Tucked on the edge of western Maine, 45 miles from Portland, ‘Camp’ Camp bills itself as “America’s premier summer camp for LGBT adults.”

Within Maine, it flies a bit under the radar. At camp itself, it’s anything but. 

There’s swimming. Softball. Sailing. Lip-sync battles. Drag bingo. A big Talent/No Talent Show.

“This is really the highlight of my summer, and probably even my year,” said Forrest Clift, 48, a camp regular and staffer from Holland, Mich. “There’s not a moment of the day that you’re not hearing this loud, raucous laughter and conversations and activity going on that you don’t hear in the city or in an office.” 

Back in 1997, founder Bill Cole “wanted a place that was outside of the usual bar scene where people could connect and actually get to know each other,” said Kerry Riffle, the camp’s director and now co-owner.

Cole, who lived in New Jersey, started asking around for a location that would host his idea and found one here. ‘Camp’ Camp is intentionally vague online about its exact location, though Riffle will now say it’s near Kezar Falls. That vagueness started as a way to prevent any unwanted attention or harassment of camp owners or campers.

But the area’s been welcoming, Riffle said, and it’s been interesting to see how much society has changed over the nearly two decades. (In that vein: Heterosexuals who think ‘Camp’ Camp sounds like fun are welcome to sign up, too, he said.)

An all-inclusive week, with lodging, costs $1,725, plus transportation. Last year, only seven campers hailed from Maine. The rest of the 240 came from 34 states and four countries. New York, Boston, D.C. and Atlanta are the camp’s biggest markets.

Some 75 percent of campers and staff return for a second year, and 40 percent have been going for 10 years or more, Riffle said.

This year, for its August session, the youngest adult is 22, the oldest 74.

“Many of our people come from urban areas, so part of the attraction is the fresh air, the pine trees, the gorgeous lake and the weather,” he said.

During the week, phone service is sparse and limited to designated zones, and there’s no internet.

So it’s campers, nature and 30-plus activities a day, including blacksmithing, cooking and Broadway dance classes.

“It’s a chance to recapture your childhood a little bit, or loosen the inhibitions that build up,” Riffle said. “We encourage people to step out of their comfort zone. For some of the guys, that’s throwing a softball, for other people that’s getting on stage at the talent show. That goes a long way and carries over into people’s real lives.”

Last month, one long-time camper had a kidney transplant, the match found after a fellow camper posted about her on a Wellesley College alumnae forum. “A Wellesley alum whose mother was looking to donate a kidney saw it,” Riffle said. “This connection through this one-week vacation actually saved this woman’s life. It sort of highlights the community aspect that I think is really what makes people come back.”

More adults are finding their inner child at Maine camps

• Riding the waves at Adult Surf Camp, Scarborough
• Birding at Audubon’s Hog Island, Bremen
• Star gazing at Camp Reveille, Naples

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