June 2015 • FREE
The Perfect Picnic
Kids attending the summer Camp Albany get lots of physical activity.
by Karen Rogers Summer means picnics, but before you set out, give it some serious thought. You can get sick and even die from poorly prepared food. This struck home in Albany in 1924 when 12 family members died from eating improperly prepared green beans at a family reunion. At picnics, I rely heavily on instant read thermometers to keep hot food hot and cold, well, cold. And you need several to prevent cross-contamination. Use your coolers wisely, place the perishables in the bottom and cover with icecold sinks. As soon as possible refrigerate any cooked meats and salads after serving. Today’s tightly sealed containers work very well under picnic conditions. Cover the food to prevent flies and yellow jackets from making their depredations. They, too, carry disease. Yellow jackets not only sting, they can bite viciously, one once bit a boot-jack out of my hand! Ants at picnics are over-rated, it’s the flying varmints that are the real peril. Check the area for nests, above and below ground. Look for them entering and exiting a hole and if there’s activity, move elsewhere. Be mindful of soda cans! Nasty stingers have been known to slip inside them with very bad results. Always have a tub of warm, soapy water and on of clear water for hand washing and some hand sanitizers, also paper towels and a spray bottle of bleach water for washing tables. Have proper trash bins- set them apart from the eating area because they also draw the bad element and be very careful disposing of them. In the classic book, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame describes the perfect picnic hamper, provided by the water rat, Ratty. It held “Coldchickencoldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwidge-spottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater” “O stop, stop” cried the Mole in extasies:”This is too much!’ So with a little care, you can have a picnic worthy of Ratty and Mole. Just ignore the crazy lady running around with multiple thermometers.
Camps for Kids by Rick Rogers With school getting ready to let out for the year and summer nearly upon us, it’s time that kids start to think about adventures in the warm months ahead. The Albany Parks and Recreation Camps are back for another exciting summer filled with incredible games, afternoon swimming at COOL pool, wonderful adventures, and wacky fun! It’s a great way to keep your child physically active and engaged during the summer months while building their social interaction skills. The camps are for children ages five through eleven and feature a wide variety of fun-filled themed camps including games, sports, arts, crafts, and more! Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided, but each child needs to bring their own lunch. Your child will also receive a camp t-shirt. Camps that are available are: HARD HAT ZONE: Time to get your hard hats on as we dive into hands-on use of power tools. Learn to draw blueprints and create different masterpieces while developing keen knowledge of construction. June 29July 2 FOOD FRENZY: Have the ultimate culinary experience and learn the basics of cooking! Make your own pasta sauce, cookies, and delicious dessert pizza! Burn off that extra energy by splashing it up at the COOL pool in the afternoons. July 6-10 WILDERNESS 101: Explore the great outdoors as we travel to Florence to ride the giant dune buggies! Taste test all types of s’mores and try out your tent building skills. From the jungle, to the desert, and from the rainforest to the arctic, all types of wilderness will be explored. July 13-17 RESTAURANT ROYALE: You’re the top chef and it’s time to create your own perfect restaurant. Take your imagination and creativity to the next level as you choose your restaurant’s name, menu, and uniform while making fun foods. July 20-24 TIME TRAVEL: Time to construct our time machine and see history in a way we never have before! It’s time travel at its best, from designing and building our own Great Pyramids, to holding our own Olympics like in ancient Greece! July 27-31 MOVIE MAGIC: Have you always wanted to be on the big screen? You will learn the ins and outs of movie productions as you spend the week preparing your very own film. When the films are produced, you will take a trip to the Cinebarre in Salem as we indulge in pizza while watching our very own movies on the big screen. August 3-7 MISSION POSSIBLE: Calling all future agents! Disguises, cracking codes, and solving crimes are just the beginning at of your chance to be a top agent at this camp designed to train the best of the best. August 10-14 With new extended hours available, and a bigger age range, these camps are available to Albany residents and those from surrounding areas. Camp Albany is perfect for all families. For costs and registration information call 541-917-7777 or visit the Albany Parks and Recreation office at city hall, Fourth and Broadalbin Sts. in downtown Albany.
Campers get a chance to learn important skils.
Last year camp kids visited SafeHaven to learn about care of animals.