Category Archives: News

2023 Camp and Reg Dates

Hello campers…er…employees!

It’s time for our first newsletter of the year. Welcome to all of our new subscribers! Our theme this year is Business Casual; get ready for some very seriously casual business.

You can find a memo with information on our camp dates and registration dates below…

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NOTE: HERE IS THE DETAILS NEEDED FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER. REMEMBER TO DELETE THIS STUFF SO UPPER MANAGEMENT DOESN’T SEE IT… THEY WANT A NICE, CLEAN NEWSLETTER SENT OUT TO ALL EMPLOYEES. MESSAGE ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING MORE! – JIM

CAMP DATES:

  • AUGUST 24-28, 2023

REGISTRATION:

  • OPENS APRIL 10TH, 2023 AT 9 PM
  • WE WILL SEND A NEWSLETTER EMAIL WITH A URL TO THE REGISTRATION FORM WHEN PUBLIC REGISTRATION OPENS

SPECIAL GUESTS: (NOTE FROM UPPER MANAGEMENT IN YOUR INBOX)

NOTE: I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. BEFORE YOU SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO THE EMPLOYEES… DELETE THIS SECTION! PLEASE REMEMBER TO DELETE IT.

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DEAR (INSERT VALUED EMPLOYEES NAME HERE),

UPPER MANAGEMENT IS PROUD TO INVITE YOU TO AN ALL INCLUSIVE EMPLOYEE STAFF RETREAT AT CAMP FERAL (AKA. CAMP AROWHON), IN ALGONQUIN PARK THIS THURSDAY AUGUST 24TH TO MONDAY, AUGUST 28TH 2023!

THIS ANNUAL RETREAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU, [EMPLOYEE’S NAME] TO INTERACT WITH YOUR FELLOW TEAM MEMBERS IN AN ENVIRONMENT OTHER THAN THE  WONDERFUL AND COMFORTABLE SPACES WE PROVIDE YOU AT THE OFFICE. IT IS, OF COURSE, NOT MANDATORY BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE FIRST AND FOREMOST ON YOUR MANAGER’S MIND, WOULDN’T YOU THINK A WEEK IN THE WOODS WITH THEM WOULD BE MEMORABLE AROUND BONUS TIME??

SO WE HOPE YOU MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.

REGISTRATION FOR THE RETREAT OPENS APRIL 10TH AT 9 PM EDT.

SEE YOU IN AUGUST!

PS. DUE TO BUDGET RESTRAINTS UPPER MANAGEMENT  HAS  MADE THE DECISION TO  LIQUIDATE THE GUEST OF HONOUR POSITION. UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO CONDITIONS IN THEIR CONTRACT, WE ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP BLAZEN EMPLOYED UNTIL CONTRACT END (AUG 28 2023). AS SUCH, HE WILL BE TRANSITIONING INTO THE POSITION OF “NOT-GUEST-OF-HONOUR” WHILE RETAINING THE DUTIES OF CTO (CHIEF TIKI OFFICER)

Feral! 2022 Epilogue

Upper Management has approved our request to send one last newsletter about Feral! 2022! 

PHOTOS AND “OH NO”S!

HERE WE GIVE YOU A PHOTOGRAPH…


 The Feral! 2022 Group Photo. Also, in 2022, it doubled as a technique to gather the majority of campers to the front of the Main Lodge halfway through the birthday party so that we can reveal the theme twist to the most people at once.

Seeing this picture makes me homesick for summer camp. BYy the way isn’t a sentence that has ever been spoken before in the history of the human race. That must say a lot about the campers who attend, eh? Well, here’s a pic of everyone for us to put on the backgrounds of our phones and desktops and get us pumped for 2023!

To download hi-res copies of both versions of the Camper Group Photo and the Fursuit Group Photos (the latter of which are displayed below), click the photo above or this link to the Google Photos page where they reside.

A CALL FOR PHOTO SUBMISSIONS!

Did you take some awesome pics at Feral?
 
  • Perhaps of the starry sky at night, or the misty lake in the morning.
  • Did you get a great picture of your cabin mates in front of your cabin?
  • Or perhaps you snapped a pic of Adler’s unrivaled and, let’s face it, unnerving win streak as the King of the Jousting Arena, undefeated, unmoved,  for 72 straight matches… each knockout accompanied by his shrill whistle and the words, “I CAN TASTE YOUR TORMENT… and it fills me with ke “llrivun. We want to see them, and to share them with the rest of the campers! We are working on a page on our website, and currently have a Telegram channel devoted only to sharing photos campers have submitted for us to share!
How to Submit Photos

To submit photos, simply DM @Eevachu on Telegram!

