The gardens of the Malone house, 110 S. Poplar St., Vernon, will be part of a tour on Saturday raising funds for the Southeastern Baptist Youth Camp of Westport.
VERNON — A historic home and garden tour Saturday will benefit a youth camp that has a long history of its own and begins its summer camp season today.
Judith Malone of Vernon said her family will open its 1840 home and extensive gardens at 110 S. Poplar St. in Vernon for tours that will benefit the Southeastern Baptist Youth Camp of Westport. There will be no charge for the tours, but donations will be accepted to support the camp.
Tours will be available Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and light refreshments will be served, Malone said.
Malone has a deep connection to the camp — she and her late husband, Stephen A. Malone, who was pastor at Rock Creek Baptist Church in Westport for 38 years — were its co-managers for 23 years.
Pastor Malone died last year. “He was wonderful,” Judith said.
Malone said she decided to open her home and garden for tours to benefit the camp for the first time this year, though she said they have been featured in prior local home and garden tour events.
The camp has served area children since 1946 through its summer programs, and Malone said donations collected from tour visits will help fund the year-round camp’s summer programs. Weekly camp sessions begin today and run for the next several weeks, with sessions divided by age and interests.
“A little over 500 is our goal” for camp attendance this year, said first-year director Chris Kallal, who runs the camp with his wife, guest services director Carrie Kallal. He said last year, the camp served just under 500 kids with summer camp programs.
Along with traditional activities such as swimming, boating and archery, the camp continually adds to its numerous offerings. Activities now include paintball and an escape room, for instance.
“Camp is very structured,” Kallal said, with activities planned throughout the day. This helps camp staff keep track of all the kids while giving them a taste of many different activities.
Earlier this year, the Kallals came from Illinois to run the Westport camp, and they have 23 years of experience in camp management. This is the first time that Kallal will run a camp with its own lake, though, and he admits he’s excited about that.
He also credits the Malone family for much of the continued growth of the camp.
“A lot of the stuff we have — the big gymnasium we call Grace Hall — is here because of them,” Kallal said.
He also said Malone still frequently visits the camp, including to help take care of the grounds. “They’re just incredible people,” he said.
