Columnist
Denny Marsh
Denny Marsh spent a dozen summers running day camps and one memorable season as an overnight program director. He writes about what actually happens at camp — the parts the brochure leaves out. He believes every camp problem is funnier in retrospect and most of them are preventable in advance.
Articles by Denny Marsh
Operator Story
August Has a Short Memory
*Former camp director Denny Marsh on the close-out work that belongs in August, before the season turns into folklore and the quieter jobs take over.*
August 26, 2026
Opinion
The Two Weeks Everyone Wastes
Camp's over. The buses pulled out, the cabins are empty, and you have never been this tired. A former director on why the fortnight you most want to sleep through is the one that quietly decides next summer.
August 10, 2026
Opinion
The 10 PM Refresh
Every night at 10 PM, a parent is refreshing your camp's photo gallery like it's a stock ticker. A former director on what the photo feed actually is — retention marketing, a trust machine, and the hardest unassigned job at camp — and how good operations run it.
July 24, 2026
Operator Story
You've Already Met Next Summer's Staff
Whether you run an overnight camp, a day camp, a Y program, or a soccer camp staffed by varsity players, the cheapest hire is the one you already know — and the window to lock in next summer's staff is the last two weeks of this one.
July 20, 2026