The common thread of our Memorial Day Weekend experience at Yankee Springs is community: shared responsibility and shared fun. Here's a summary of the various components of "Yankee Springs" that when brought together help our Retreat be sustaining and fulfilling.
Who Attends?
Members and Friends of UU Lansing are invited to sign up for all or part of the weekend. Singles, families, couples, retirees, youth, adults, people: all are welcome. This is an intergenerational experience.
Dogs are welcome, but they need to be leashed, and they should spend the night in their owner's car. (We encourage you to contact one of the organizers for important details about overnight canine guests.)
Currently accessibility is an issue. The Kitchen/Dining Hall has a minimum of 3 steps at each of its entrances. If this presents a problem for anyone, please contact the organizing group and we will see if this problem can be resolved for this year.
Youth age 12-17 attending without parental units must have another attending adult who consents to be their sponsor.
What Does it Cost to Attend?
Overnight Camping Fees (cabins only, no tents):
$185 for a 4-5 bed cabin (exact location first come, first serve) for up to three nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
$650 for the Mansion Cabin (includes 20 beds total - 10 in each of two bedrooms with a living room between) for up to three nights
$320 for the Stage House Cabin (includes 8 beds - no bunks) for up to three nights
$425 for the Road House Cabin (includes 12 beds - 6 bunk beds) for up to three nights
$55 per bed in the Infirmary (assignment in this cabin will be based on need; this is the only cabin with a bathroom) for up to three nights
$55 covers one bed in a shared cabin (to be assigned) for up to three nights
$25/person is the daily rate for those choosing not to stay overnight (covers use of all facilities)
Meals: $10/meal/person for Saturday Lunch, Saturday Evening Cookout, and Sunday Lunch
Meal fee is for all attendees ages 6 and up. (Ages 5 and under are free!)
Breakfast on Saturday, Sunday and Monday are included in the overall camping & meal fee. A light dinner is included on Friday evening.
More info is available on the registration form.
What Do We Do?
Meals are communally prepared, enjoyed, and cleaned up after in the Kitchen/Dining Hall.
We play games, cards, work on puzzles, sing, etc, in the Dining Hall or outside.
We swim, go fishing, kayaking, canoeing, frogging....
We play Capture the Flag or Flashlight Tag outdoors at night.
Folks go on hikes; read; relax; visit together; talk.
At night many folks (young and old alike) are often in the Dining Hall until close to midnight enjoying games or conversation.
We talk with each other and have real conversations, sometimes while washing the dishes, sometimes while watching the kids frolic at the beach, and sometimes for no reason other than we can.
We sit in solitude and listen to the sounds.
We meet other folks from UU Lansing that we might not otherwise cross paths with, strengthening our interconnectedness.
Interested folks may get together and plan a Sunday morning service
More about Meals:
We have some menus for the main meals that have been passed down over the years and are truly special and unique.
Several folks purchase, deliver, and organize the food for the weekend. We do our best to get the correct amounts, but just in case, there are stores in nearby Hastings to fill in the gaps. Please let us know if you can help with the food.
Always available (Friday - Monday): peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, snacks, milk, lemonade, water, coffee, tea.
Vegetarian choices are available at all meals.
Breakfasts (Saturday - Monday): cold cereal, oatmeal, toast, milk, juice, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, etc.
Saturday and Sunday Lunches: a taco/taco salad bar with lots of options on Saturday and a variety of pasta dishes on Sunday
Saturday Evening Cookout: burgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, veggies....with a camp fire!
Sunday Evening Dinner: leftovers, really great leftovers!
Meal preparation, serving, and cleanup are all chores that are assigned so that everyone shares in the responsibility.
Overnight Accommodations:
The cabins are rustic in the sense that they are in the woods and are one room, but it ends there. There are spring beds (they squeakily wrap around you so you may feel like you are in a cocoon!) with plastic covered mattresses, so bring a sleeping bag or old sheets/blankets. There are windows, an overhead electric light, and wall outlets too.
Most cabins have either 4 or 5 beds in them.
There are a few buildings for sleeping that are unique and more suitable for large sharing groups or folks with challenges. They are shown on the Long Lake Map as the Infirmary (sleeps 10), the Road House (sleeps 12), the Stage House (sleeps 8), and the Mansion House (sleeps 20).
The Bathhouse has modern flush toilets, hot showers, and sinks for washing up. They are quite nice.
The Bathhouse is located closest to the Dining Hall and the Hill Cabins.
There are Pit Toilets (classic outhouses) close to the Lake Cabins.
Unfortunately the State does not allow tent camping at the Long Lake Outdoor Center at Yankee Springs. We understand that some folks much prefer tents to cabins, so in the hopes of helping them to still be part of our "Yankee Springs" experience, we hope they will look into the nearby tenting campground at: http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=247&type=SPCG Interested folks could tent camp there but come over to the Long Lake Center for meals and fellowship.
A Long Lake Map can be found at http://www.longlakeoutdoorcenter.com/files/Download/longlakemap.pdf
What to Bring:
It has been known to rain over the weekend. We spend a lot of time in and around the dining hall during those times. A raincoat, poncho, and/or umbrella can be very helpful. However, the kids will love getting sopping wet!
Towels! Some of us get wet when we go near/in/on/around the lake. If your youth plan to swim or go boating or frogging or digging, etc, plan on a a few extra towels, a bathing suit, a change of clothes etc.
Folding lawn/sports chairs for down at the beach are nice to have.
Sleeping bags, pillows, toiletries, etc.
Games/puzzles/cards: we have oodles of fun playing games at Yankee Springs!
An instrument: singing and making music is marvelous.
Bikes: often a group gets together and goes out on bike trips during the day. Some have even been known to bike to and from Yankee Springs!
Insect repellent or tough skin.
Snacks to share.
A kayak or canoe, paddles, life jackets, etc.
A good book! Music books!
When You Arrive:
Check in at the Kitchen/Dining Hall. There will be information about your cabin assignment and how to get to it. Someone will probably be there to help: just ask anyone out on the porch or in the kitchen.
If you are arriving Friday night: feel free to bring in your dinner, snacks, or snacks to share. There should be some simple sandwiches and snacks already out
Special things we all need help with:
Are you a late-nighter? If you are one of the last folks in the Dining Hall at night, please tidy up by putting away food and getting most of the dirty dishes out of the way.
Are you an early riser? Please offer to get the coffee and hot water for tea going early in the morning.
Questions? Email us at uucglretreat@gmail.com, or stop by the Yankee Springs Table in the Social Hall on Sunday morning.
"Yankee Springs" works because we are a community with shared expectations and fun,
assigned chores and tasks, and goals and projects that we accomplish together. We have fun.
UU Lansing: Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, http://www.uulansing.org/
UUA: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, http://www.uua.org/