By submitting your photos you consent to photos potentially being used for marketing/promotion materials

View the archive on telegram or https://t.me/campferalphotos

LOST AND FOUND

Lost something?
We might’ve Found it!
 
Lost something at camp? Take a look in our new virtual lost and found bin to see if you can reunite with your beloved material good(s)!

UNCLAIMED RAFFLE PRIZES

Several raffle prizes were unclaimed last year… some may have forgotten to swing by con ops before jumping on the bus, others may not know that they won at all!  

We will be reaching out to everyone who did not claim their prize to discuss options, so keep an eye on your email and telegram please!

ONTARIO STAY-CATION TAX CREDIT!

If you are a resident of Ontario and you went to Feral.. you may be eligible to get some money back for staying in the province!

For more information on eligibility and the credit itself, Please visit the office page Ontario has made,

A receipt will be provided by request. If you seek one, contact info@campferal.org and be sure to put “Ontario Stay-cation Tax Credit” in the Subject line.

May 2022 News and Updates

Goooooood morning Feral Campers! 

Registration is behind us, camp has sold out, and we can start looking forward to bright sunny days up at camp! As we get closer to heading up to Algonquin you can expect to see a few newsletters with pertinent updates, this being one of them! Please take a moment to read the sections below as this is some pretty good-to-know stuff. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at info@campferal.org

Deposit Cutoff Date

Our registration deposit cut off date is June 12th. If you opted to register using a deposit please note that your method of payment will be automatically billed the remaining balance of your registration on June 12th. Also note that this is when our refund policy changes. Any registration cancellations that occur on or after this date will be fully refunded less $80 CAD.

COVID-19 Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic is still shaking things up globally and while we feel confident in our ability to bring you a safe camp experience, we recognize that we face a lot of challenges given that we’re fairly isolated out in Algonquin, there’s a lot of shared spaces, and we provide the option of transportation to and from camp via the Feral Bus. This has raised a lot of interesting questions as to how certain situations may be handled, such as if a positive COVID case is confirmed while on site.

As agreed to during registration you already know that we require you to be fully vaccinated before attending camp, but we know that there will be more policies needed depending on the state of the pandemic when we get to camp. We have regular communication with Arowhon and are assessing the situation as it develops in order to determine what policies will be most appropriate. You will get updates regarding any new policy via future newsletters. We will also update our COVID-19 policy page on campferal.org.

Please remember that we want to do everything we can to let everyone have as much fun as possible, but safety must always be our first priority.

We would also like to take a moment to remind you that your vaccination status needs to be verified when you arrive at camp or the bus. Please ensure that you have a printed, non-digital, copy of your vaccination records handy as there is limited cell service in Algonquin Provincial Park. You may not be able to download digital copies and if you are unable to provide your vaccination records you will not be permitted on site.

Limited Spots on the Bus

There’s been heavy demand when it comes to bus transportation this year and are getting very close to full capacity. If you were planning on signing up for the bus at a later date please let us know now and we will do our best to accommodate you. If you would like to add bus service to your registration, please reach out to us at registration@campferal.org.

Volunteering

Several of you have reached out asking how you can give back to Camp Feral with your time while at camp this year. If you have an interest in volunteering at camp please reach out to us at info@campeferal.org. There is no minimum required amount of time when it comes to volunteering at camp and any amount of time you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Cabin Selection

We’re collecting your cabin preferences this year using this form! You can use this form to let us know what your needs are and who you would like to have in your cabin. Please note that if you are unsure as to who you would like to have in your cabin it would be great if you could still fill out the form so we know what your preferences are.


Thank you so much for taking the time to review all this info and remember that you can always reach out to us at info@campferal.org if you have any questions!

Advanced Registration is Now Open

It's time to #GetSoft

Advanced registration is now open until April 6th.
 
if you have advanced registration carried over from 2020! Emails with instructions on how to claim your spot have been sent to all those on our special invite list. If you didn’t receive an email & think you should’ve, send us an email .
 
Advanced registration runs March 23-April 6.
Public registration will open on April 11.
 
Please check the FAQ pages before asking questions, as the answer you seek may already be available there.
 
Please direct all questions about registration to our reg team  as we will be busy and won’t be monitoring social media as much during this process. Thank you all and hope to see you at Pawnee’s big birthday bash! 🎂

Registration Info Update

Good morning Feral Campers!

We know that a lot of you are anxious to know how registration is going to work this year. We’ve been working hard to get everything ready for you and we’re ready to pass along the details of how everything is going to work. 

