallows and songs. Each night, the campers, counsellors, and even some of the staff gather round to go through important announcements and the next day’s activities.

Of course, no one takes a register—you’re all adults, and can surely be trusted to stay at the firepit for the full allotted hour… Besides, wandering away might not be such a good idea. After all, the firepit is where all the spookiest and scariest ghost stories get shared. Camp Ohiocester has no short supply of unbelievable tales about all kinds of creatures that, some of the counsellors claim with a raised eyebrow or a worried glance, prowl the forests around you. Although, maybe you can gossip in a cabin instead if stories and sing-song don't take your fancy… just don't tell the staff.

‘You know Lake Nell, on the edge of camp? You’ve probably seen those lazy trout or the tadpoles, but I’ve seen something way worse. The Lake Nell Monster. Nellie (Don’t laugh! She’s called Nellie!)—Nellie is this reptilian beast with three great humps and the longest, sharpest teeth you’ve ever seen. I was walking by the lake one night, when all the water started bubbling and boiling and foaming up and there she was. I ran away. Not because I was scared or anything! I just thought, you know, she probably wants personal space.’

- Cappy Hamper, Crazy Coyotes cabin member, 2023

‘BOO! Sorry, did I scare you? Gotta get braver if you’re going to get by here. Ghosts, everywhere. No, for real! Spectres, transparent forms, way scarier than the ghost costume your mom made for you out of an old sheet. I hear that anyone who dies at Camp Ohiocester is cursed to haunt the place. So watch out on the trim trail. One wrong step and you might be stuck haunting Redstone Forest—forever…’

- Winner of Camp Ohiocester's 'Meanest Camper of the Summer!' prize, 2024

‘Oh, you’ve run out of matching socks? That’s this camp for you. No, not the washing machines. It’s the fairies. They’re nasty little tricksters. They love to steal hair ties or odd socks, just to screw with you. Plus they only speak in rhyme. It's very confusing.’

- Jan Woods, after the washing machines broke for the third time this week

‘Sorry I’m late. Ran into Bighand. I swear he’s real, but my phone’s dead so I didn’t get a picture. Glinting eyes in the dead of night—horrible footsteps—cracking branches—weird, spiky fur—it was soooo scary, I swear. So you can’t get mad at me for being late.’

- A counsellor, late to a staff meeting.