Wildfire smoke forces YMCA Camp Eberhart indoors

THREE RIVERS, Mich. (WNDU) - For many kids, summer camp is all about being outside — on the water, on the trails, under the trees.

But wildfire smoke drifting into southwest Michigan flipped the script at YMCA Camp Eberhart in Three Rivers, forcing staff to move a full day of activities indoors for more than 300 campers.

Air quality has been a concern across Michiana this week, and campers and staff at the camp said they noticed it quickly. When the smoke rolled in Thursday, the camp shifted programming inside — a major change for a place where most of the day is typically spent outdoors.

That meant no boating and no horseback riding Friday morning, as staff tried to limit time outside and keep kids breathing easier.

Even so, camp leaders said the kids adjusted fast.

“After the lunch period we decided we need to make some changes so that’s when we brought kids inside yesterday,” said Denise Peters, the camp’s chief operations officer. “At night, we have our closing campfire but we did not have a fire last night — but the kids still had their awards and got to hang out with their friends.”

Peters said the disruptions turned into an unexpected lesson in flexibility — and a reminder of just how creative campers can be.

“They’re resilient and they can still have fun,” she said. “It’s really cool because they came up with the talent show idea themselves, and then the little girls wanted to do the lip-syncing and dancing inside the hall which is air conditioned.”

The camp had a nurse on site this week, and Peters said no one reported any smoke-related injuries or health issues.

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