As we’re sure you understand, we are facing some challenges this year, so this newsletter is going to be longer and more straightforward than most. We encourage you to read the whole newsletter as there is a lot of info here that you will want to know!

2022 Camp Date Reminder

Camp Feral will be held from August 25th to August 29th, 2022.

2022 Registration Cost

For Camp Feral 2022 we will have registration fees set as follows.

  • Camper: $575
  • Sponsor: $625
  • Patron: $700

Transportation provided by the Feral bus will be $85, round trip.

We know this is a bit higher than previous years. Services and venues that serve events like ours have been hit very hard by the pandemic and as such we’ve seen our costs increase across the board. We’ve carefully reviewed our budget and have taken every possible measure to keep reg rates as low as possible.

Just remember that your reg includes access to camp activities and events, lodging, and food!

Deposits

Deposits will be accepted this year and will be $50.

Our deposit cut off date is June 12th. If you have not fully paid your reg by this date, our registration system will automatically bill you the remaining balance for your registration. We originally implemented this policy in 2020 in response to concerns that some registrants were holding spots with a deposit without committing to attending camp, which ultimately resulted in fewer folks being able to attend. It’s our intention to keep this policy in place for 2022 to give the best chance of attendance to those that wish to join us at camp!

Advanced Registration For 2020 Cancellations

Those that had their registrations canceled in 2020 will have access to advanced registration for 2022, which will open on Saturday March 19th at 7pm Eastern time and will close on Sunday April 3rd at 7pm Eastern time. Those that are eligible for advanced registration will be contacted via email with further information on how to register.

If you are eligible but do not register by April 3rd, you will need to register when public registration opens.

Public Registration

Public Registration will open on Monday April 11th at 7pm Eastern time and will close on Sunday June 12th at 7pm Eastern time.

Waitlist

If you unfortunately run into a situation where you register after we have sold out, you will automatically be added to a waitlist. We will continue to work through the waitlist even after registration has closed.

2022 COVID Cancellation Considerations

One of the big concerns in 2020 was what might happen with refunds if Feral was canceled. Thankfully we were able to refund everyone’s registration 100%, but you may be wondering what might happen this year.

The nature of our agreements with our vendors has changed substantially in the last 2 years. As such Camp Feral finds itself in a position where penalties can occur should we decide to cancel without government mandate or support from our vendors.

Thanks to the pledges of a handful of people we can guarantee that if Camp Feral is canceled without government mandate and without support of our vendors, registrations will be refunded at their expense. However, we’re asking the community for a little bit of support in exchange for this guarantee as we don’t think it’s completely fair to ask a small number of people to carry this large risk.

On our registration form you will find a place where you can designate what percentage of your registration you would like to have refunded in the event of cancellation. We understand that everyone’s financial situation is different. If you need 100% back, you’ll get it. But if you can help support feral with a partial or even no refund, you’re helping ensure that there will be Camp Feral in 2023. Keep in mind that you will get at least what percentage you designate. A larger refund will be provided if at all possible.

Frankly, looking at how the pandemic impacted the late fall of 2020 and 2021, we’re quite optimistic and confident that Feral will occur in 2022. This is just an added step we’re taking because we all know that we’re still living in uncertain times.

Please note that the above only applies in the event that camp is canceled. If you cancel your registration you will be subject to the normal refund policy.

2022 COVID Vaccination Policy

We’ve added a new section to our code of conduct for 2022 in regards to COVID vaccination requirements.

It will be required that all Feral attendees be fully vaccinated as defined by the province of Ontario on or before the first day of camp. Campers will be required to show proof of vaccination. 

For those of you that are taking the bus to camp, your vaccination records must be reviewed prior to boarding the bus. Those that fail to meet vaccination requirements or fail to provide documentation will not be allowed to board the bus.

For those that are taking their own transportation to camp, vaccination records will be reviewed as part of registration. Those that fail to meet vaccination requirements or fail to provide documentation will not be allowed to attend camp.

2023 Camp Dates

Wait… what?! We’re announcing Camp Feral 2023 dates! Why yes! Well… not exactly. Just kinda.

In order to keep our rates as low as possible for as long as possible, we’ve made an agreement with Arowhon to move Camp Feral from late summer to Victoria Day weekend, which will be the weekend of May 20th, 2023. We’re not ready to announce specific dates, but given the big change that we’re moving it 3 months earlier, we wanted to give everyone as much notice as possible.

Whooo… that’s a lot

Yeah, we know! But we want to make sure you stay as up to date as possible. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns feel free to email us at info@campferal.org.

See you at camp!