Fundraiser set to save Camp Piedmont
Counselors build an entire theme for camp each year. The July 2021 theme was “Aloha from Camp Piedmont."
Camp Piedmont, to the southeast in Belmont County, has been home to thousands of 4-H Club campers for decades. A fundraiser is set for March 26 at Buckeye Career Center to raise funds to save the camp, which is in need of repairs and renovation. The event will include auctions, quilt and gun raffles, a pasta dinner and other components.
“The income from Camp Piedmont rentals has always been somewhat limited,” said Kiersten Heckel at The Ohio State University Extension Office in New Philadelphia. “It’s not open year-round but just summer and fall months. The problem became more serious when Ohio closed campgrounds throughout the state to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak. It was operating on a shoestring before, but 2020 kind of pushed it over the edge.”
Heckel said while Camp Piedmont is largely populated with 4-H campers from an eight county area, it is also utilized by many other groups, including school camps, church groups and area marching bands.
Heading up the March 26 fundraiser is Tina Armstrong, who has experience with organizing such events and is able to conduct the benefit as a nonprofit organization. “We are taking donations for the auction now,” Armstrong said. “There will be a wide variety of items available for bidding.”
The live auction begins at 5 p.m. on March 26, while a Facebook auction opens Monday, March 21 and runs for that week. Online registration for the auction is available at go.osu.edu/SaveCampPiedmont. Online registration begins March 1.
Hot dogs will be available beginning at 1 p.m. and a pasta dinner will be served beginning at 4 p.m., both for a freewill offering. A kid’s silent auction starts at 4 p.m., as does a general silent auction. Live bidding begins at 5 p.m.
Funds raised via the auction and raffles will help repair structures at the camp. “We couldn’t rent the camp for two years,” said Armstrong. “The camp buildings need new roofs, and the recreation hall bathrooms also need repairs. Those are underway and we will be able to rent Camp Piedmont fully this year.”
The camp serves residents of Tuscarawas, Harrison, Jefferson, Guernsey, Carroll, Belmont, Monroe and Noble counties. “Each county has a contact, and we are all working together to make this happen,” Armstrong explained, with more than 30 people involved in making the fundraiser a success.
Heckel said Camp Piedmont is a well-used facility during normal seasons with unrestricted camping. “Oh, wow, yes. A lot of people used the camp before Covid. We fill it for sure, and there’s a lot to do and enjoy there. It’s a fantastic facility.”
Piedmont Lake and the surrounding forest provide campers with the opportunity to kayak and stand up paddle board, go fishing, hike, and provide unique educational classes.
The shooting range provides an opportunity to learn how to safely handle and respect firearms and archery equipment. The pool, games, talent shows, night campfires and the many camp traditions offer plenty of opportunities for fun.
For more information or to make donations of auction items or cash, contact Tina Armstrong at 330-204-7255, or Codie McKain at 330-204-5623. Find up-to-date information and learn how to purchase raffle tickets by searching Facebook for “Save Camp Piedmont Benefit.” Camp Piedmont is at 34221 4-H Club Road, Piedmont.